Service Virtualization

The WebSocket protocol was standardized by the IETF as RFC 6455 in 2011, and the WebSocket API in Web IDL is being standardized by the W3C.

One of our dev teams has selected WebSockets as the protocol hanlder for one of our applications. it is an event driven messaging model, which supports non-sequential message handling.

send msg1

send msg2

send msg3

receive msg2

receive msg1

receive msg3

how can I make a simulator that supports that mechanism?  the data protocol is JSON, so that is easy.

the standard model will work for the data protocol part (json) and the wire protocol part (sockets). but the out of order responses is the part we need to add on

websockets is a 5 year old standard.

nobody?   I hate being on the bleeding edge...!

so, is there a mechanism to capture (serialize) the transaction state?  and deserialize  it later.?

I 'think' a solution to this websockets protocol is to separate the thing into two components..

part 1 - (loop 1) listen, serialize to object, put object on queue. , back to listen

part 2 - (loop 2) randomly pic entry from queue, deserilize, and resume transaction logic. vsi/vsm...

one thing I didn't notice, is that the client 'connects' (session) to the server, (both ends now have a persistent connection object),

THEN sends messages or receives message events.. (which might be responses, OR unsolicited  data

over a long period of time..

example of server, and message communication process

Writing a WebSocket server in Java - Web APIs | MDN

so I don't know if the current DT msg event isolation will work at all.

the more I look at this, the more it seems I need to put the WebSocket Server in front of DT. it would become the client, message sender, and DT would see http type messages.  and respond in serial fashion.

so, I have built this implementation..

some client (app, chrome with WS plugin, soapui with WS plugin, readyapi (already has ws plugin), standalone client, ...

       client connects to websockets server, one time, all comm over this applicaiton level connection

       ---->  connect & sends to my custom websockets server

                 ---->  sends to DevTest as a Rest api request.(post with body)

                          DT processes like normal

                  <----  send response (to webSockets server)

        <---   server sends response to client

repeat..send/receive at client, as needed

now the only bad part, is that the https headers that might be included in the ws://server:port call are not surfaced in the websocket server (that I can find so far).

same for on the way back..

now.. can I do this with DT test?  my 'guess' is a websocket client libs can be called to handle all that (script steps)..  yet to try.

So, if I want to make my own test steps.. I need 4..

open connection

send

receive

close connection

I see the sdk info on custom java test step

it 'looks like' I have to create a unique class per step.. right?

I demoed this solution to the test team yesterday and they are excited to get started. I deployed a customized amazon ami today with all this on board.

all they have to do is upload a control file and spreadsheet for their application transaction messages..(my version of data driven service)

the webSocket to DT interface uses the uri path on the webSocket Open as the uri into DT.. so they can have as many uri options as needed.

Can anyone help Sam work through this issue? Looks like he's almost got it figured out!

Sam has got further than I did. When I wasn't having much luck, I voted for the WebSocket support idea at Websocket Protocol

thanks.. I will have to add a task for myself to look thru the ideas.. I forget to do that all the time..

in another topic I created custom test steps to implement the client side of this so that we can use DT test to drive the simulator (and later the real product)