MECHS

A "mech" is a test that uses WWW::Mechanize, a Perl library that
simulate a browser for automation purposes. We use it to perform
external tests (as opposed to internal unit testing) that mimics a
client browser session.


mechs/ contains the tests. Currently they create a user, confirm it by
looking for the confirmation_hash directly in the database, create a
project with that user, then login as admin and approve the project.

It's pretty easy to break Savane when cleaning-up / "refactoring" the
code, and PHP does not provide any kind of compiler that would check
for the most common errors (syntax, renamed functions, etc.). Thus
testing every Savane feature automatically is invaluable during such
work.


minimal_configs/ contains a Makefile that produces a complete
Apache2/PHP5/MySQL5 environment. You need to have these server
binaries already installed in your PATH, but everything else
(configuration, database storage, PIDs, etc.) will run in /etc/savane/
under the current user. No root privileges are needed. The mechs can
then hit http://localhost:50080/ and stress-test this independant
Savane install.

Check the Makefile for target names. Mainly:
- install: install and runs the environment
- uninstall: stop servers and remove the environment
- start: starts Apache2 and MySQL
- stop: stops these servers
- refresh: only reinstall the Apache2 configuration file

You usually only need 'install' and 'uninstall'.

This is meant for a limited (frontend-only) Savane installation. A
more complete install, that would also test the backend, is a
different story. A solution based on QEMU/UML/etc. for the
virtualization and debootstrap/yum --base/etc. for the base system,
which would simulate one or several independent machines, would be
nice. Beuc has some work done (independent of Savane) on this topic,
check with him if you're interested.