Automation Testing Course Tools for Mainframe Testing

Unbelievably, mainframes continue to be the preferred solution for businesses that require tremendous transaction volume, guaranteed dependability, and consistent data. For instance, consider banks, retail, the transportation industry, and insurance companies.

Being constantly on the search for the newest, shiniest testing tools that solely support Web technologies is human nature for testers. But what if you need to Automated Testing Certification part of your testing and your employer still employs mainframes?

 

Mainframe Shift-Left Testing

Never forget that you may still utilise contemporary testing techniques even when mainframes have been around for a very long time.

In terms of development practises and procedures, it functions just like any other development environment because it supports Git and CI/CD systems like Jenkins.

 

Green Screen Tools for Mainframe Automation Testing Training

I formerly worked for a major healthcare organisation that secretly continued to use mainframe software. Because they were so skilled at entering data using the green screen application, most customers refused to update and utilise the new application, even though it offered a browser-based version.

Although the circumstances may seem like a nightmare, they ended up being a blessing. The UI was extremely stable because the green screen programme was no longer being changed. It was also extremely simple to automate because testing the app only required keyboard input.

 

Here are some green screen resources you should look into if you find yourself in a similar situation:

·         Rumba+ Desktop is a "newer" solution from Micro Focus that provides anytime, everywhere access through desktop, web, and mobile devices. It is a safe, effective, and affordable approach to improve corporate performance.

·         A screen-scraping library for the 3270 mainframe built entirely in Java is called Jagacy 3270. It can be used to develop Web services, N-tier client/server setups, standalone programmes, and applets. Over thirty languages, TN3270E, internationalisation, SSL/TLS, and SSL/TLS are supported.

·         Applications for terminal emulators that support HLLAPI (High Level Language Application Programming Interface) and those that do not, such as emulator sessions set up to operate with the VT100 protocol, can both be tested using Unified Function Test (UFT, formerly known as QTP) (using the Text-only option). HLLAPI enables enhanced communication between a mainframe application and a PC programme.

·         I'm not positive if SmartBear's TestComplete has a specific add-in for this purpose, but I'm quite sure you can use it to send keystrokes to the terminal screen object.

·         You can write automated test scripts to test the IBM Mainframe 3270 using the open-source test library Altran for Robot Framework.

·         Particularly potent for mainframe applications is Worksoft Certify. It not only supports the majority of 3270 and 5250 terminal emulators, but it also has the ability to import screen maps straight from formats like CICS/BMS and AutoDoc.

·         Open source mainframe bruter and screen automation tool called Mainframe Brute. APPLID brute-force tool for z/OS mainframes with VTAM connectivity. Actually, it's merely a practical method of automating mainframe screen interactions; for example, I duplicate it to carry out specialised fuzzing, user enumeration, and password brute-force assaults against customised applications, test data, etc.

·         An automated tool for functional and regression testing is IBM Rational Functional Tester. It supports a variety of programmes, including those that run on terminal emulators, the zSeries, iSeries, and pSeries.

By using codeless automation technology, ACCELQ offers easier green screen test automation. It manages the subsequent:

Automation of any 3270 or 5250 terminals using natural language

HLL and COM-based terminal emulator support built-in

Continual assistance for IBM PCOM clients for emulators to attach

Support for Hummingbird, extendable HLL, and OLE/COM

Verify real end-to-end functionality between the front end, back end, API, and mainframes.

"These days we would propose Rational Integration Tester for mainframe service testing as that covers all the IBM Generic Service Client technologies as well as CICS, DPL, IMS, PL1, Cobol Copybook, and DB2/Z," Chris Haggan, a Rational Test Product Manager, said in the comments. These tests can all be executed at scale using Rational Performance Tester, just like with the Generic Service Client (which is where most testers would encounter Generic Service Client).

This is quite interesting, but be careful not to write all of your test cases specifically for using a green screen terminal emulator.

Companies with outdated back-end systems typically begin developing interfaces to communicate with the backend whenever they transition to more contemporary development.

This interface could be a file that is dropped into the environment, picked up, and processed, a clicks transaction, a MQ call, a Rest service, a Web service, a clicks transaction, or even a Rest service.

This is crucial because there are numerous other tools that can assist you with interface testing.

 

Mainframe Interface and Performance Testing Tools

Many mainframe system services can be checked by running tools outside of the mainframe, as I have explained.

You may be accustomed to using the same kinds of testing tools for functional automation, performance, and monitoring as many of these functions are provided through an API and are as simple to access and test as any other API services.

·         Check out my post on the Top 20 API Testing Tools that are FREE for a list of tools that can be useful if it's a Rest or Web service.

