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copied!<p>If you are writing software to manipulate data comming out of a specialized piece of hardware, then you could reasonably create stand-ins for the hardware to test the software.</p> <p>If the hardware interface is something simple like a serial port, you could easily use a loop-back cable to have your program talk to the mock hardware. I used this approach some years ago when writing software to talk to a credit processor. My test app was given to think that that my simulator was a modem and a back-end processor.</p> <p>If you are writing PCI device drivers or equivalent level software, then you probably can't create a software stand-in.</p> <p>The only good way to apply TDD to such issues is if you are able to spoof the hardware's i/o with another program. For instance, I work with credit card handling for gas stations. On my current project we have a simulator that is the pump electronics hooked to some switches such that operation of a pump (lift handle, squeeze trigger, fuel flow) can be simulated. It's quite conceivable that we could have a simulator built that was controllable by software.</p> <p>Alternately, depending on the device, you might be able to use standard test equipment (signal generators, etc) to feed it 'known inputs'.</p> <p>Note that this has the problem that you are testing both the hardware and the device drivers together. Unfortunately, that's really the only good choice you have at this stage - Any simulated hardware is likely to be different enough from the real equipment that it's going to be useless to test with.</p>

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