The present invention relates to testing the functionality of a network system and more particularly, to validating and propagating dynamic information in response from a web-based server.
Computers and other communication devices may be coupled into networks. A plurality of computers in a home may be networked together. Businesses, for example, may utilize a Local Area Network (LAN) if the devices on the LAN are located relatively close to one another such as being located in a same building. However, it should be noted that the use of fiber optic cables for LANs has extended the distances by which devices in LANs may be separated. Wide Area Networks (WANs) are used to connect a plurality of devices that are larger distances apart, such as being located in a same city.
In 1973, the first Ethernet network was developed. In the Ethernet system, a plurality of devices were connected with a cable. All Ethernet devices that shared the cable communicated using a communication system that relied on random gaps between transmissions to regulate access. Since Ethernet networks utilize a single cable, there are practical limits to the size of the Ethernet network system supported by the cable. Repeaters were inserted into the system to allow multiple segments of an Ethernet network to function in a larger environment. Bridges were added to the Ethernet system to forward Ethernet broadcasts to all nodes, but, if the system became too large, congestion resulted.
Token ring network systems were developed wherein the devices were arranged in a logical ring, and a frame that gave permission to transmit (the token) was passed along the ring until it encountered a device that desired to transmit data. After transmitting data, the device passed the token back into the ring. Such networks have been fairly reliable and remain in use today.
Routers were used to form natural boundaries for Ethernet and Token Ring networks, facilitating interconnection of the various network technologies. A form of Ethernet technology using a CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) network has been standardized as the IEEE 802.3 standard.
To share information on a worldwide basis, computers and other communication devices have been developed into a huge network called the Internet. Typically, a computer may be linked to the Internet by using a modem to connect it via the phone line. The modem communicates with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Other computers or communication devices, such as those in a business, may have Network Interface Cards (NICs) that directly connect them to a LAN that is used for the business. The LAN may then be coupled to an ISP using a phone line or a high speed phone line such as a T1 line. T1 lines may handle 1.5 million bits per second, in comparison with the 30,000 to 50,000 bits per second handled by ordinary phone lines. Typically local ISPs may be connected to regional ISPs, which may be connected to world ISPs, forming a backbone for information transfer around the world. In this manner, every computer or communication device is connected to every other computer or communication device on the Internet. In addition, wireless access to the LANs, the public-switched telephone network (PSTN), the mobile telephone network, and the Internet is being standardized, wherein the standard is presently designated xe2x80x9cBluetoothxe2x80x9d, so that any Bluetooth device anywhere in the world can connect to other Bluetooth devices in its proximity.
In general, all of the devices on the Internet may be categorized as either a client or a server or both. Servers provide services, and clients use the services. A server may, for example, be a web server, an e-mail server, an FTP server, a Gopher server, or a telnet server. Each device on the Internet is assigned a unique address called an Internet protocol (IP) address. Such addresses are typically 32 bit numbers which are four numbers arranged in octets that can have values from 0 to 255, i.e., 28 possible numbers. Servers are generally given static addresses which are not often changed. The device dialing into the ISP via a modem is assigned an IP address by the ISP when it dials in. The IP address for the device is unique for the network access session and may be a different IP address if the device dials in at a later time. If desired, the user may look up his current IP address and the name of the device he is using by using a predefined command.
Thus, using a browser, the user may type a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) using the IP address or using a readable format such as xe2x80x9chttp:/www.ieee.orgxe2x80x9d. xe2x80x9cHTTPxe2x80x9d (indicated by either of capital letters or small letters) is the protocol for moving hypertext files across the Internet. The HTTP protocol requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP server program on the other end. HTTP is the most commonly utilized protocol used in the Internet. In the example above, the xe2x80x9cwwwxe2x80x9d represents the host name, xe2x80x9cieeexe2x80x9d represents the domain name, and xe2x80x9corgxe2x80x9d represents the top level domain name. The company or entity that hosts the domain creates the host name. The host name xe2x80x9cwwwxe2x80x9d has become so common that many hosting entities either omit it or replace it with a host name that is more specific to the specific area of the site. ISPs, various name servers, universities, and many companies maintain databases or servers (Domain Names Servers, DNS) that map domain names to IP addresses. Thus, when a user types in a URL into a browser, the browser extracts domain name and passes it to a DNS, and the DNS returns the IP address for the domain name. More than one name server may be utilized for a transaction, for example, when the top level domain name is obtained from a separate name server. The various services are typically available through different ports of the server. That is, e-mail may be sent to one port and an Internet request may be sent to another port for a Web server. Once a client is connected to a service using the port specific for that service, the client accesses the service using a specific protocol. Typically, where the client is obtaining information from the Internet, the client is communicating with a Web browser. Where the client requests xe2x80x9cGET filenamexe2x80x9d in HTTP protocol, the server sends the contents of the named file and disconnects. Security may be added to the process. Where the file information on a Web page is static, i.e., is not changed unless the creator of the page changes the information, the transfer of information from the server to the client is very straightforward.
Users or clients in a network system may often request dynamic information, which is then generated by the network system. In such a system, the server is not simply looking up a Web page, but is actually processing information and generating a page based on the query by the user. However, as the dynamic data proceeds through the network system, typically only the final data output is measured to determine whether desired steps sought by the user are being implemented. Previous work in checking data has required extensive programming to run additional test cases. Also, there are no systems that provide for parsing of static and dynamic information from a single response. Thus, there presently is no efficient system for tracking the dynamic data through its various steps.
The present invention provides a method, computer-readable medium, testing system and article of manufacture for tracking information received by a user from a network wherein the information includes at least some dynamic information. The method includes the steps of parsing the information received into static information, if present, and dynamic information and validating the static information, if present, and the dynamic information.