|
|
Frequently Asked QuestionsQ. Do you have any tips concerning NDIS WHQL testing?
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | If you install an OS from the MSDN, take the following additional steps:
| ||||
| Use Device Manager to search for any devices that may be functioning
improperly. Update these drivers, if possible. | ||||
| If an improperly functioning device is not essential to testing, it is not
sufficient to disable the device in Device Manager. Disabled devices still
cause failures in some HCT tests. | ||||
| If you are using 1394 debugging, consider switching to serial link
debugging when running the WHQL tests. Using the 1394 debugging link requires
disabling some standard 1394 drivers. While this may be an acceptable failure,
it still must be explained when making a test submission to WHQL. | ||||
| Many tests involve automatic rebooting of the system. Using the WinLogon
AutoAdminLogon feature allows these reboots to work automatically
without user intervention. | ||||
| Be careful about using physical address extension (PAE). On some systems
(e.g. Windows XP) it will disable a machine’s hibernation feature which
prevents hibernation-related tests from being run. On other systems (e.g.,
Windows Server 2003) it is assumed that PAE is enabled by default; if PAE is
not enabled on these machines, other tests (such as Device Path Exerciser)
will report a failure. | ||||
| For NDIS testing of NDIS intermediate drivers you install your driver on
the NDIS Test server's NDIS support adapter as well as on the NDIS Test target
machine. It is possible that the copy of your driver running on the server
will cause a fault. So, be prepared to debug on the server as well as the
target. | ||||
| Examine your target BOOT.INI file after testing completes. The Test
Manager modifies BOOT.INI, and occasionally it is left in an unusual state.
This is particularly true if you abort a test or encounter a fault during a
test. | ||||
| Always monitor test operation on the NDIS Test target machine with the debugger. Be sure to note on the
debugger console whether the system under test has gone into standby or
hibernation. If so, don’t wake the system under test prematurely by moving the
mouse or touching the keyboard. This can result in “System woke too soon”
errors. | ||||
| Some NDIS tests require a shared folder on a machine other than the test
target. Be sure to create this share and edit the Test Manager settings to
reference the share that you have created. Be sure to specify the "server-ip"
as the IP address of the NDIS Test support adapter on the NDIS Test server. Do
not use the server's name instead of the IP address. | ||||
| If you encounter a "random" or "occasional" fault (especially a crash...)
during NDIS testing, don't ignore it. Although you might actually be able to
run through a complete NDIS test, the "occasional" fault It is probably real
(or, could be a fault in another driver...). If it is real, then the fault may
be one of these that shows up only after weeks or months of operation at
customer's sites - very frustrating to everybody. To increase your chance of seeing the "occasional" problem often enough to debug, use the NDIS Tester's "loop" option. Run the offending test in a loop for a while. If that doesn't cause the fault, run a loop consisting of the offending test plus a few of the tests that are usually run before it. |
A. Actually I'm writing this note because I just encountered something rare: a fault that actually wasn't my own.
I just spent about a half a day tracking down a truly unexpected fault that appeared on the NDIS Test server when running the 2c_OffloadChecksum test. I ran this test and encountered a fault on the server about 50-percent of the time I ran the test. Considering that each test run takes almost an hour, that's a lot of my time.
I finally decided to update the adapter's driver, and I found that the fault was gone - well, at least for several iterations now...
Always assume that faults are your own. But, don't be blind to the possibility of some other system component being at fault.
|
Topic Status |
|
| April 27, 2006 | Information updated. |
| April 12, 2006 | Information posted. |
|
PCAUSA Home
· Privacy Statement ·
Products · Ordering · Support ·
Utilities ·
Resources
|
