Testing the Cloud and Testing as a Service

This chapter discusses the two testing terms associated with cloud computing evaluation - ?>testing a cloud?> and ?>cloud-based testing?>. ?>Testing a cloud?> refers to the verification and validation of applications, environments, and infrastructure that are available on demand. ?>Cloud-based testing?> or testing as a service refers to leveraging cloud services for testing and quality assurance of software, hardware, Web apps and information systems. The difference between cloud testing and testing a cloud is explained in detail to provide a clear understanding of the two terms and of diverse areas for research in the areas of cloud computing and quality assurance. Concluding sections discuss specific issues and challenges in cloud testing and popular cloud testing benchmarks like Yahoo! Cloud Serving Benchmark (YCSB) and CloudStone.