Languages, Tools and Patterns for the Specification of Distributed Real-Time Tests

<p> For modern distributed systems, it is important that they adhere to real-time requirements, e.g. to deliver a response to a request within a given deadline. For assuring the quality of software systems, testing is the most important means. However, a mature support for real-time testing of distributed systems is missing. <br> This thesis treats languages, tools, and patterns for the specification of distributed real-time tests. For test specification, <i>Timed</i>TTCN-3 is proposed. It is a real-time extension of the standardised <i>Testing and Test Control Notation version 3</i> (TTCN-3). To ease real-time test development, a tool and underlying transformation rules which allow to generate <i>Timed</i>TTCN-3 test cases from real-time test purposes are presented. <i>Message Sequence Charts</i> (MSCs) are used to express real-time properties as formalised real-time test purposes. In order to harmonise real-time requirement specification and real-time test evaluation, <i>Real-Time Communication patterns</i> (RTC-patterns) are introduced. They provide reusable solutions for real-time test specification based on MSC and <i>Timed</i>TTCN-3. The work on this kind of patterns includes also a survey and a classification of existing test patterns in general. </p>