Restoring base configuration on software testing computer
View Patent ↗A method of testing computer software. A test computer has a base configuration, which is imaged to a removable hard drive. The base configuration is then stored in data storage of a master computer, as a master configuration image. The software is then tested on the test computer, and after the testing, a portable boot drive is used to acquire the master image and to restore the base configuration to the test computer.
1. A method of restoring a test computer to a base configuration, comprising the steps of:
storing data representing the base configuration of the test computer on a test computer portable boot drive;
creating a master image of the base configuration by copying an image of the test computer portable boot drive to storage of a master image computer;
testing a computer software on the test computer, using the base configuration on the test computer portable boot drive;
copying the master image of the base configuration onto a master image portable boot drive;
transferring the master image portable boot drive to the test computer; and
booting the test computer from the master image portable boot drive, thereby restoring the test computer to the base configuration.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the test computer portable boot drive and the master image portable boot drive are the same.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating step includes transfering the test computer portable boot drive from the test to the master image computer.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the creating step is performed by communicating the image of the test computer portable boot drive over a network from the test computer to the master image computer.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the testing step comprises installing new software onto the test computer.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of repeating the testing, transferring, and booting steps.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein copying the master image is performed prior to or during the testing step.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein copying the master image is repeated for a batch of portable boot drives.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the testing step is performed by using software already part of the base configuration.
10. A method of configuring a test computer with a selected base configuration, comprising the steps of:
storing data representing a plurality of base configurations of the test computer on test computer portable boot drives;
creating a master image of each base configuration by copying an image of each test computer portable boot drive to storage of a master image computer;
testing a computer software on the test computer, using one of the base configurations on one of the test computer portable boot drives;
selecting a base configuration for subsequent software testing on the test computer;
copying a master image of the selected base configuration onto a master image portable boot drive;
transferring the master image portable boot drive from the master image computer to the test computer; and
booting the test computer from the master image portable boot drive, thereby configuring the test computer with the selected base configuration.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein each base configuration represents a configuration for a different operating system of the test computer.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the master image portable boot drive is one of the test computer portable boot drives.
13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the creating step includes transferring one of the test computer portable boot drives from the test computer to the master image computer.
14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the creating step is performed by communicating the image of at least one of the test computer portable boot drives over a network from the test computer to the master image computer.
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the testing step comprises installing new software onto the test computer.
16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising the steps of repeating the testing, transferring, and booting steps.
17. The method of claim 10 , wherein copying the master image is performed prior to or during the testing step.
18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the testing step is performed by using software already part of the base configuration.