What is black box testing?  

well, Black Box Testing is testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested. For example, when black box testing is applied to software engineering, the tester would only know the "legal" inputs and what the expected outputs should be, but not how the program actually arrives at those outputs. It is because of this that black box testing can be considered testing with respect to the specifications, no other knowledge of the program is necessary. For this reason, the tester and the programmer can be independent of one another, This method of test design is applicable to all levels of software testing: unit, integration, functional testing, system and acceptance. The higher the level, and hence the bigger and more complex the box, the more one is forced to use black box testing to simplify. While this method can uncover unimplemented parts of the specification, one cannot be sure that all existent paths are tested.

Answered by satyaiitk , an ibibo Master, at 6:12 PM on May 19, 2008

well, Black box testing, concrete box or functional testing is used to check that the outputs of a program, given certain inputs, conform to the functional specification of the program.Black-box test design
treats the system as a "black-box", so it doesn't explicitly use
knowledge of the internal structure. Black-box test design is usually
described as focusing on testing functional requirements. Synonyms for
black-box include: behavioral, functional, opaque-box, and
closed-box. White-box test design allows one to peek inside the "box",
and it focuses specifically on using internal knowledge of the software
to guide the selection of test data. Synonyms for white-box include:
structural, glass-box and clear-box.

Testing method where user is not required:

Functional Testing:
In this type of testing, the software is tested for the functional requirements. The tests are written in order to check if the application behaves as expected.

Stress Testing:
The application is tested against heavy load such as complex numerical values, large number of inputs, large number of queries etc. which checks for the stress/load the applications can withstand.

Load Testing:
The application is tested against heavy loads or inputs such as testing of web sites in order to find out at what point the web-site/application fails or at what point its performance degrades.

Ad-hoc Testing:
This type of testing is done without any formal Test Plan or Test Case creation. Ad-hoc testing helps in deciding the scope and duration of the various other testing and it also helps testers in learning the application prior starting with any other testing.

Exploratory Testing:
This testing is similar to the ad-hoc testing and is done in order to learn/explore the application.

Usability Testing:
This testing is also called as ‘Testing for User-Friendliness’. This testing is done if User Interface of the application stands an important consideration and needs to be specific for the specific type of user.

Smoke Testing:
This type of testing is also called sanity testing and is done in order to check if the application is ready for further major testing and is working properly without failing up to least expected level.

Recovery Testing:
Recovery testing is basically done in order to check how fast and better the application can recover against any type of crash or hardware failure etc. Type or extent of recovery is specified in the requirement specifications.

Volume Testing:
Volume testing is done against the efficiency of the application. Huge amount of data is processed through the application (which is being tested) in order to check the extreme limitations of the system.

Testing where user plays a role/user is required:

User Acceptance Testing:
In this type of testing, the software is handed over to the user in order to find out if the software meets the user expectations and works as it is expected to.

Alpha Testing:
In this type of testing, the users are invited at the development center where they use the application and the developers note every particular input or action carried out by the user. Any type of abnormal behavior of the system is noted and rectified by the developers.

Beta Testing:
In this type of testing, the software is distributed as a beta version to the users and users test the application at their sites. As the users explore the software, in case if any exception/defect occurs that is reported to the developers.

Answered by Saurabh , an ibibo Master, at 10:40 AM on May 18, 2008

Black Box Testing is testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested. For example, when black box testing is applied to software engineering, the tester would only know the "legal" inputs and what the expected outputs should be, but not how the program actually arrives at those outputs. It is because of this that black box testing can be considered testing with respect to the specifications, no other knowledge of the program is necessary. For this reason, the tester and the programmer can be independent of one another, avoiding programmer bias toward his own work. For this testing, test groups are often used, "Test groups are sometimes called professional people who are good at designing incorrect data." Also, do to the nature of black box testing, the test planning can begin as soon as the specifications are written. The opposite of this would be glass box testing, where test data are derived from direct examination of the code to be tested. For glass box testing, the test cases cannot be determined until the code has actually been written. Both of these testing techniques have advantages and disadvantages, but when combined, they help to ensure thorough testing of the product.

Answered by Nagendra , an ibibo Master, at 3:59 PM on May 17, 2008

Also known as functional testing. Asoftware testing technique whereby the internal workings of the item being tested are not known by the tester. For example, in a black box test on a software design the tester only knows the inputs and what the expected outcomes should be and not how the program arrives at those outputs. The tester does not ever examine the programming code and does not need any further knowledge of the program other than its specifications.

The advantages of this type of testing include:

* The test is unbiased because the designer and the tester are independent of each other.
* The tester does not need knowledge of any specific programming languages.
* The test is done from the point of view of the user, not the designer.
* Test cases can be designed as soon as the specifications are complete.

