Azure, RPA, AI, Selenium, Angular, API
When I wanted to run my automation scripts on CI/CD pipeline back in 2017, I was experimenting the headless browsers starting with PhantomJs.
Now Phantomjs is a discontinuoed headless browsers due to poor maintenance and support.
Selenium automation utilized PhantomJs when it needs a non GUI mode executions on jenkins server when there is no browser installed on it or no support from docker containers.
Machine learning models can be developed using TensorFlow, and orchastrated using Kubernetes and build it in Docker container. These can be combined with AWS services like CloudWatch, EKS and S3. This can basically give an API for developers to deploy their machine learning models.
What is Tensorflow?
Tensorflow is an opensource library used for machine learning specifically artificial neural networks. It provides API for various machine learning tasks.
It is important to learn following terminology prior learning Tensorflow.
Artificial neural networks are inspired from Animal brains that learn from experiences. Similarly neural networks learns from examples to perform its tasks than running predefined programs.
What is Keras
High level neural networks API written in python which Tensorflow utilized for building its programs.
What is Dense
Dense is the neural network layer in the tensorflow
It is good idea to build a team having members with good strategy for executing project. This member can be identified as leader
Then team needs a good analyst who needs to have skills to manage roadmap, backlog of work. This person can be called as Analyst.
And finally needs the developers (1 pr more depending on the work load and customer needs) who can deploy the code or bots.
For me RDA is automation of single desktop/user and RPA is automation of many desktops/uses.
Desktop automation is a robotic process automation which was a scaled down version of actual RPA for a single user. Robotic desktop automation is used for data scraping, Excel automation, file transfers, report generation, etc. An example, checking an apllication for a status on regular basis and to download reports or emailing a report to a distributed list of people.
However RPA installs on a server (not for single desktop eventhough that can also be done), cloud , or virtual machines. RPA processes can spread acrross departments or work flows.
For example, invoice generation needs to flow through multiples of tasks is a great candidate for RPA. It might start with retrieving an attachment from an email, then RPA needs to categorize it, uploading to an ERP systems, then find the right receiving person and send out email to that right approval person is a perfect candidate for RPA.
Before cloud comes into IT world, the development was time consuming in terms of deploying, integrating backend or API to make an end to end functioning application.
But now when you consider AWS, Firebase, Amplify, or Hasura that provides backend service right away with minimal coding or integration efforts. Plus easy deployment from your own. No much coordinated efforts by involving IT Admin team.
So right tool selection is extremely important for the success in delivery and customer service.
Open Source Computer Vision Library (OpenCV) is a open source computer vision and machine learning software library.
OpenCV is a BSD-licensed product, since it is BSD licenses it can be utilized or modified for anyOpenCV businesses use. Sikuli has leveraged OpenCV for image recognition.
OpenCV was built to provide a common infrastructure for computer vision applications
OpenCV helps to accelerate the use of machine perception in the commercial products.
Karate framework is the only framework that combines API, Web Automation, mock and performance testing using Gatling. It supports some level of RPA/RDA testing by integrating Sikuli with it’s scritps.
Stackoverflow links related with Karate framework
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/58854004/karate-driver-synchronization-challeges
Karate framework can be build using gradle or maven. If you already know Cucumber framework it is easy to learn Karate framework. Karate uses feature files and Karate specific DSL supports both API and Web automation. Karate’s Java runner file can call the feature file having Karate DSL to perform API transactions like GET, POST, PUT and DELETE.
Karate version 0.9.5 released in 2020 has the following features,
In 2019, Karate started web automation. Karate 0.9.5 feature will make Karate as complete test automation framework supporting both API and Web automation. Also another point to be noted is Karate’s integration with Sikulix for Desktop automation, integration with Gatling for performance testing and Mocking support for API testing.
Coronavirus is a set of virus that affect mammals with moderate to life threatening conditions. In human’s it causes respiratory issues and can cause dealth to vulnerable individuals. In Cows it may cause diarrhea where as chicken can have respiratory infections.
Thread Group: Thread group is the number of virtual users performing the transaction on application under test.
How to add Thread group?
Performance testing best practices and activities.
Note: To learn the performance requirements & expectations, SME (Subject matter expert ) or production user can help. This information will help to define performance goals and SLAs
Note 1: To identify the right performance test scenarios, SME can give some feedback on about the current performance issues in production / live application that he/she is facing.
Note 2: You can refer another blog of mine on different types of performance scenarios – click link load testing vs performance testing vs stress testing
Note 1: Apart from delivering performance analysis results, Performance Engineer can coordinate with other team to monitor real time performance on Database server, Application server and also make sure load balancing is working fine while stress testing.
