KR20010046893A - Method for testing computer system with power management automatically - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for automatically testing a computer system equipped with a power management function is provided to increase the convenience of a developer by automatically testing a computer system using a power management function. CONSTITUTION: A computer system is powered on(S10). The computer system is booted(S12). A test program is automatically executed(S14). The test program checks a log file(S16). It is judged whether a test is performed(S18). In case that the test isn't performed, test items are initialized(S20). It is judged whether the test is completed(S22). A waiting time setup is counted(S24). It is judged whether a counting is completed(S26). A test item designated is executed(S28). The log file is updated(S30). The test program is terminated(S32).

Description

Automatic test method of computer system with power management function {METHOD FOR TESTING COMPUTER SYSTEM WITH POWER MANAGEMENT AUTOMATICALLY}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a test method of a computer system, specifically, a power on / off test and a suspend / resume test of a computer system having a power management function. test method and a restart test (restart test).

Computer system developers perform various tests to determine the normal operation during system development. Once the basic development of the system is completed, the peripherals such as system memory, video display, and auxiliary memory are mounted on the motherboard to test the system's normal operation. The developer proceeds with system development while solving the errors found during the test process through the debugging process.

This test is, for example, a power on / off test and a restart test. Additional suspend / reset tests are added for computer systems with power management. The power on / off test tests whether the system boots and shuts down normally as the computer system powers on or off. The restart test tests whether the computer system boots normally when the computer system is reset. The suspend / reset test tests the power management of the system. These tests are run manually by the developer.

By the way, the test of such a computer system is not completed once, but is usually repeated several times during the test, and is often repeated at the development stage of the system. As a result, developers had a very cumbersome problem of manually performing repetitive tests.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method capable of automatically performing a test of a computer system having a power management function as proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems.

1 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart showing execution steps of an automated test of a computer system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 shows a menu input window of the test program of FIG. 1;

4 is a flowchart showing a concrete execution step of the restart test in the execution step of the designated test item of FIG. 2;

5 is a flowchart showing a specific execution step of a power on / off test in the execution step of the designated test item of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a concrete execution step of the suspend / retest test in the execution step of the designated test item of FIG. 2.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

10: computer system 12: central processing unit

14: Video display 16: Input device

18: power management controller 20: power switch

22: power supply 24: real time clock

26: BIOS 28: auxiliary memory

30: main memory 32: test program

34: operating system

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the object of the present invention as described above, a test method of a computer system for restarting, power on / off, and suspend reset testing of a computer system with a power management function: Checking a log file associated with a test program to determine whether a test on a computer system is in progress; Initializing a test item, a waiting time, and a repetition number when not in a test; Waiting for a specified time prior to execution of a test for a test item selected in the initialization step; Executing a test on the selected test item after a designated time elapses; Updating the log file when the specified test is complete.

In this embodiment, when the selected test item is the restart test, executing a test on the selected test item includes updating the log file and generating a reset signal. When the selected test item is the power on / off test, executing a test on the selected test item comprises updating the log file; Setting a time to be powered on after the system is powered off; Powering off the system. The step of executing a test on the selected test item when the selected test item is the suspend / reset test comprises: updating the log file; Setting a time to be recalled after the system is converted to suspend mode; Switching the system to suspend mode.

(Example)

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The automatic test method of the computer system with the new power management function of the present invention automatically repeats the power on / off test, the restart test, and the suspend / resume test of the computer system with the power management function.

1 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementing a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a computer system 10 having a power management function may include a central processing unit (CPU) 12, a video display 14, and a keyboard as components of a general system. input device 16, such as a device or pointing device, a real-time clock 24, a basic input output system (BIOS) 26, an auxiliary memory ( auxiliary memory 28, main memory 30. The central processing unit 12 accesses various peripheral devices such as the video display 14, the input device 16, the auxiliary memory 28, the main memory 30, and the like.

As is well known, in a computer system 10 having a power management function, the power management controller 18 controls the power supply of the power supply 22. The power supply device 22 has a power supply structure that is separated into main power and standby power. Standby power is power that is always output when the power supply 22 receives external power. The power management controller 18 is maintained by the standby power supply even when the system is powered off. The power switch 20 is connected to the power management controller 18. In response to the input of the power switch 20, the power management controller 18 controls the power supply unit 18 so that the main power is supplied or cut off.

The real-time clock (RTC) 24 supports current time information and alarms, and has 256 bytes of battery-backed RAM. As will be described later, the power-on operation in the power-on / off test of the present invention and the reset operation in the suspend / reset test are executed using the alarm function of the real time clock 24, respectively. In the embodiment of the present invention, the operating system 34 mounted on the main memory 30 is a Windows operating system developed by Microsoft Corporation. The test program 32 of the present invention is registered in the startup program registration item of the Windows operating system. Therefore, the test program runs automatically when the system boots.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other computer system configurations having multiple processors and having other peripheral devices than those shown in FIG.

2 is a flowchart showing execution steps of an automatic test of a computer system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a menu input window of the test program 32 of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, when the computer system is powered on in step S10, the computer system is booted through step S12. If an error occurs during the boot process, the system will halt. When booting of the computer system is normally completed, the test program of the present invention is automatically executed in step S14. As described above, since the test program is registered in the startup program item of the Windows operating system, the test program is automatically executed after system booting.

