lfs-book/chapter02/abouttestsuites.xml

<sect1 id="ch02-abouttestsuites">
<title>About the test suites</title>
<?dbhtml filename="abouttestsuites.html" dir="chapter02"?>

<para>Most packages provide a test suite. Running the test suite for a newly
built package is generally a good idea as it can provide a nice sanity check
that everything compiled correctly. A test suite that passes its set of
checks usually proves that the package is functioning mostly as the developer
intended. It does not, however, guarantee that the package is totally bug
free.</para>

<para>Some test suites are more important than others. For example, the test
suites for the core toolchain packages -- GCC, Binutils, and Glibc (the C
library) -- are of the utmost importance due to their central role in a
properly functioning system. But be warned, the test suites for GCC and Glibc
can take a very long period of time to complete, especially on slower
hardware.</para>

<para>Experience has shown us that there is little to be gained from running
the test suites in Chapter 5. There can be no escaping the fact that the host
system always exerts influence on the Chapter 5 tests, often causing weird and
inexplicable failures. Not only that, the tools built in Chapter 5 are
temporary and eventually discarded. For the average reader of this book we
recommend not to run the Chapter 5 test suites. The instructions for running
the Chapter 5 test suites are still provided for the benefit of testers and
developers but they are strictly optional for everyone else.</para>

<para>As you progress through the book and encounter the build commands to
run the various test suites, we'll guide you on the relative importance of
the test suite in question so that you can decide for yourself whether to
run it or not.</para>

<note><para>A common problem when running the test suites for Binutils and GCC
is running out of pseudo terminals (PTYs for short). The symptom is an unusually
high number of failing tests. This can happen for any number of reasons. Most
likely is that the host system doesn't have the <emphasis>devpts</emphasis> file
system set up correctly. We'll discuss this in more detail later on in Chapter
5.</para></note>

</sect1>