A Multi-Agent Framework for Testing Distributed Systems

TL;DR

This paper presents a multi-agent framework designed to automate and improve the testing process of 3-tier distributed systems, aiming to reduce costs and increase reliability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multi-agent architecture and communication mechanism specifically tailored for testing complex distributed systems.

Findings

Framework successfully tested on a web-based application

Automates testing process reducing manual effort

Enhances reliability of distributed systems

Abstract

Software testing is a very expensive and time consuming process. It can account for up to 50% of the total cost of the software development. Distributed systems make software testing a daunting task. The research described in this paper investigates a novel multi-agent framework for testing 3-tier distributed systems. This paper describes the framework architecture as well as the communication mechanism among agents in the architecture. Web-based application is examined as a case study to validate the proposed framework. The framework is considered as a step forward to automate testing for distributed systems in order to enhance their reliability within an acceptable range of cost and time.