# Plugtest

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{{Short description|Event at which manufacturers test interoperability of their products}}
A '''plugtest''' or '''plugfest''' is an event based on a certain [technical standard](/source/technical_standard) where the designers of electronic equipment or software test the [interoperability](/source/interoperability) of their products or designs with those of other manufacturers. It could be literally plugging company A's cable into company B's socket, or a more elaborate test resembling a realistic scenario.

The technical goal is twofold: check compliance with the standard, and test the effectiveness of the standard. The latter could be the case when the standard is ambiguous. A simplified example is: the width of a plug is prescribed, but vendors use different lengths.

Plugtests can be formal and have public test scores or informal and private. Besides helping vendors improve their interoperability, plugtests help create awareness about the standard and can improve transparency on compliance.<ref>[http://purl.utwente.nl/publications/76837 Folmer, Erwin and Punter, Matthijs (2011) Management and Development Model for Open Standards (BOMOS) version 2. Programmabureau NOiV, The Hague, Netherlands.]</ref>

==Examples==
* The [CEA](/source/Consumer_Electronics_Association) organizes PlugFests for interoperability testing between [HDMI](/source/HDMI), [sink](/source/Sink_(computing)), and [repeater](/source/repeater) devices. 
* [VESA](/source/VESA) organizes PlugTests for [DisplayPort](/source/DisplayPort) device designers and vendors. 
* PlugTests organized for [USB](/source/USB) device vendors, and cable operators testing [DOCSIS](/source/DOCSIS) interoperability. 
* OpenDoc Society arranges [OpenDocument](/source/OpenDocument) [ODF Plugfest](/source/ODF_Plugfest)s in conjunction with industry associations including the [OpenForum Europe](/source/OpenForum_Europe), [OpenUK](/source/OpenUK) and the UK [Government Digital Service](/source/Government_Digital_Service)<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20141215204236/http://plugfest.opendocumentformat.org/2014-london/ 10th Plugfest hosted by the UK Cabinet Office December 2014]}}</ref>
* The [SCSI Trade Association](/source/SCSI_Trade_Association) organizes regular [Serial Attached SCSI](/source/Serial_Attached_SCSI) plugfests to test for early device interoperability.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scsita.org/sas-plugfest-program.html |title=SAS Plugfest Program |publisher=SCSI TA |accessdate=2015-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026212941/http://www.scsita.org/sas-plugfest-program.html |archive-date=2017-10-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The EEBUS Initiative e.V. organizes plugfests before releasing new use case specifications in order to test the practicability and robustness of device interoperability. The participants define in advance a set of cross-industry use cases, which they then implement and test for mutual interoperability (E.g., the electric vehicle communicates with the household energy management system in order to avoid load peaks).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/eebus-open-standard-plugfest/|title=EEBUS: A new open standard for the Internet of Things|website=[IBM](/source/IBM) |date=26 June 2017
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202224723/https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/eebus-open-standard-plugfest/
 |archive-date=2 December 2022
}}</ref>
* O-RAN ALLIANCE e.V. Global PlugFests provide a global platform for [Radio Access Network (RAN)](/source/Radio_access_network) equipment manufacturers, service providers, universities, and research institutions to test, integrate, and validate technology and solutions for open and intelligent RAN, based on O-RAN ALLIANCE specifications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PlugFests and Proofs of Concept |url=https://www.o-ran.org/plugfest |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=www.o-ran.org}}</ref>

==References==
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Category:Electrical safety

{{Electronics-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Plugtest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plugtest) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plugtest?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.