Improver (English version)
Most of the testing tasks for Mandriva/ROSA operating systems are to be done while running Improver, exept those which need data recollecting before running the system itself i.e. that concern installation and booting the system, as well as preparing bootable media and running system within virtual machines. For those kind of tests there are special protocols to be filled after performing the tests and recollecting the data. Improver is a kind of software dedicated to collection automatically the necessary data of the PC used for testing the system and running the tests as replies to questions or statements which the client software presents to a registered user according to testing plans downloaded from Improver's server. The whole Mandriva/Rosa's Improver includes
- client software
- server applications
- web-application
Client software is GUI utility called Improver_client. It creates user account, downloads testing plans from the server, and collects the hardware and system data from the user's PC. User selects desired testing plan form available list, fills report then the program sends it to the Improver's server.
Usage of Improver
User may run it from main menu --> "Applications" --> "Tests" or by the command `improver' in console. The root privileges are required because the program launches such system utilities as lshw and dmidecode to collect information about hardware. welcome screen appears after launching the programm saying that the test system requires registration and showing port number which is used. After this appears the registration window, where user must submit its first name, second name, e-mail fnd some comments, optionally.
After the "next" button is clicked, programm connects to the server, sends registration information and retrieves lists of test-plans. Afer that appears window with the test-plans available for free downloading. User may select any test-plan from the list.
After selesting the test-plsn and clickung the "next" button, user sees the questions, with the number of current task and overall number of questions. The question text appears below. Below and to the left are possible answers and to the right appears comments field. If the answer is "yes" there is no need to comment, otherwise user must leave a comment describing the problem. Also there are hot keys: Alt+1 for "Yes" and Alt+2 for "No".
Below are the buttons for making a screenshots -- without delay and with the 3 seconds delay. The region to the righ shows atached files, it can be a screenshot or log-file or any user file in any format. Moving forward to the next question is done by pressing the "next" button and going back to the previous question by hitting the "back" button. if the programm was quit before copleting the full test, the next time it resumes from the question it was quit.
Having all questions answered, user sends report by clicking the button "Send the report". After this you may quit or run another test by pressing the button "Run another test".
The following hardware is said by developers of the Mandriva/Rosa systems as most required for testing the Release Candidates 2011:
Any laptops equipped with Nvidia Optimus graphic cards supporting soft as well as hard switchig video
Any laptops supporting AMD Avivo technology
Laptops equipped with Intel GMA500 grphic card
MacBooks
Any atypical netbooks
RADEON graphic cards: r800, r700, r600, r520 - series; NVidya: 200-500 series, old ones from 3-rd to 8-th generations( geforce 3/4 + 6***/7***/8***) and their mobile counterparts
Any graphic cards with HDMI out
SIS graphic cards
Multy-display systems
Popular audio adapters like Creative and better
New chipsets: x58, p55, p67, am3+ including UEFI bios support
"Multiseat" systems
Any atypical CPU like Via C2000 with appropriate chipsets
Motherboards with CD/DVD - JMicron controllers
As much as possible systems with SATA HDD connected with AHCI
SSD and RAID ( 1+0, 6 )
Any WIFI dongles and cards
3G modems - especially ZTE
Yota modems
SkyLink modems
Any mobile phones
Photo cameras which are not recognized as flash-memory (usually working with GPHOTO2)
Any printing machines - especially Win-printers
Interactive boards
Web-cameras Logitech - especially with Skype
Any Bluetooth gadgets - especially keyboards and mice
