Write once, test anywhere with VersaTest

CALIFORNIA, USA: Ascert has announced the launch of VersaTest version 5.0, the latest release of its market leading transaction test tool for mission-critical servers. This release has specific features allowing users to make use of new technologies while retaining existing HP Integrity NonStop Server capabilities. 

The HP Integrity NonStop Server, formerly the Tandem platform, has been the mainstay of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) applications for several decades with ACI's BASE24 a clear leader in the marketplace. As hardware and software reliability have improved in more recent times, it has become easier for CIO's to opt for less expensive hardware for these applications. ACI has followed this trend with its BASE24-EPS open platform offering. 

Ascert's CTO, Andrew Mould, viewed the move to open platforms as essential for the VersaTest product. "Our customer base was demanding more and more sophisticated testing from VersaTest, and the development tools were not available to keep pace on the HP NonStop Kernel. We made the decision to go with Java for VersaTest/MP, a strategy which has proven itself over and over since the product was released," he said. 

Andrew Mould continues, "For a period of time, we were keeping the two products in step as much as we could, but several new features are now only available on VersaTest/MP. Some of our existing customers have moved with us to take advantage of this, while others have good reasons to stay with the NonStop platform version, usually due to legacy communications interfaces."

The reason for the move to open platforms is however, much more than just cost of hardware. Tools available on these platforms make development much easier, which is why Ascert made the decision several years ago to re-write its NonStop Server-based tool, VersaTest, and launch a platform independent version, VersaTest/MP. The multi-platform version was launched in 2002 and has proven successful since its release with over 400 licenses globally, with the product running under Windows, LINUX and Solaris. 

With version 5.0 of VersaTest, this last barrier has been eliminated. This release provides for the ability to run VersaTest/MP on Windows or LINUX servers, for example, and carry out testing on the NonStop Server, via a Proxy Line Handler. This configuration allows users to benefit from the utilization of the native communications capabilities of the NonStop server, while residing on any Java-enabled platform. 

VersaTest version 5.0 was developed in this way to allow NonStop Kernel users a migration path to VersaTest/MP's improved feature set. Through the new Proxy Line Handler, NonStop Server connectivity is retained during testing, via legacy communications interfaces such as X.25 and SNA or proprietary communications interfaces such as ACI's XPNET. 

"Even those customers, for whom it is essential to keep all their testing on the NonStop Server, can now fully utilize the latest testing features, by running VersaTest/MP on Java within the NonStop Server's OSS (POSIX) personality," concludes Andrew Mould. 

The first implementation of this configuration has now been completed at a South African bank, which found the process of moving its existing VersaTest scripts across from the NonStop Server to VersaTest/MP running on Windows, to be straightforward and simple. "We were up and running within days on the new setup and the fact that the scripts are being executed on Windows and the communications is on the NonStop system is completely transparent," said Eric Chetty of ABSA Bank.