·         Modern, Eclipse-based IDE for mainframe development, testing, and maintenance called Topaz Workbench.

·         The IBM Application Performance Analyzer for z/OS tracks and analyses how applications utilise the resources at their disposal. You can uncover system limits and enhance application performance with the aid of this simple-to-use tool.

·         Macro4's FreezeFrame command. provides z/OS application performance analysis.

·         CA The proactive identification of the underlying causes of app performance issues in production or pre-production is done by the Mainframe Application Tuner.

·         StarTool is a suite of utilities for managing files and data, improving I/O, and analysing dumps.

·         The cutting-edge performance management and analysis tool from Compuware for mainframe applications is called Strobe. It enables performance analysts to identify programme inefficiencies that are resulting in high CPU usage and extended elapsed times in order to lower hardware and software expenditures.

·         CA Brightside gives you access to commands that carry out operations on the z/OS side, automating the creation, testing, and maintenance of mainframe applications and systems. Similar to other well-liked CLIs like aws-cli, Brightside's commands are client side and run natively on your dev workstation or CI automation system. You can use this to connect Brightside commands with your preferred scripting language, as well as to test or develop automation frameworks like Shell/Bash, Python, JavaScript, Mocha.JS, and Gulp.

Sending queries to any service that utilises an HTTP, JMS, WebSphere® MQ, or Microsoft.NET transport is the goal of the IBM Generic Service Client. The response provided by the service is also shown by the generic service client. When you do not have access to a specific client to send the request, you can test or debug a service using the generic service client. You can alter the request's parameters, send attachments, and set up a wide range of transport and security variables for the service. The message return from a successfully invoked request is recorded in the request history. This tool allows you to review previous results that were generated at various times.

REXX – You've probably heard of the programming language REXX if you're creating or maintaining applications that are based on conventional mainframes (Restructured EXtended eXecutor Language). Small programmes that carry out various automated tasks, such as text file conversions, can be created using it.

Similarly to how software is developed traditionally on the Web, the developer should also be writing unit tests.

The same applies to mainframe development.

Unit testing is the place to start if your mainframe team is just getting started with automation.

 

Tests of the mainframes' unit

Compuware has purchased XaTester, a tool created to provide crucial automated mainframe unit testing. enables developers to quickly generate unit tests for COBOL, PL/I, and Assembler batch and CICS-based programmes. Due to its extremely high integrity, performance, and scalability, CICS is the transaction processing solution of choice for many of the largest businesses in the world, particularly financial institutions and insurance organisations.

Enterprise COBOL and PL/I unit testing frameworks are provided by the zUnit feature of Developer for z Systems®. Enterprise COBOL and PL/I unit test cases created using the zUnit framework can be executed and verified automatically thanks to zUnit.

Rosalind noted that even though zUnit has been around for a long, it is still relatively new. It has undergone substantial improvement and is still expanding, enabling you to perform a wide range of tasks, including actual unit testing. With the proviso that you don't have the same concept of classes and methods in a COBOL programme. Your COBOL programme is quite huge. In other words, you are still evaluating a COBOL programme at the programme level, which is much better than the transaction on the application level.

 

The lesson here is that you can still write unit tests for your software even if you're testing a COBOL application!

 

General Mainframe Testing Strategy

In general, your approach to testing mainframe applications should be the same as it is for all other types of development work.

The only distinction is that entire mainframe systems give you a lot more information. As a result, you can learn more about how that programme is working. This is good, but it can also be confusing if you don't know what to do with it.

Additionally, it is dependent on the language of the programme. So, if a more modern language, such as Java or Node, was used to create your software, then every processing operation you carry out elsewhere is same. It just uses different hardware to run.

If the application is written in COBOL, it was probably written differently, so you will test it differently. You cannot, for instance, perform a method test.

At the programme or transaction level, testing is required. From that perspective, there are some distinctions.

If you want to debug something in the environment, the tools will be somewhat different from the same point of debugging the system.

However, the majority of testing tools that will interact with an API will do so via an interface. They utilise mainframe applications in exactly the same way.

Therefore, the changes you could notice when organising your testing process depend on the tool you're using and the thing you're testing.

 

Conclusion

An Automation Testing Certifications is faster and more clear-cut, without extensive human errors.  However, Test Automation is not necessarily a substitute for Manual Testing. Each of the approaches has its own set of pros and cons. If the software being developed, happens to be too large and complex; QA Automation Course is often the first choice; while there are certain kinds of test cases wherein conducting an Automation Test would be futile. Business Testers, Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) and Software Developers, happen to be the prime users of Test Automation.

If you wish to begin your journey on the path of Automation Testing and strive to be a Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET); enrol now for our SDET Automation course.