abouttestsuites.xml 2.6 KB

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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
  2. <!DOCTYPE sect1 PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.5//EN"
  3. "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.5/docbookx.dtd" [
  4. <!ENTITY % general-entities SYSTEM "../general.ent">
  5. %general-entities;
  6. ]>
  7. <sect1 id="prepare-abouttestsuites">
  8. <?dbhtml filename="abouttestsuites.html"?>
  9. <title>About the Test Suites</title>
  10. <para>Most packages provide a test suite. Running the test suite for a
  11. newly built package is a good idea because it can provide a <quote>sanity
  12. check</quote> indicating that everything compiled correctly. A test suite
  13. that passes its set of checks usually proves that the package is
  14. functioning as the developer intended. It does not, however, guarantee
  15. that the package is totally bug free.</para>
  16. <para>Some test suites are more important than others. For example,
  17. the test suites for the core toolchain packages&mdash;GCC, Binutils, and
  18. Glibc&mdash;are of the utmost importance due to their central role in a
  19. properly functioning system. The test suites for GCC and Glibc can
  20. take a very long time to complete, especially on slower hardware, but
  21. are strongly recommended.</para>
  22. <note>
  23. <para>Experience has shown that there is little to be gained from running
  24. the test suites in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>. There can be
  25. no escaping the fact that the host system always exerts some influence on
  26. the tests in that chapter, often causing inexplicable failures. Because
  27. the tools built in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/> are temporary
  28. and eventually discarded, we do not recommend running the test suites in
  29. <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/> for the average reader. The
  30. instructions for running those test suites are provided for the benefit of
  31. testers and developers, but they are strictly optional.</para>
  32. </note>
  33. <para>A common issue with running the test suites for Binutils and GCC
  34. is running out of pseudo terminals (PTYs). This can result in a high
  35. number of failing tests. This may happen for several reasons, but the
  36. most likely cause is that the host system does not have the
  37. <systemitem class="filesystem">devpts</systemitem> file system set up
  38. correctly. This issue is discussed in greater detail in <xref
  39. linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>.</para>
  40. <para>Sometimes package test suites will fail, but for reasons which the
  41. developers are aware of and have deemed non-critical. Consult the logs located
  42. at <ulink url="&test-results;"/> to verify whether or not these failures are
  43. expected. This site is valid for all tests throughout this book.</para>
  44. </sect1>