International Business Machines Corporation

Timothy D Greer

William F Phillips

Jeffrey M Gertner

Emily K Celeskey

Will Joseph Roden, Jr

Cathy C Hupman

Selina Lok

Brian John Davie

A model of a system is created and used to implement changes of the system, prior to implementing those changes on the system. The model has certain attributes of the system, including a similar system configuration and a similar processor work load. The model receives requested actions and implements those actions. If the actions are acceptable, those actions are then performed on the system being modeled. Provision is made for keeping the model current.

Implementing requests on a model of a system prior to implementing on the system

Embodiments relate to ideal age vector based file retention in a software testing system. An aspect includes determining an ideal age vector of historical bug age data corresponding to a software product in the software testing system, wherein the software testing system stores a plurality of version files of the software product. Another aspect includes based on receiving a new version file of the software product, determining a file to delete of the plurality of version files and the new version file based on the ideal age vector. Yet another aspect includes deleting the determined file to delete such that a number of remaining version files is equal to a number of the plurality of version files.

Ideal age vector based file retention in a software testing system

Vertical replication of guest operating systems (OS) relating to testing a host machine is provided. A parameter of the host OS is assessed by performing a vertical replication of a guest OS. The vertical replication creates a hierarchy of OSs utilizing one or more virtual disks. The vertical replication concludes in response to a characteristic of the parameter.

Vertical replication of a guest operating system

Automated program testing is facilitated. Test results generated based on performance of one or more tests by a program are obtained, where a test passes or fails based on output obtained based on performance of the test by the program. A failure output of the test results is identified, the failure output being of a failing test that includes at least one command, and the failure output being obtained based on performing the at least one command. A modified test is automatically generated based on the failing test, where the modified test is provided for performance thereof by the program to facilitate testing of the program. The modified test includes the at least one command of the failing test, and the modified test passes based on obtaining the identified failure output of the failing test.

Automated program testing to facilitate recreation of test failure

A system to address virtual machine relocation may include a computer system and a host operating system executing on the computer system. The system may also include a second computer system and a second host operating system executing on the second computer system. The system may further include a virtual machine executing on the host operating system. The system may additionally include a tool to relocate the virtual machine to the second host operating system based upon the host operating system's needs, the second host operating system's availability, and/or the virtual machine's relocation eligibility.

Virtual machine relocation system and associated methods

A method for evaluating software quality, the method including the steps of receiving test data for a system under test from a plurality of data sources and determining a failure category for at least one identified failure based on the test data from the plurality of data sources. Additionally, the method includes the steps of assigning a first error reputation to the system under test and assigning a second error reputation for each test file. Furthermore, the method includes the steps of generating at least one report indicating the failure category for the at least one identified failure.

Method and system for evaluating software quality

System, method and program for user selection of a menu option. A multiplicity of menu options are automatically and sequentially displayed, one at a time, in a display window of a computing device. A user selection is received at a time during the automatic and sequential display of the menu options. A determination is made which of the menu options corresponds to the user selection based on the time that the user selection was received in relation to time periods during which the menu options were displayed. Optionally, there is a two step process to selecting a menu option. Display of a corresponding menu option is temporarily frozen in the window. A predetermined time period is waited for receipt of confirmation from the user that the user wants to select the corresponding menu option which is frozen in the window. If, within the predetermined time period, the user confirms that the user wants to select the corresponding menu option, a determination is made that the user has selected the corresponding menu option. However, if, within the predetermined time period, the user does not confirm that the user wants to select the corresponding menu option, a determination is made that the user has not selected the corresponding menu option, and sequential display of the multiplicity of menu options is resumed.

Selecting a menu option from a multiplicity of menu options which are automatically sequenced

A guided tour of some portion of the World Wide Web (WWW) works as part of an ordinary web page, can be served by any web server, and can be used by web browsers without additional software. The system guides a user through a tour by displaying in sequence actual web pages in the tour along with a corresponding teaching web page. The teaching web page includes educational information about the current web page. The tour includes commentary, allowance for side trips, true visiting of the tour pages, not mere copies, maps, and 'static' (user clicks for next page) and 'dynamic' (a timer controls how long a tour page is on-screen) tours.

HTML guided web tour

A method of browsing the Worldwide Web of the Internet and presenting elements of a web page to a user. The web browser requests a desired HTML and then requests other elements of the page based upon user defined priority levels. Elements are presented to the user in priority sequence as soon as received eliminating unnecessary waiting for lower priority or unrequested elements, as well as partial display of desired elements.

Presenting web pages with discrete, browser-controlled complexity levels

Method and apparatus for controlling a display device displaying a plurality of display elements, such as character strings, fields, icons, buttons and so forth. Responsive to user entry of a display indicia, such as a character string entered at a keyboard, or a field or button activated at the screen by a cursor or mouse pointer, determining if at least one display element corresponds to the display indicia; and if so temporarily highlighting that display element.

Temporally invasive display guide

A system determines display durations of each of a plurality of images in a presentation based on a respective amount of the information content in the image, the greater the information content the longer the display time. There are various techniques for determining the information content of each of the images. For example, the system determines for each image the number of pixels at each of a multiplicity of respective pixel levels and the total number of pixels at one or more pixel levels for which the respective number(s) of pixels are significantly larger than the numbers of pixels at the other pixel levels. The pixels represented by these one or more pixel levels likely represent background or other mundane information. Consequently, only the pixels at the other values are considered as containing important information and their total number represents the total information content of the image. Another technique is to count the number of alphanumeric characters in an alphanumeric image as a measure of the information content in the image. A third technique is to digitially compress the image and compare the size of the compressed image to the size of the uncompressed image as a measure of the information content.

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Endicott, NY, United States of America

Timothy D Greer