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AS OF 12/4/2008 2:34AM EST

Fanfare Looks to Simplify Testing
Test automation product brings new analysis and test bed sharing
By Jeff Feinman

August 22, 2008 — Fanfare, a provider of testing products for network equipment managers and service providers, has made analysis and transferability easier in its test automation product.

iTest 3.2, released on Tuesday, lets testers integrate test assets and automate complex system testing, using hardware and software from multiple companies. To be able to handle more demanding environments, iTest 3.2 has an In-Grid Analysis feature that provides intuitive pass/fail capabilities, Fanfare executives said.

“Now, at a glance, test authors can view the analysis rules associated with specific test steps within the Test Steps Grid, quickly providing greater understanding of the nature of a test,” said Greg Fairbanks, director of product marketing for Fanfare. “Users selecting a row in the grid representing an analysis rule can directly view the properties pages related to the analysis rule.”

Testbed Revolver is a new feature that can enable greater test bed sharing and transferability, Fairbanks said. If a user wants to run a test case on different test beds, the Testbed Revolver feature makes transferring between test beds easier with a single interface that utilizes a grid-based editor.

There is now interoperability in iTest 3.2 with Sun Microsystems’ Java Swing widget toolkit and the Wireshark network protocol analyzer, along with syslog IP network messages. Fanfare executives said that enhancements have been made to the product’s integration with Agilent’s N2X voice, video and data testing product, as well as Spirent’s SmartBits network performance analysis system and TestCenter network device testing product. Additionally, iTest 3.2 integrates with Ixia’s IxNetwork and IxLoad test equipment software, and that option costs an extra US$1,000 per user per year.

“By providing a common foundation for conducting complex system testing, iTest is a valuable tool for both network equipment manufacturers and service providers that must communicate test assets to one another on a regular basis,” Fairbanks said. “iTest enables the testing of equipment and systems that are accessed through command line interfaces, embedded Web interfaces, and any device that can be controlled through Tcl or published API. iTest automates testing for equipment ranging from data, video and voice, to wireless, telephony and storage. It works with complex test beds that include multiple devices under test, test equipment, computers and other equipment.”

Theresa Lanowitz, an analyst and founder of Voke, said iTest provides an agnostic testing solution that unifies the different pieces of today’s increasingly complex testing environment.

Existing Fanfare customers with current maintenance and subscription licenses can upgrade to iTest 3.2 as part of their licenses.

Related Search Term(s): automation, testing & troubleshooting, Fanfare

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