If the test program is automatically executed, the test program checks the log file in step S16. The log file used by the test program stores various data related to the test, such as test date, test time, test item, test number, test progress indicator, and the like. In step S18, it is determined whether the test is in progress. If not, the flow advances to step S20 to initialize test items.

When the test program 32 is executed, the menu input window 40 is displayed as shown in FIG. The menu input window 40 includes a test number input item 42, a wait time input item 44, test type selection buttons 46, and start and end selection buttons 48 and 49. The test type select buttons 46 are composed of a restart test button 46a, a power on / off test button 46b, and a suspend / reset test button 46c. The test number input item 42 is an item for specifying the number of times to be repeatedly tested, and the waiting time input item 44 is an item for specifying the time to wait before the test proceeds. After inputting the test number and the waiting time, select one of the test items 46 and enter the start button 48 to start the specified test. Before the specified test is executed, various test-related data as described above are stored in the log file. And data indicating that it is under test is recorded.

If it is determined that the test is being performed in step S18, the flow proceeds to step S22 to determine whether the test is completed. That is, it is determined whether the test has been performed repeatedly by the designated number of times. If the test has not been repeated a specified number of times, the flow proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the set waiting time is counted, and in step S26, it is determined whether the count is completed. When the count is completed, the flow advances to step S28 to execute the specified test item. Detailed description thereof will be described later. When the test is completed, the control of the test program 32 proceeds from step S22 to step S30. In step S30, the log file is updated. That is, the test end time, data indicating the completion of the test, and the like are recorded in a log file. And the test program 32 is complete | finished in step S32.

Next, the execution step of the designated test item will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. 4 is a flowchart showing a specific execution step of the restart test in the execution step of the specified test item of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a specific execution step of the power on / off test in the execution step of the specified test item of FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a concrete execution step of the suspend / reset test in the execution step of the designated test item of FIG. 2.

Referring to Fig. 4, when the restart test item is selected, the test program 32 starts the restart test in step S40. In step S42, the log file is updated. In this log file update phase, the start time and the number of iterations of the restart test are recorded in the log file. In step S44, a reset signal is generated. Techniques for generating a reset signal are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. When the reset signal is generated, the computer system is reset, and the booting process of step S12 shown in FIG. 2 is performed. The test program will run automatically when booting is complete. Through these steps, the restart test is repeated a specified number of iterations. If an error occurs in the system during the test, you can see the test progress by referring to the log file.

Referring to FIG. 5, when the power on / off test item is selected, the test program 32 starts the power on / off test in step S50. In step S52, the log file is updated. In this log file update phase, the start time and the number of iterations of the power on / off test are recorded in the log file. In step S54, the alarm function is set. As described above, the alarm function is a function provided in the real time clock 24, which is well known to those skilled in the art. Use the alarm function to set the time after the system is powered off. In step S56, the system is powered off. In this step, the power management controller 18 cuts off the supply of the main power of the power supply 22. It is determined whether the time specified in step S58 has elapsed, and when the specified time reaches, the system is powered on in step S60. When the system is powered on, the booting process of step S12 shown in FIG. 2 is performed. The test program will run automatically when booting is complete. Through these steps, the power on / off test is repeated for a specified number of repetitions. If an error occurs in the system during the test, you can see the test progress by referring to the log file.

Referring to FIG. 6, when the suspend / reset test item is selected, the test program 32 starts the suspend / reset test in step S70. In step S72, the log file is updated. In this log file update phase, the start time and the number of iterations of the suspend / reset test are recorded in the log file. In step S74, the reset on time is set. As described above, the reset time setting uses an alarm function provided in the real time clock 24. Use the alarm function to set the time for the system to be recalled in suspend mode. In step S76, the system is switched to the suspend mode. It is determined whether the time specified in step S78 has elapsed, and when the specified time reaches, the system is reset in step S80. When the system is reset, the test program 32 repeats from step S16 of FIG. Through these steps, the suspend / reset test is repeated a specified number of iterations. If an error occurs in the system during the test, you can see the test progress by referring to the log file.

In the above, the configuration and operation of the circuit according to the present invention are shown in accordance with the above description and drawings, but this is merely described, for example, and various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. .

According to the present invention as described above, by repeatedly performing the restart, power on / off, suspend / reset test process that is repeatedly performed in the development stage of the computer system, the developer has had to manually test manually in the past Can be removed.

Claims (4)

A method of testing a computer system for restarting, power on / off, and suspend reset testing of a computer system with power management: Checking a log file associated with a test program to determine whether a test on a computer system is in progress; Initializing a test item, a waiting time, and a repetition number when not in a test; Waiting for a specified time prior to execution of a test for a test item selected in the initialization step; Executing a test on the selected test item after a designated time elapses; And updating a log file when the specified test is completed. The method of claim 1, When the selected test item is the restart test, executing a test on the selected test item, Updating the log file and generating a reset signal. The method of claim 1, When the selected test item is the power on / off test, executing a test on the selected test item, Updating the log file; Setting a time to be powered on after the system is powered off; And powering off the system. The method of claim 1, When the selected test item is the suspend / reset test, executing a test on the selected test item, Updating the log file; Setting a time to be recalled after the system is converted to suspend mode; And switching the system to suspend mode.