Inquisitor is a
software suite
A software suite (also known as an application suite) is a collection of computer programs (application software, or programming software) of related functionality, sharing a similar user interface and the ability to easily exchange data with eac ...
used for hardware diagnostics,
stress testing
Stress testing is a form of deliberately intense or thorough testing, used to determine the stability of a given system, critical infrastructure or entity. It involves testing beyond normal operational capacity, often to a breaking point, in orde ...
, certification and benchmarking platform. It is available in three formats:
* Standalone – As a package to be installed into existing Linux installation; such practice is somewhat limited in available tests.
* Live – Distributed as a Linux
live CD
A live CD (also live DVD, live disc, or live operating system) is a complete booting, bootable computer installation including operating system which runs directly from a CD-ROM or similar storage device into a computer's memory, rather than lo ...
distribution; system under test should be booted from it; this way one particular system can be tested thoroughly.
* Enterprise – A most advanced format; multiple systems can be tested simultaneously by booting from network using
PXE PXE may refer to:
Science and technology
* Pentium Extreme Edition, a variant of the Pentium D microprocessor
* Preboot Execution Environment, booting computers via a network
* Pseudoxanthoma elasticum, a genetic disease
Other uses
* Proof and Exp ...
, in fully controlled environment; all testing progress and results are collected on central server to be analyzed by testing operator.
Released under the terms of version 3 of the
GNU General Public License
The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first ...
, Inquisitor is
free software
Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...
.
History
Inquisitor started in early 2004 as a closed project developed by Mikhail Yakshin at
ALT Linux
ALT Linux is a set of Russian operating systems based on RPM Package Manager (RPM) and built on a Linux kernel and Sisyphus package repository. ALT Linux has been developed collectively by ALT Linux Team developers community and ALT Linux Ltd.
...
for MaxSelect, a Russian hardware vendor. First versions were closed-source, although some effort was made to open some of its components. Versions 1 and 2 were fully developed in-house and were fully adopted by MaxSelect and its multiple branches. These versions concentrated on server-based enterprise testing and were optimized mostly for notebook hardware.
In 2005, a special abridged version of Inquisitor suite was developed for distribution on Live CDs. These Live CDs were supplied with MaxSelect products, so every buyer can stress test their newly bought hardware to ensure it runs stable.
In August, 2007, all legal complications were solved and Inquisitor was announced as an open source platform. This platform can be used to implement various Linux-based solutions that deal with hardware testing, monitoring and benchmarking. As of July, 2008, version 3.0 is released into public.
Version 3.1 made it to beta, but the distribution was discontinued before this beta was finalized.
Tests
Minimal steps that can be undertaken for purposes of testing or benchmarking are called "tests" in Inquisitor and are implemented as simple Unix
shell script
A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by a Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be command languages. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manipu ...
s that run other (binary) programs and collects their results. In its simplest form, test outputs only binary result: success or failure, but more advanced
API
An application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build ...
is supplied for
benchmarks that output results.
, Inquisitor distribution includes following tests:
See also
*
Phoronix Test Suite
Phoronix Test Suite (PTS) is a free and open-source Benchmark (computing), benchmark software for Linux and other operating systems.
The Phoronix Test Suite, developed by Michael Larabel and Matthew Tippett, has been endorsed by sites such as Li ...
*
Stresslinux
Stresslinux is a light-weight Linux distribution designed to test a computer's hardware by running the components at high load while monitoring their health. It is designed to be booted from CD-ROM or via PXE.
See also
* Inquisitor (hardware te ...
Notes
References
*
{{Linux-distro
Operating system distributions bootable from read-only media
Light-weight Linux distributions
RPM-based Linux distributions
Hardware testing
Linux distributions