Test bench
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A test bench or testing workbench is an environment used to verify the correctness or soundness of a design or model.
The term has its roots[citation needed] in the testing of electronic devices, where an engineer would sit at a lab bench with tools for measurement and manipulation, such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, soldering irons, wire cutters, and so on, and manually verify the correctness of the device under test (DUT).
In the context of software or firmware or hardware engineering, a test bench is an environment in which the product under development is tested with the aid of software and hardware tools. The software may need to be modified slightly in some cases to work with the test bench but careful coding can ensure that the changes can be undone easily and without introducing bugs. [1]
Kinds of test benches
- Stimulus only — Contains only the stimulus driver and DUT; does not contain any results verification.
- Full test bench — Contains stimulus driver, known good results, and results comparison.
- Simulator specific — The test bench is written in a simulator-specific format.
- Hybrid test bench — Combines techniques from more than one test bench style.
- Fast test bench — Test bench written to get ultimate speed from simulation.