Conformance testing

Conformance testing is a verification that an implementation meets the formal requirements of the standard. During the test phase the implementation is referred to as the Implementation Under Test (IUT).

The primary objective of conformance testing is to increase the probability that different product implementations actually interoperate.

No amount of testing can give a full guarantee of successful interworking. The exhaustive testing of every possible aspect of protocol behaviour is unrealistic and impractical for technical and economical reasons. Conformance testing can however give a reasonable degree of confidence that an implementation which passes the test, will comply with the requirements in communication with other systems. As such, conformance testing can be regarded as a prerequisite for interworking.

To enable claiming compliance of server implementations to the DLMS/COSEM specification, the DLMS UA provides a conformance test process. The main elements of this process are:

• Specification

• The Conformance test tool implementing the Conformance test plans

• List of OBIS codes

• Certification process

• List of compliant equipment

• Conformance test maintenance (partly password protected area)

The conformance testing process is described in detail in the DLMS UA Yellow book.