The Art of Testing Network Systems [Hardcover]

Jr. Robert W. Buchanan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0471132233 | ISBN-13: 978-0471132233 | Edition: 1

A comprehensive, hands-on guide to state-of-the-art network systems testing

A proven, inexpensive way of avoiding network slowdowns and failures, proactive network systems testing helps you to stop problems before they occur. The most complete, hands-on guide to network systems testing available, The Art of Testing Network Systems supplies you with all the hands-on guidance and information on testing tools you need to keep your network up and running.

Based on Robert W. Buchanan's decade of experience in product management, testing, consulting, and network administration at a number of leading network vendors and large users, The Art of Testing Network Systems:

• Schools you in cutting-edge testing procedures, test configurations, and data collection and interpretation techniques
• Shows you how to make testing an integral part of existing network management and troubleshooting tools and procedures
• Provides detailed instructions on how to conduct testing on network applications and presentation layers, including client-server applications, database servers, and GUIs
• Describes techniques for testing network transport layers, routers, switches, hubs, and WAN links
• Features a comprehensive reference of available network testing products and tools
• Includes instructive case studies from leading companies including American Express, Boeing, Motorola, Lehman Brothers, MCI, and American Airlines

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This empowering resource presents indispensable guidelines and procedures based on over nine years and thousands of hours of network product management, testing, consulting and network administration by the author and associates at major network vendors and consulting companies, large end users and independent test labs. Requiring a minimum of mathematical and statistical background, it will enable readers to identify and implement proactive testing opportunities that will provide significant benefits in keeping their networks up and running. Contains detailed instructions and reference material for testing network transport layers, routers, switches, hubs, WAN links and the network application and presentation layers.

From the Back Cover

A comprehensive, hands-on guide to state-of-the-art network systems testing

A proven, inexpensive way of avoiding network slowdowns and failures, proactive network systems testing helps you to stop problems before they occur. The most complete, hands-on guide to network systems testing available, The Art of Testing Network Systems supplies you with all the hands-on guidance and information on testing tools you need to keep your network up and running.

Based on Robert W. Buchanan's decade of experience in product management, testing, consulting, and network administration at a number of leading network vendors and large users, The Art of Testing Network Systems:

• Schools you in cutting-edge testing procedures, test configurations, and data collection and interpretation techniques
• Shows you how to make testing an integral part of existing network management and troubleshooting tools and procedures
• Provides detailed instructions on how to conduct testing on network applications and presentation layers, including client-server applications, database servers, and GUIs
• Describes techniques for testing network transport layers, routers, switches, hubs, and WAN links
• Features a comprehensive reference of available network testing products and tools
• Includes instructive case studies from leading companies including American Express, Boeing, Motorola, Lehman Brothers, MCI, and American Airlines

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471132233
• ISBN-13: 978-0471132233
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,979,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book available for network test design, April 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Testing Network Systems (Hardcover)

The Art of Testing Network Systems provides the professional network tester blueprints for designing, implementing, and understanding the results of network testing. It is an easy to read useful reference. I would recommend it to network testers, test managers and end users charged with understanding test plans.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uniquely valuable - fills two gaps, September 17, 2001

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Testing Network Systems (Hardcover)

This book addresses two technical domains that should be complimentary, but rarely are: (1) network and infrastructure maintenance and management, and (2) applications and systems QA.

For the network infrastructure and maintenance domain this book provides a structured testing methodology that includes the key elements of both quality assurance and release of changes to production. For applications and systems testing teams it gives the necessary technical details for effectively performing applications and systems testing in a distributed environment. Too often the applications test group is called upon to conduct performance testing of distributed applications and miss some critical factors that should have been included in the test plan and associated test cases. The cause of this oversight is a lack of technical information in the application testing body of knowledge, which this book corrects.

What makes this book especially valuable is the emphasis on availability, application response and reliability. These are essential elements of service level agreements and the author does not lose sight of that fact.

I especially like the way the book starts by putting testing into a business and technical context. The eight chapters that comprise Part II of the book provide a structured test methodology that is completely consistent with testing best practices in the applications and systems test domain. This gives network and infrastructure professionals an effective and proven methodology, and gives their applications and systems colleagues a familiar point of reference because network testing has grey areas that overlap their domain.

Part II will be familiar territory to network professionals and is in many ways the heart of this book. The test cases provided can be templated and used in real life QA efforts, adding value to this book. Part III is where the overlap between network and applications testing becomes apparent. The material provided in the chapters in this part are filled with invaluable information that will enable applications and systems test professionals to develop viable test plans and cases for "footprint" testing, performance and application response testing in distributed environments. This is where the book becomes valuable to both groups. Part IV, Test Tools, is obsolete and can be safely ignored.

This is an outstanding book that should be in the libraries of both network maintenance and support groups and applications and systems QA groups. The approach provided is straightforward and is focused in the right direction - on availability and reliability in support of service levels.