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diff --git a/doc/WritingTests.txt b/doc/WritingTests.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..62a17e3709 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/WritingTests.txt @@ -0,0 +1,273 @@ + +Writing tests for Tor: an incomplete guide +========================================== + +Tor uses a variety of testing frameworks and methodologies to try to +keep from introducing bugs. The major ones are: + + 1. Unit tests written in C and shipped with the Tor distribution. + + 2. Integration tests written in Python and shipped with the Tor + distribution. + + 3. Integration tests written in Python and shipped with the Stem + library. Some of these use the Tor controller protocol. + + 4. System tests written in Python and SH, and shipped with the + Chutney package. These work by running many instances of Tor + locally, and sending traffic through them. + + 5. The Shadow network simulator. + +How to run these tests +---------------------- + +=== The easy version + +To run all the tests that come bundled with Tor, run "make check" + +To run the Stem tests as well, fetch stem from the git repository, +set STEM_SOURCE_DIR to the checkout, and run "make test-stem". + +To run the Chutney tests as well, fetch chutney from the git repository, +set CHUTNEY_PATH to the checkout, and run "make test-network". + +To run all of the above, run "make test-full". + +To run all of the above, plus tests that require a working connection to the +internet, run "make test-full-online". + +=== Running particular subtests + +The Tor unit tests are divided into separate programs and a couple of +bundled unit test programs. + +Separate programs are easy. For example, to run the memwipe tests in +isolation, you just run ./src/test/test-memwipe . + +To run tests within the unit test programs, you can specify the name +of the test. The string ".." can be used as a wildcard at the end of the +test name. For example, to run all the cell format tests, enter +"./src/test/test cellfmt/..". To run + +Many tests that need to mess with global state run in forked subprocesses in +order to keep from contaminating one another. But when debugging a failing test, +you might want to run it without forking a subprocess. To do so, use the +"--no-fork" option with a single test. (If you specify it along with +multiple tests, they might interfere.) + +You can turn on logging in the unit tests by passing one of "--debug", +"--info", "--notice", or "--warn". By default only errors are displayed. + +Unit tests are divided into "./src/test/test" and "./src/test/test-slow". +The former are those that should finish in a few seconds; the latter tend to +take more time, and may include CPU-intensive operations, deliberate delays, +and stuff like that. + +=== Finding test coverage + +When you configure Tor with the --enable-coverage option, it should +build with support for coverage in the unit tests, and in a special +"tor-cov" binary. + +Then, run the tests you'd like to see coverage from. If you have old +coverage output, you may need to run "reset-gcov" first. + +Now you've got a bunch of files scattered around your build directories +called "*.gcda". In order to extract the coverage output from them, make a +temporary directory for them and run "./scripts/test/coverage ${TMPDIR}", +where ${TMPDIR} is the temporary directory you made. This will create a +".gcov" file for each source file under tests, containing that file's source +annotated with the number of times the tests hit each line. (You'll need to +have gcov installed.) + +You can get a summary of the test coverage for each file by running +"./scripts/test/cov-display ${TMPDIR}/*" . Each line lists the file's name, +the number of uncovered lines, the number of uncovered lines, and the +coverage percentage. + +For a summary of the test coverage for each _function_, run +"./scripts/test/cov-display -f ${TMPDIR}/*" . + +=== Comparing test coverage + +Sometimes it's useful to compare test coverage for a branch you're writing to +coverage from another branch (such as git master, for example). But you +can't run "diff" on the two coverage outputs directly, since the actual +number of times each line is executed aren't so important, and aren't wholly +deterministic. + +Instead, follow the instructions above for each branch, creating a separate +temporary directory for each. Then, run "./scripts/test/cov-diff ${D1} +${D2}", where D1 and D2 are the directories you want to compare. This will +produce a diff of the two directories, with all lines normalized to be either +covered or uncovered. + +To count new or modified uncovered lines in D2, you can run: + + "./scripts/test/cov-diff ${D1} ${D2}" | grep '^+ *\#' |wc -l + + +What kinds of test should I write? +---------------------------------- + +Integration testing and unit testing are complementary: it's probably a +good idea to make sure that your code is hit by both if you can. + +If your code is very-low level, and its behavior is easily described in +terms of a relation between inputs and