Siebel Anywhere Administration Guide > Retrieving, Installing, and Testing Upgrade Kits >

Testing Upgrade Kits

This task is a step in Process of Retrieving, Installing, and Testing Upgrade Kits.

The recommended method for testing kits is to create and distribute a kit to a limited and controlled number of users. In this method, you can assign specific testing users to the Test Client configuration so your regular subscribers will not be allowed to install any kits in the testing phase. Distribute the kit only to the Siebel Test Client configuration. See Using the Siebel Test Client Configuration for Testing.

After distribution to the Test Client configuration, test users should retrieve and install the upgrade kit. Test users should then run the application that has been upgraded, and report any unexpected behavior in the application, particularly in areas that have changed due to the upgrade.

CAUTION:  When testing new upgrade kits, it is strongly recommended that you perform tests using both Dedicated and Mobile Web Clients. If for any reason Mobile Web Client users experience problems installing or downloading the new kit, the problems will be significant.

After a kit has been thoroughly tested under the Siebel Test Client configuration, you can then distribute it to the appropriate production configurations.

To optimize the setup process for new users, it is recommended that you create a "master installation image" for each configuration your Siebel Anywhere subscribers use, and keep these images up to date. If all current upgrade kits are installed to create a current image, you can use the image to set up new subscribers, so each new subscriber will not need to download and install many upgrade kits. This method also makes it safer to deactivate old upgrade kits, since new subscribers will receive the necessary software by means of installation images, rather than being required to install old kits.

NOTE:  Siebel Anywhere does not deliver database schema upgrades to individual Dedicated Web Client users, because they connect to shared databases. Database extensions should be tested in the development environment.

Using the Siebel Test Client Configuration for Testing

Siebel Anywhere provides a special configuration called Siebel Test Client to serve as your test user. By default, the Siebel Test Client configuration is representative of the other subscriber configurations initially provided, but it can be modified to reflect your active configuration.

To test an upgrade kit

1. Create a user and assign this user with the Siebel Test Client configuration in either of the following ways:
   • Assign the user to the configuration, as described in Assigning Employees to a Configuration.
   • Install a client and set ComponentName = Siebel Test Client in the active CFG file.
2. Define, activate and apply the kit as an optional kit and distribute to the appropriate configuration.
3. Verify that the Siebel Test Client configuration contains the components being upgraded with the kit.
4. Notify the selected users assigned to the Siebel Test Client configuration to log on. Instruct them to use the procedures described in Retrieving and Installing Upgrade Kits to retrieve and install the upgrade kit.
5. After test users install the upgrade kit, have them test it by running the application that was upgraded.

   Have all test users report any unexpected behavior in the application. Special attention should be paid to areas of the application that changed due to the upgrade.

   If the test is unsuccessful, see Troubleshooting for Siebel Anywhere for possible solutions.

NOTE:  If you want to change your optional kit to a required kit after testing, see Converting an Optional Kit to a Required Kit.