Patent ID: 7865880

Claim:
A method for testing a provider in a common information model, comprising the steps of: (A) generating a test suite in a computer using an object oriented programming language, said test suite being executable by said computer and defining a class hierarchy, said class hierarchy including (i) a test case class of said common information model, said test case class providing one or more program codes and access to one or more variables, each of said program codes and said variables being common to a plurality of tests of said provider, (ii) a client test case class of said common information model, wherein said client test case class is a subclass of said test case class in said class hierarchy, said client test case class defining one or more creation helper modules, wherein said creation helper modules are configured to set up at least one logical configuration of said provider and (iii) an instance tester class of said common information model, wherein said instance tester class is a subclass of said client test case class in said class hierarchy, said instance tester class defining at least one verification module, wherein each of said verification modules is configured to test a corresponding class managed by said provider; (B) executing said creation helper modules to set up said logical configurations on said provider; (C) executing said verification modules to invoke one or more methods in said provider to cause said provider to generate a plurality of values; (D) transferring a plurality of said values from said provider to said instance tester class in response to said test; and (E) comparing in said instance tester class said values against a plurality of answers stored in said test suite.