outputs, or a set of state +transitions, then it's a natural fit for unit tests. (If not, please +consider refactoring it until most of it _is_ a good fit for unit +tests!) + +If your code adds new externally visible functionality to Tor, it would +be great to have a test for that functionality. That's where +integration tests more usually come in. + +Unit and regression tests: Does this function do what it's supposed to? +----------------------------------------------------------------------- + +Most of Tor's unit tests are made using the "tinytest" testing framework. +You can see a guide to using it in the tinytest manual at + + https://github.com/nmathewson/tinytest/blob/master/tinytest-manual.md + +To add a new test of this kind, either edit an existing C file in src/test/, +or create a new C file there. Each test is a single function that must +be indexed in the table at the end of the file. We use the label "done:" as +a cleanup point for all test functions. + +(Make sure you read tinytest-manual.md before proceeding.) + +I use the term "unit test" and "regression tests" very sloppily here. + +=== A simple example + +Here's an example of a test function for a simple function in util.c: + + static void + test_util_writepid(void *arg) + { + (void) arg; + + char *contents = NULL; + const char *fname = get_fname("tmp_pid"); + unsigned long pid; + char c; + + write_pidfile(fname); + + contents = read_file_to_str(fname, 0, NULL); + tt_assert(contents); + + int n = sscanf(contents, "%lu\n%c", &pid, &c); + tt_int_op(n, OP_EQ, 1); + tt_int_op(pid, OP_EQ, getpid()); + + done: + tor_free(contents); + } + +This should look pretty familiar to you if you've read the tinytest +manual. One thing to note here is that we use the testing-specific +function "get_fname" to generate a file with respect to a temporary +directory that the tests use. You don't need to delete the file; +it will get removed when the tests are done. + +Also note our use of OP_EQ instead of == in the tt_int_op() calls. +We define OP_* macros to use instead of the binary comparison +operators so that analysis tools can more easily parse our code. +(Coccinelle really hates to see == used as a macro argument.) + +Finally, remember that by convention, all *_free() functions that +Tor defines are defined to accept NULL harmlessly. Thus, you don't +need to say "if (contents)" in the cleanup block. + +=== Exposing static functions for testing + +Sometimes you need to test a function, but you don't want to expose +it outside its usual module. + +To support this, Tor's build system compiles a testing version of +each module, with extra identifiers exposed. If you want to +declare a function as static but available for testing, use the +macro "STATIC" instead of "static". Then, make sure there's a +macro-protected declaration of the function in the module's header. + +For example, crypto_curve25519.h contains: + +#ifdef CRYPTO_CURVE25519_PRIVATE +STATIC int curve25519_impl(uint8_t *output, const uint8_t *secret, + const uint8_t *basepoint); +#endif + +The crypto_curve25519.c file and the test_crypto.c file both define +CRYPTO_CURVE25519_PRIVATE, so they can see this declaration. + +=== Mock functions for testing in isolation + +Often we want to test that a function works right, but the function to +be tested depends on other functions whose behavior is hard to observe, +or which require a working Tor network, or something like that. + +To write tests for this case, you can replace the underlying functions +with testing stubs while your unit test is running. You need to declare +the underlying function as 'mockable', as follows: + + MOCK_DECL(returntype, functionname, (argument list)); + +and then later implement it as: + + MOCK_IMPL(returntype, functionname, (argument list)) + { + /* implementation here */ + } + +For example, if you had a 'connect to remote server' function, you could +declare it as: + + + MOCK_DECL(int, connect_to_remote, (const char *name, status_t *status)); + +When you declare a function this way, it will be declared as normal in +regular builds, but when the module is built for testing, it is declared +as a function pointer initialized to the actual implementation. + +In your tests, if you want to override the function with a temporary +replacement, you say: + + MOCK(functionname, replacement_function_name); + +And later, you can restore the original function with: + + UNMOCK(functionname); + +For more information, see the definitions of this mocking logic in +testsupport.h. + + +=== Advanced techniques: Namespaces + +XXXX write this. danah boyd made us some really awesome stuff here. + + +Integration tests: Calling Tor from the outside +----------------------------------------------- + +XXXX WRITEME + +Writing integration tests with Stem +----------------------------------- + +XXXX WRITEME + +System testing with Chutney +--------------------------- + +XXXX WRITEME + +Who knows what evil lurks in the timings of networks? The Shadow knows! +----------------------------------------------------------------------- + +XXXX WRITEME + |