Automating IIoT Device Software Testing: Strategies for Reliable and Scalable Validation

The heart of every IIoT is edge devices. These embedded devices are responsible for collecting data from various sensors, parsing it, and forwarding it to applications like the cloud or local server for further analytics. These devices also handle data packaging for different types of protocols like HTTP, MQTT, OPC UA, etc., so they are compatible with various applications. It is the IIoT device software inside these memory-constrained devices that enables them to carry out these computations effortlessly. Given the complexity of the IIoT device software, it is difficult to perform regression testing without a test automation framework that can cover all the communication protocols as well as functionality. This talk will present ideas on how such an automation framework can be designed to test the functionality and protocols used in the IIoT device software. It is a 5-step process. The first step is to understand the goal of creating this framework. The next step is to consider who is to work on the framework and how the test setup is going to look. Third is tool and technology selection. The fourth is to future-proof your scripts. Fifth is to make sure if the goal is fulfilled.