I want to help but....

[Eric Rostetter]

Quoting Eucke Warren <euckew at sierraelectronics.com>:

> Guys, I very much want to help but I need to better understand the issues
> involved with stress testing a package for review.  I have a number of RH9
> systems and some that can be used for package testing.  Is there a structured
> process tree for stress testing that is published somewhere that I might
> review to help me understand what I would need to do?

Basically you want to start by seeing the web page at:

http://www.fedoralegacy.org/wiki/index.php/QaTesting

In particular, the info about creating/registering a gpg key, the
self introduction to the mailing list, the section on testing a package
in the updates-testing channel, and the section on reporting your results
to bugzilla.  If you have any questions on that, then ask on the mailing
list.

After all that, you want to download and install the packages from
updates-testing on as many machines as you can.  You then want to use,
or have users of the machine use, the functionality of the package to
make sure it works.  For example, if the package was "zip" you would
want to try zipping some files, unzipping them, compare the original
and unzipped files to make sure they are the same, try to unzip some
old zip files created with another version, etc.  How to test it is
dependend on your skills, resources, and the package in question.
But you want to test it as well as possible; in many cases (e.g. a kernel
or XFree86 or such) this means testing it for several days.

Once you test it as well as possible, you want to report your results.
Installation problems/issues, whether it worked or not, any problems
or quirks you noticed, etc.  You can also, if you want, vote for it
to be published or not.  This report is via Bugzilla and must be 
gpg clear signed.

> I am kind of a Jack of all Trades and I have learned by doing.  Is there a
> place where I can help further this project?

The web page, the wiki, or the mailing list archives.  Or ask on the list.

> I can certainly test if I have
> something that will help me to know what I am testing for...willingness and
> resources I can supply...expertise is, admittedly, lacking....

Just ask if you need help!
 
> Eucke

-- 
Eric Rostetter