System level testing of virtual switch (re-)configuration over IP

We show how our integrated test environment can be used for the validation of evolving Internet services, since it captures the (re-)configuration phase preceding the 'classical' steady state usage. This capability is extremely important to test applications and products based on the high-end HICOM switch family: via a specific application they allow the remote, web-browser and Internet-based configuration of services built upon a new-generation, virtual switch. The paper illustrates this capability while focussing on the challenge of dealing with high availability systems.