test_linuxaudio:

    read the header from the .au file and do a sanity check
    pass only the data to the audio device
    call flush() so that program does not exit until playback is complete
    call all the other methods to verify that they work minimally
    call setparameters with a bunch of bugs arguments

linuxaudiodev.c:
    use explicit O_WRONLY and O_RDONLY instead of 1 and 0
    add a string name to each of the entries in audio_types[]
    add AFMT_A_LAW to the list of known formats
    add x_mode attribute to lad object, stores imode from open call
    test ioctl return value as == -1, not < 0
    in read() method, resize string before return
    add getptr() method, that calls does ioctl on GETIPTR or GETOPTR
        depending on x_mode
    in setparameters() method, do better error checking and raise
        ValueErrors; also use ioctl calls recommended by Open Sound
        System Programmer's Guido (www.opensound.com)
    use PyModule_AddXXX to define names in module

Lib/test/output/test_linuxaudiodev

 test_linuxaudiodev
+expected rate >= 0, not -1
+expected sample size >= 0, not -2
+nchannels must be 1 or 2, not 3
+unknown audio encoding: 177
+sample size 16 expected for Little-endian 16-bit unsigned format: 8 received
+sample size 8 expected for Logarithmic mu-law audio: 16 received

Lib/test/test_linuxaudiodev.py

 from test_support import verbose, findfile, TestFailed, TestSkipped
-import linuxaudiodev
+
 import errno
+import fcntl
+import linuxaudiodev
 import os
+import select
+import sunaudio
+import time
+
+SND_FORMAT_MULAW_8 = 1
 
 def play_sound_file(path):
     fp = open(path, 'r')
+    size, enc, rate, nchannels, extra = sunaudio.gethdr(fp)
     data = fp.read()
     fp.close()
+
+    if enc != SND_FORMAT_MULAW_8:
+        print "Expect .au file with 8-bit mu-law samples"
+        return
+
     try:
         a = linuxaudiodev.open('w')
     except linuxaudiodev.error, msg:
         if msg[0] in (errno.EACCES, errno.ENODEV):
             raise TestSkipped, msg
         raise TestFailed, msg
-    else:
-        a.write(data)
-        a.close()
+
+    # at least check that these methods can be invoked
+    a.bufsize()
+    a.obufcount()
+    a.obuffree()
+    a.getptr()
+    a.fileno()
+
+    # set parameters based on .au file headers
+    a.setparameters(rate, 8, nchannels, linuxaudiodev.AFMT_MU_LAW, 1)
+    a.write(data)
+    a.flush()
+    a.close()
+
+def test_errors():
+    a = linuxaudiodev.open("w")
+    size = 8
+    fmt = linuxaudiodev.AFMT_U8
+    rate = 8000
+    nchannels = 1
+    try:
+        a.setparameters(-1, size, nchannels, fmt)
+    except ValueError, msg:
+        print msg
+    try:
+        a.setparameters(rate, -2, nchannels, fmt)
+    except ValueError, msg:
+        print msg
+    try:
+        a.setparameters(rate, size, 3, fmt)
+    except ValueError, msg:
+        print msg
+    try:
+        a.setparameters(rate, size, nchannels, 177)
+    except ValueError, msg:
+        print msg
+    try:
+        a.setparameters(rate, size, nchannels, linuxaudiodev.AFMT_U16_LE)
+    except ValueError, msg:
+        print msg
+    try:
+        a.setparameters(rate, 16, nchannels, fmt)
+    except ValueError, msg:
+        print msg
 
 def test():
     play_sound_file(findfile('audiotest.au'))
+    test_errors()
 
 test()