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<sect1 id="ch-prepare-abouttestsuites">
<title>About the test suites</title>
<?dbhtml filename="abouttestsuites.html" dir="chapter02"?>
<para>Most packages provide a test suite. Running the test suite for a newly
built package is generally a good idea, as it can provide a nice sanity check
that everything compiled correctly. A test suite that passes its set of checks
usually proves that the package is functioning mostly as the developer
intended. It does not, however, guarantee that the package is totally bug
free.</para>
<para>Some test suites are more important than others. For example, the test
suites for the core toolchain packages -- GCC, Binutils, and Glibc (the C
library) -- are of the utmost importance due to their central role in a
properly functioning system. But be warned, the test suites for GCC and Glibc
can take a very long time to complete, especially on slower hardware.</para>
<para>Experience has shown us that there is little to be gained from running
the test suites in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>. There can be no escaping the
fact that the host system always exerts influence on the tests in that chapter,
often causing weird and inexplicable failures. Not only that, the tools built
in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/> are temporary and eventually discarded. For the
average reader of this book we recommend <emphasis>not</emphasis> to run the
test suites in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>. The instructions for running those
test suites are still provided for the benefit of testers and developers, but
they are strictly optional for everyone else.</para>
<para>As you progress through the book and encounter the commands to run the
various test suites, we'll guide you on the relative importance of the test
suite in question, so that you can decide for yourself whether to run that one
or not.</para>
<note><para>A common problem when running the test suites for Binutils and GCC
is running out of pseudo terminals (PTYs for short). The symptom is an
unusually high number of failing tests. This can happen for a number of
reasons. Most likely is that the host system doesn't have the
<emphasis>devpts</emphasis> file system set up correctly. We'll discuss this in
more detail later on in <xref linkend="chapter-temporary-tools"/>.</para></note>
</sect1>
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