Automating a test method for a hybrid test environment

Abstract: Ericsson has a very big and expensive test environment with a lot of GSM AXE equipment. In order to decrease the cost of testing Ericsson has developed a combination of simulated and real hardware, the Hybrid Test Environment (HTE). There is no formal supervision and testing of the HTE system today and this has left the HTE system unstable and the testers have been avoiding using HTE. It is important for Ericsson that the confidence for HTE will increase. The goal of this thesis is to produce a method for testing the HTE system. An automated test tool has been implemented in order to monitor and test the HTE system. During the two weeks that the test tool has been operational it has discovered 4 servers in 3 different HTE rigs that malfunctioned. These servers were fixed and were operational before the end-users could discover any problem.