Status Update Page
mdlandrec.net Version 3 Testing
Updated April 2, 2010
mdlandrec.net Version 3 testing
I want to give you all an update on the status of Version 3 testing as of April 2, 2010.
Load testing and functional testing have been ongoing for almost a year. Load testing is intended to assure us that the system is robust enough to handle the 100,000+ registered users currently accessing Version 2. Functional testing is intended to reveal user issues that will need to be addressed and corrected before the system can "go live".
Last December we sent out an email to 13,000 randomly selected current system users, asking them to sign up as Version 3 testers. Fewer than 700 individuals applied for user IDs and passwords in response to this appeal.
Wishing to expand our pool of potential external testers, in February we sent an email to all 100,000+ current Version 2 subscribers informing them that Version 3 was coming, urging them to avoid the rush by applying for new user Ids and passwords now, and inviting them to familiarize themselves with Version 3. Over 3,100 additional Version 2 subscribers applied for Version 3 accounts in response.
Last month we asked all our currently registered Version 3 users to participate in the fourth round of functional and load testing for Version 3. We asked our Version 3 users to log on at 10:00 am on March 8th and spend a minimum of 15 minutes conducting searches. We asked for no more than 15 minutes of their time for this portion of the testing, and we requested that they let us know how the system performed. Response was pretty good. During the test period 155 users logged on to Version 3. They conducted 819 searches and viewed 6,022 images.
Fourth round testing conclusively demonstrated that Version 3 system
is robust enough to handle the 100,000+ registered users currently accessing
Version 2. The system easily handled 5 simultaneous searches per second
with no strain on the servers. Testers reported several minor functional
issues that need to be addressed before roll out of Version 3. Chief among
these are the following:
1. Marked list disappears: If a user attempts to check items too quickly the marked list can be lost. This appears to be primarily a user education issue, but we are trying to determine if this can be fixed.2. Block Book returns very slow: These are large gray scale images that take time to load. We are working on a fix that will make these images more quickly and easily accessible. Only really an issue for Baltimore City.
3. Session variable error #1: This occurs when the ‘agency’ variable is not defined. This is a result of a problem in the code that we will have to fix
4. Session variable error #2: This occurs when the ‘beginning page’ variable is reported as ‘undefined’ when in fact there is a beginning page indicated in the data. This appears to be a session failover problem. One easy work around is to close out the current session and log on again.
Once we are able to adjust the code to address these four issues
we will be ready for a fifth round of functional testing. We have tentatively
scheduled this testing for the week of April 19th. We anticipate enlisting
our extended user community to assist with this functional testing and
welcome the participation of court staff if they so desire.
In the meantime, we will continue to contact current Version 2 users who have not yet applied for a Version 3 account subscribers informing them that Version 3 is coming, urging them to avoid the rush by applying for new user IDs and passwords now, and inviting them to familiarize themselves with Version 3.
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