A method and system for performing diagnostics and validation operations on a device under test uses near natural language commands. A host machine controls the testing either locally or remotely, such as through the Internet. Various options for running a test or battery of tests on the device under test include entering commands through a prompt line on a graphical user interface, reading commands from a file, or manipulating graphical objects representing components or devices and operations on a graphical user interface. A script may serve as a metric to determine the successfulness of a test or battery of tests of the device under test.