1. Performance testing – The main purpose of Performance testing is to arrive the benchmark & baseline of the system behavior (e.g response time) under normal/moderate load. This test will help performance engineer to analyse how does the application behave under normal conditions.
2. Load testing – here load will be constantly and steadily increased over a given period of time. i.e the constant load applied for a constant period of time. For example a load of 100 users are applied for 15 min.
3. Stress test – it is meant to push the system beyond the normal load limits or extreme conditions. This test is to make sure the servers don’t crash or what point it crashes. Stress test will verify the breaking point of the system or how much load, system can withstand.
For example a load of 100 users are applied for 15 min and then 150 users load is applied for next 15 min. then 200 users load is applied for next 15 min. Verify at what point system stopped to respond.
4. Endurance testing – for easy understanding, I would say it is a “Load testing on extended period” to make sure web servers are performing longer period of time. For example a load of 100 users are applied for 48 hours
Note: Once the performance testing is completed successfully, tester can assume the performance requirements are met and he can start load testing. After that Stress testing if required.
Load testing tools in the market are
1) HPE LoadRunner is from Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
2) JMeter – Apache JMeter. It is a Java based performance testing tool works on web communication layer (HTTP)
Jmeter recording
How to create Jmeter scripts?
Recording Jmeter scripts using Jmeter’s HTTP(S) Test Script recorder. There are two ways
1) Manually adding scripts ( Test plan >> Tread Group >> Add>> Sampler >> HTTP Request )
2) Recording using Jmeter’s HTTP(S) Test Script recorder
How to record Jmeter scripts using HTTP(S) Test Script recorder
Prior doing that we need to configure browser and learn about the Proxy setup
Jmeter to Application server communication need to be routed through a browser Proxy for this recording purpose. For that you may need to select the Browser (here we can use Firefox browser”
1) Navigate to Firefox >> Tools >> options >> Advanced >> Network >> Settings
2) Select Manual Proxy configuration >> HTTP Proxy = localhost & Port = 8080
How to run Jmeter in Jenkins
steps:
Jenkins setup and performance plugin setup:
1) copy performance plugin into Jenkin’s home directry before you start the test.
2) to do that – you can download the performance plugin “performance.hpi” from the site https://wiki.jenkins-ci.org/display/JENKINS/Performance+Plugin
3) how to find the home directry of jenkins – to do that you can navigate to jenkins home page (localhost:8080) and then
4) click on “Manage Jenkins” and then click on “Configure system” the you will notice “Home directy” path in there.
Configure Jmeter and create a basic script in Jmeter:
5) download Jmeter Binary zip file from Jmeter site http://jmeter.apache.org/download_jmeter.cgi
6) unzip it and go to the “bin” directory of the Jmeter folder, wherre you will notice “user.properties” file.
7) open the file in notepad or notepad++ or any other text editor
8) add a line “jmeter.save.saveservice.output_format=xml” to that. Save and close the “user.properties” file
9) create a Jmeter script and make sure you can run it in non GUI mode i.e either in DOS mode or using shell scripts in MAC (note down the commands used in respective OS and it could be used in Jenkins job setup)
Note: for windows command line run, you can use the following commands
C:\[JMETER BIN directory]\jmeter.bat -Jjmeter.save.saveservice.output_format=xml -n -t C:\[JMETER script “.jmx” file] -l Jmeter_test_results.jtl
Note 1: For detailed topics on Jmeter scripts creation , please visit Jmeter , Jmeter recording
setup Jenkin’s job to run Jmeter scripts
9) go to Jenkins home page (localhost:8080) and then click on “New Item” on “Freestyle project”
10) in the “New item” page, give some name in the item name field and go to below to section “Build” and add build step
11) add build step can be either a) “execute windows batch command” for windows or b) “Execute shell” for MAC
12) provide your command in there and save.
13) Click on “Build now” which would call the Jmeter (jmx) file and run the program
14) after the run, you can verify the Jenkins console to review the results.
Rendezvous point is Synchronization or Wait point. Rendezvous points makes Vusers to wait during test execution and multiple Vusers will simultaneously perform a task.
Rendezvous is mainly used to emulate heavy load on a particular scenario/ transaction to test the application behavior.
Latency issues generally occurs as a side effects of patch updates in windows. It may occur as audio/video streaming performance issues.
Latency issues can be tested using LatencyMon or Thesycon
Note : Thesycon is more effective on lower versions on windows like 7 or lower.
Web server serves a web content (HTML and static content) over the HTTP protocol.
