Introduction

Article
03/05/2008

This document is designed to assist organizations using BDD 2007 to deploy the Windows operating system. Using this guide, the organization can set up and implement testing solutions that validate the project throughout each phase. This material is intended for information technology (IT) professionals, subject matter experts (SMEs), and consultants responsible for stabilizing the BDD 2007 project before using it in a production environment. Anyone using this document must be familiar, at a minimum, with Microsoft management technologies, products, and concepts.

The Test Feature Team Guide describes at a high level the test objectives, scope, practices, and testing methodologies that the Test feature team uses. Supporting this guide is the Test Cases Workbook in C:\Program Files\BDD 2007\Documentation\Job Aids, which provides the details required to execute the BDD 2007 test cases described here as well as the results the testers obtained in the lab. This information is provided as a suggested rather than prescriptive approach to designing, setting up, and operating the test lab environment for a BDD 2007 project.

This guide focuses primarily on process documentation. Detailed, step-by-step procedures can be found in the appendix. If the reader’s role is planning, he or she should read the main body of the guide. If the reader’s role is stabilizing the solution, he or she should read this entire guide.

Like any other technological implementation, the BDD 2007 project must be fully tested before deployment into a production environment. A test environment consists of a test lab or labs and includes test plans that detail what to test as well as test cases that describe how to test each component. This test environment must simulate the production environment as closely as possible.

The test lab can consist of a single lab or of several labs, each of which supports testing without presenting risk to the production environment. In the test lab, members of the Test feature team can verify their deployment design assumptions, discover deployment problems, and improve their understanding of the new technology. Such activities reduce the risk of errors during deployment and minimize downtime in the production environment.

Regardless of whether the team is using an existing lab for testing or building a new test lab for the deployment project, the team must think through and clearly define goals for the test lab and its long-term purpose.

Background

The work described in this guide typically starts in the Envisioning Phase of MSF, when the project team is scoping the project. It continues through the Planning, Developing, Stabilizing, and Deploying Phases. The primary consumer of this guide is the MSF Test Role Cluster, because most of this guide focuses on validating the developed solution.

Prerequisites

Test team members must have a comprehensive understanding of the project’s business objectives. They must also possess strong communication skills. Test team members should be familiar with a range of testing and deployment concepts and technologies. For example, the should be familiar with test planning; writing test cases; and white box, black box, and gray box testing. It is also strongly recommended that Test feature team members meet the following knowledge and experience prerequisites:

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification
Windows Vista functionality and features
Windows XP Professional functionality and features
Microsoft Windows Server® 2003 running in a Microsoft Windows Server System™ domain
Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 (only if the team is building a virtual server environment to save on the cost of hardware)
Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 with Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Windows Server 2003 interaction issues with Windows client computers (Windows Vista, Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, and Windows NT® Workstation 4.0)
Deployment technologies used with current Windows operating systems
Testing methodologies, processes, and practices (for example, test plans; test cases; and white box, black box, and gray box testing)
Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 experience
Microsoft Windows SharePoint® Services experience

Introduction

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Background

Prerequisites

Additional resources