Answered by Shobhit , an ibibo Master, at 7:34 PM on May 16, 2008

Hi Sharad,

Black box testing takes an external perspective of the test object to derive test cases. These tests can be functional or non-functional, though usually functional. The test designer selects valid and invalid input and determines the correct output. There is no knowledge of the test object's internal structure.

This method of test design is applicable to all levels of software testing: unit, integration, functional testing, system and acceptance. The higher the level, and hence the bigger and more complex the box, the more one is forced to use black box testing to simplify. While this method can uncover unimplemented parts of the specification, one cannot be sure that all existent paths are tested.


source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bl ack_ box_testing

Answered by Reeta K , an ibibo Master, at 6:28 PM on May 16, 2008

it means you know what the output SHOULD be with specific input, so if it doesn't work, you can track down the issue.Testing based on an analysis of the specification of a piece of software without reference to its internal workings.Black box testing, concrete box or functional testing is used to check that the outputs of a program, given certain inputs, conform to the functional specification of the program.

Answered by ayisha , an ibibo Master, at 5:33 PM on May 16, 2008

Hi Sharad
black box testing also known as functional testing.a software testing technique whereby the internal workings of the item being tested are not known by the tester. For example, in a black box test on a software design the tester only knows the inputs and what the expected outcomes should be and not how the program arrives at those outputs. The tester does not ever examine the programming code and does not need any further knowledge of the program other than its specifications.
The advantages of black box testing:
1. The test is unbiased because the designer and the tester are independent of each other.
2.The tester does not need knowledge of any specific programming languages.
3.The test is done from the point of view of the user, not the designer.
4.Test cases can be designed as soon as the specifications are complete.
disadvantages:
1. The test can be redundant if the software designer has already run a test case.
2.The test cases are difficult to design.
3.Testing every possible input stream is unrealistic because it would take a inordinate amount of time; therefore, many program paths will go untested.

For a complete software examination, both white box and black box tests are required.

Answered by jaivir , an ibibo Master, at 5:32 PM on May 16, 2008

Black box testing takes an external perspective of the test object to derive test cases. These tests can be functional or non-functional, though usually functional. The test designer selects valid and invalid input and determines the correct output. There is no knowledge of the test object's internal structure.Black Box Testing is testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested.
It is a testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested.
This type of testing attempts to find errors in the following categories:

* incorrect or missing functions,
* interface errors,
* errors in data structures or external database access,
* performance errors, and 5. initialization and termination errors.

The advantages of this type of testing include:

* The test is unbiased because the designer and the tester are independent of each other.
* The tester does not need knowledge of any specific programming languages.
* The test is done from the point of view of the user, not the designer.
* Test cases can be designed as soon as the specifications are complete.
Black Box Testing is testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested. For example, when black box testing is applied to software engineering, the tester would only know the "legal" inputs and what the expected outputs should be, but not how the program actually arrives at those outputs.

Answered by shaista , an ibibo Master, at 4:15 PM on May 16, 2008

Well,

Black Box Testing is testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested.

For example, when black box testing is applied to software engineering, the tester would only know the "legal" inputs and what the expected outputs should be, but not how the program actually arrives at those outputs.

It is because of this that black box testing can be considered testing with respect to the specifications, no other knowledge of the program is necessary.

For this reason, the tester and the programmer can be independent of one another, avoiding programmer bias toward his own work.

For this testing, test groups are often used, "Test groups are sometimes called professional idiots...people who are good at designing incorrect data." 1 Also, do to the nature of black box testing, the test planning can begin as soon as the specifications are written.

The opposite of this would be glass box testing, where test data are derived from direct examination of the code to be tested.

For glass box testing, the test cases cannot be determined until the code has actually been written.

Both of these testing techniques have advantages and disadvantages, but when combined, they help to ensure thorough testing of the product.

Answered by Ajay Pal , an ibibo Master, at 4:07 PM on May 16, 2008

Black Box Testing is testing without knowledge of the internal workings of the item being tested. For example, when black box testing is applied to software engineering, the tester would only know the "legal" inputs and what the expected outputs should be, but not how the program actually arrives at those outputs. It is because of this that black box testing can be considered testing with respect to the specifications, no other knowledge of the program is necessary. For this reason, the tester and the programmer can be independent of one another, avoiding programmer bias toward his own work. For this testing, test groups are often used, "Test groups are sometimes called professional idiots...people who are good at designing incorrect data." 1 Also, do to the nature of black box testing, the test planning can begin as soon as the specifications are written. The opposite of this would be glass box testing, where test data are derived from direct examination of the code to be tested. For glass box testing, the test cases cannot be determined until the code has actually been written. Both of these testing techniques have advantages and disadvantages, but when combined, they help to ensure thorough testing of the product.

Answered by sushma , an ibibo Specialist, at 3:47 PM on May 16, 2008