Application server is a container on which one can build and expose business logic and processes to client applications through various protocols like HTTP. Some cases it will have internal web server. Application server is heavy in terms of resource usage.
Database server refers to the back-end system of a database application using client/server architecture. The database server performs tasks such as data analysis, storage, data manipulation, archiving, and other non-user specific tasks
A Web server can process HTTP requests and respond with HTML pages, provided the requests are handled by server side programs
It uses HTTP protocol to transmit the request/responses. Here Web server handled both request/response and business logic. This is more rigid design.
A web transaction using web server will be like this as below,
Browser (click operation to display some results on a grid> ==> Request goes to web server (Apache HTTP server) ==> Database
Apache Jmeter key topics for basic level users.
Performance testing – Jmeter recording steps
Selenium supports Cross Browser Testing. The Selenium tests can be run on multiple browsers and multiple machines and multiple Operating systems.
Supports several scripting languages like Java, Python, C#, and PHP.
Selenium uses Browser native commands. It locates and actions applied on UI elements,
Reporting are very easy and extensible.
TestNG’s is Selenium + reporting features. It is easy to generate reports using Listeners and Reporters in TestNG
Features of TestNG includes the following,
1) Annotations – please refer my annotation blog Annotation – TestNG’s test case priority
2) Supports parameterization/ data driven testing
3) Test cases can be grouped and parallel testing is allowed.
Application behavior is the main focus on BDD. The requirements are written in English which gives more readability and understandability of the requirement.
So any roles in the company (Tester, developer, end user, and techno functional person) can read it and understand it. Also this will reduce the complication in terms of missing requirement or misrepresenting or misunderstanding requirements between different roles (Developer /tester / end user)
Gherkin is a business readable language – refer below for an example. Below feature file is integrated with Selenium and are having user stories as below.
Please refer below – “feature, Scenario, Given, When, And, Then “are the Keywords below to understand on how to write a feature file.
Jenkin related steps:
1) start jenkins by running command in DOS prompt (detailed steps in here )
2) then make sure you are able to access url : localhost:8080
3) then you need to configure jenkins to run the selenium scripts – for that click on “Manage Jenkins”
4) then click on Configure systems
5) Find out the jdk files are installed (usually in C:\ program files … folder path) and copy paste the path in JDK section “JDK Installations” in ” Configure systems” which you are already in.
6) Give JDK name “JAVA_HOME” and provide Java path below in the next field.Selenium related steps:
3) Open eclipse IDE and start new Java project
4) make sure you added selenium jars (Selenium server standalone jar file which you can download add to new project) to support selenium framework for your automation testing.
5) then create a simple selenium script – make sure it is running and completing successfully in Eclipse.
6) Also create a xml file give a name “Xml1.xml” Make sure Run “Xml1.xml” as “TestNG Suite” is working fine in Eclipse. Also notedown the xml file path in selenium project. create a lib folder in that and add all jar files which are required.Commmand prompt:
7) navigate to that project folder in command prompt and set all required classpath like bin and lib etc which are already in xml file folder in selenium project which you got from selenium project in eclipse.
8) then type command “Java org.testng.testNG Xml1.xml” which will display results in command prompt/DOS screen
9) now create a batch file “Batch1.bat” which contains the above command and also a command for compiling as e.g “java -cp bin;lib/* org.testng.testNG Xml1.xml”Jenkins setup to build and run the file:
10) in Jenkins, create a “new item” with selection of “Freestyle project”
11) then select “Advance options” and put the Selenium project home directory path in there.
12) the build trigger section, select Batch file execution option in there, then put the batch file name “Batch1.bat”
13) click and save the new item
14) click on “Build Now” and verify the “Console output”
Configuring Hub machine
1) Start the command prompt/DOS prompt
2) Navigate to the folder location where the Selenium server jar file is kept.
3) Type java –jar selenium-server-standalone-[VERSION].jar –role hub
Note: [VERSION] is the one your downloaded version of selenium-server-standalone Jar file.
Your will see the below screen
4) Now type: http://localhost:4444 in browser
Your will see the below screen
5) Now type: http://localhost:4444/console in browser
You will see the below screen
Configuring Node machines
Follow the same steps 1 to 2 in node machines
Then type,
Java –jar selenium-server-standalone-[VERSION].jar –role node –hub http://yourHUBmachineIP:4444/grid/register
In order to link Cucumber with Selenium WebDriver, you need to start a Java project in eclipse IDE.
Then, add both Cucumber and Selenium jar files
Write test runner code and execute the same . Please refer BDD testing details on Selenium Cucumber