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Shunra Software Ltd. is readying an upgrade to its testing suite that officials said will further help companies prepare new multitiered applications for the real world.
Version 3.1 of the Shunra Storm Solution Suite predeployment lab in a box comes with the added ability to centrally manage end-user load emulation and third-party automated laboratory applications—such as scripting and load-testing tools, shell and control processes, SQL tools, and Visual Basic scripts.
The combination software and testing appliance addresses the problem of new applications that fail to operate as expected once they are deployed.
“It simplifies overall test management by providing a single console for all the lab applications,” said Boaz Grinvald, chief operating officer for Shunra, in New York. “You roll into the room a server representing the data center, and we provide everything else as a virtual infrastructure … all the conditions that prevail between remote branch offices and the data center.”
The release adds a central repository of test scenarios and results to simplify test management. Complete lab configurations, including instructions for third-party tools, can be stored in a single file.
Shunra enhanced the Storm console to provide reports that combine results from all test equipment for a view of how an application behaves in an emulated environment.
Because Storm monitors actual WAN links, provides data capture and analysis, and stores historical data, it can be used in production troubleshooting.
Although users at IT service provider Gedas USA Inc. initially used the tool for monitoring and managing production WANs, they plan to apply it to quality assurance testing and development, according to Elliot Zeltzer, global strategies and support manager at Gedas, in Auburn Hills, Mich.
“Our intention for this is to capture real network characteristics using the catcher tools, put them into [Storm], and then run the applications over the target WAN or LAN and then add some impairments. Itll provide a proof of concept before we roll [the application] out to the end user,” Zeltzer said.
Compared with other capacity planning or testing tools, Storm applies “real- world scenarios” to the testing process, Zeltzer said. “Others are theoretical. This captures data about the real network [and] lets you get real-life results,” he said.
The release is available now, and pricing starts at $40,000.