TESSY - licensing FAQs
What license models are available?
TESSY is available with a node-locked license, or with a floating license, or with a CI license.
The node-locked license restricts the use of TESSY to the PC the license is issued for. The node-locked license is not transferable to another PC. It is not a dongle license.
One or more floating licenses are administrated by a Floating License Server (FLS). At the same time, you may use TESSY as many times as the amount of licenses the FLS disposes over.
The Continuous Integration (CI) floating license is intended for TESSY in CI/CD pipelines. It allows TESSY only to run in headless mode, i.e. without using the graphical user interface. Only for Floating License Servers (FLS) on Windows. TESSY on Linux can use CI licenses of a FLS under Windows. At least one TESSY floating license of the same version must be present on the FLS.
What is included in a license?
Node-locked, floating, and CI license of TESSY include:
a. Maintenance for 6 months after purchase.
b. A license to use all combinations of microcontroller / cross compiler / debugger supported by your TESSY version.
Is a license valid for previous versions of TESSY?
Yes. If you dispose of a license for a certain TESSY version, this license is also valid for previous versions of TESSY. I.e. a license valid for TESSY V5.1 is also valid for e.g. TESSY V4.3 and lower versions.
Is a license permanent?
Yes. A license is permanent (or perpetual). This means you can use TESSY with a given license as long as you want.
Is a license global?
Yes. If it is technically possible (usually by VPN) you can access a remote TESSY Floating License Server (FLS) from anywhere in the world in order to obtain a TESSY license. E.g. a TESSY user located in India can use a TESSY license from a FLS located in Germany. This is legal, i.e. explicitly allowed by the licensing policy.
Can I check out a floating license?
Yes. From the Floating License Server, a license can be transferred to another PC for a maximum of 30 days. This allows TESSY to be used on a PC not connected to any network. For the license transfer, it is not necessary for the remote PC to have access to the Floating License Server.
Can I rent a license?
No. Renting or leasing of TESSY licenses is not possible.
Can I upgrade from a node-locked license to a floating license?
This is not actually intended. But talk to us and we'll see what we can do for you.
Can TESSY be used for unit testing according to IEC 62304?
Yes. TESSY can be used for software unit verification according to section 5.5 of IEC 62304. A certificate from TÜV SÜD is available that covers IEC 62304.
Can TESSY be used for testing according to DO-178?
Yes. TESSY is already used successfully in aerospace applications. A TESSY Tool Qualification Package (TQP) is available separately and includes a test suite and documents.
Can I have the complete testing done as a service?
Yes. Hitex provides testing by TESSY as a service. You can find details on this here.
What about code coverage by TESSY?
TESSY provides the following coverage measures for unit testing: Entry Point Coverage, Statement Coverage, Branch Coverage, Decision Coverage, Modified Condition/Decision Coverage (MC/DC) and Multiple Condition Coverage (MCC). A detailed description on code coverage can be found here. TESSY instruments the test application to get the coverage information.
In addition, TESSY provides Function Coverage and Call Pair Coverage for integration testing.
Can TESSY test state machines and filter functions?
Yes. State machines and filter functions are examples for functions maintaining an internal state. TESSY is well-suited to test such functions.
Can TESSY test RTOS applications?
Yes. TESSY can replace calls to the real-time operating system (RTOS) by stub functions.
Where does TESSY execute the tests?
TESSY can execute the tests on the host or on the actual target hardware. Normally, a debugger acts as interface to the execution environment.
Can TESSY be used without execution environment for a microcontroller?
Yes. TESSY can also run the tests completely on the host (Windows or Linux). In this case, the test application is compiled using the GNU tool set instead of a cross compiler.
Can TESSY be used with instruction-set simulators?
Yes. However, TESSY must be adapted to the debugger the simulator is integrated with.
What happens if a test case cannot be completed e.g. due to an infinite loop or due to a crash of the target system?
By default, TESSY will wait infinitely for the end of the test case. In this case, the test execution has to be stopped manually by the user. However, it is possible to set up a timeout. If the timeout expired and the test is not finished, TESSY stops the test execution.
Can TESSY export / import test data from other tools?
Yes. TESSY can import and export test data using various text file formats or from/to Microsoft Excel. This allows for using user supplied test data.
Can TESSY import requirements?
Yes. TESSY can import requirements in ReqIF format. TESSY can also export (annotated) requirements in ReqIF format. The annotations state e.g. the number of test cases for a requirement and if they are passed/failed.
Can test data be put under version control?
Yes.
TESSY can export (and import) the test data in a human-readable textual scripting language. Such a file can be put under version control and can be easily compared with other files representing the state of the test at other times.
TESSY can export (and import) the test data also in a binary file. Such a file is well-suited to transfer test data between different geographic locations.
Can TESSY be used for regression testing?
Yes, the so-called batch test feature can re-test either a selection of or all test cases of any test object fully automated. It is also possible to run automated tests from the operating system's command line, i.e. without interactive usage of TESSY. This is useful for running regression tests overnight and for integrating TESSY in Continuous Integration (CI) systems.
Which test report formats are available?
Since TESSY V3.2, the (human-readable) test report formats PDF, HTML and Word are available, as is the (machine-readable) report format XML.
What operating systems are supported?
TESSY runs on Windows and Linux