- It is a type of non-functional testing.
- Compatibility testing is a type of software testing used to ensure compatibility of the system/application/website built with various other objects such as other web browsers, hardware platforms, users (in case if it’s very specific type of requirement, such as a user who speaks and can read only a particular language), operating systems etc. This type of testing helps find out how well a system performs in a particular environment that includes hardware, network, operating system and other software etc.
- It is basically the testing of the application or the product built with the computing environment.
- It tests whether the application or the software product built is compatible with the hardware, operating system, database or other system software or not.
Types of compatibility tests
Compatibility testing types
- Hardware : It checks software to be compatible with different hardware configurations .
- Operating Systems: It checks your software to be compatible with different Operating Systems like Windows , Unix , Mac OS etc.
- Software: It checks your developed software to be compatible with other software's.For example: MS Word application should be compatible with other softwares like MS Outlook,MS Excel , VBA etc.
- Network: Evaluation of performance of system In network with varying parameters such as Bandwidth, Operating speed, Capacity. It also checks application in different networks with all parameters mentioned earlier.
- Browser: It checks compatibility of your website with different browsers like Firefox , Google Chrome , Internet Explorer etc.
- Devices : It checks compatibility of your software with different devices like USB port Devices, Printers and Scanners, Other media devices and Blue tooth.
- Mobile: Checking you software is compatible with mobile platforms like Android , iOS etc.
- Versions of the software: It is verifying you software application to be compatible with different versions of software.For instance checking your Microsoft Word to be compatible with Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1 , Windows 7 SP 2 , Windows 7 SP 3.
There are two types of version checking
Backward compatibility Testing is to verify the behavior of the developed hardware/software with the older versions of the hardware/software.
Forward compatibility Testing is to verify the behavior of the developed hardware/software with the newer versions of the hardware/software.
Tools for compatibility testing
Adobe Browser Lab - Browser Compatibility Testing:
This tool helps us to check your application in different browsers.
Secure Platform - Hardware Compatibility tool
This tools includes necessary drivers for a specific hardware platform and it provides information on tool to check for CD burning process with CD burning tools.
Virtual Desktops - Operating System Compatibility:
This is used to run the applications in multiple operating systems as virtual machines. N Number of systems can be connected and compare the results.
Compatibility testing process
- Initial phase of compatibility testing is to define the set of environments or platforms the application is expected to work on.
- Tester should have enough knowledge on the platforms / software / hardware to understand the expected application behavior under different configurations.
- Environment needs to be set-up for testing with different platforms, devices, networks to check whether your application runs well under different configurations.
- Report the bugs .Fix the defects. Re-test to confirm defect fixing.
