Introduction
Parallel testing refers to the testing of the new application on a
computer which has replaced the older version of the same
application that was running on that particular computer. The
reason why this testing is done is to ensure that the new version
that has been installed is running correctly without any problems
creating to the computer's hard disk or the processor. If there
is any kind of problem found, the application will be terminated
and you might have to uninstall it and reinstall it.
This process should only be conducted if you are having doubts
or uncertainties between the two versions of the application.
Some people also conduct this test to copy the settings that they
have changed on the old version so that it automatically applies
to the new version as well.
In general, parallel testing involves testing multiple products or
subcomponents simultaneously. A parallel test station typically
shares a set of test equipment across multiple test sockets, but,
in some cases, it may have a separate set of hardware for each
unit under test (UUT). The majority of nonparallel test systems
test only one product or subcomponent at a time, leaving expensive
test hardware idle more than 50 percent of the test time. Thus,
with parallel testing, you can increase the throughput of manufacturing
test systems without spending a lot of money to duplicate and fan out
additional test systems.
Choosing a Parallel Test Architecture
While you can implement parallel testing in most existing test systems,
modular test system architectures deliver the best results when used
in a parallel testing environment.
Test management software, such as NI TestStand, and modular PXI
hardware components offer many features for obtaining the highest performance
out of a parallel test system. However, you can implement parallel testing
using much of your existing test hardware without further hardware investment.
Once you have selected your test architecture, the next step is to select the
best process model based on your desired UUT test behavior.
Common Parallel Process Modules
When testing the proper assembly or functionality of a UUT, there are
a variety of tasks to perform in any test system. These tasks include
a mix of model or family-specific tests as well as many procedures
that have nothing to do with actually testing the UUT. A process model
separates the system-level tasks from the UUT-specific tests to
significantly reduce development efforts and increase code reuse.
Some of the tasks that a process model handles are tracking the UUT
identification number, initializing instruments, launching test executions,
collecting test results, creating test reports, and logging test results to
a database. TestStand provides two process modules, the parallel
process model and the batch process model, to facilitate the general
test flow of parallel testing based on your UUT test requirements.
You can use a parallel process model to test multiple independent
test sockets. With this model, you can start and stop testing on any
UUT at any time. For example, you might have five test sockets for
performing radio board tests. Using the parallel process model, you
can load a new board into an open socket while the other sockets
test other boards.
