Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer network managing – Computer network monitoring
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-02-13
Maung, Zarni (Department: 2758)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer network managing
Computer network monitoring
C709S225000, C709S229000, C703S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189031
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communication systems and in particular to a communications test system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for emulating a signaling point for testing a telecommunications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Testing telecommunication services can be a laborious and time consuming task. This is especially true in today's environment where a wide variety of new telecommunication services are being rapidly deployed. In addition, the increased use of intelligent network elements including automation devices such as audio response units (ARUs), and intelligent switches, such as automatic call distributors, complicate the task of testing new telecommunication services. Telecommunication services are typically tested and re-tested at various stages throughout the development process.
For example, as new services are being developed they are typically modified and refined. The modifications are generally based on several factors including marketing studies, customer feedback, hardware and software design changes, and network element changes. To implement such modifications during the development cycle, product development organizations modify the software that drives the various network elements used to support the new service. The modified software versions are then released to testing organizations that are responsible for verifying the functionality and performance of the new service. Accordingly, during a typical product development cycle, many different software versions may be released to the testing organizations as the features and functions of the new service evolve.
Thus, testing organizations typically perform many iterations of various test activities to verify that new services operate as designed and do not adversely affect existing telecommunication services. The dynamic nature of the development of new services, and the time-to-market pressures imposed upon the telecommunications industry, drive the need for timely and efficient test procedures.
Often these requirements are met by automating test procedures. Once test cases are automated they can be repeated with minimal effort. This automation facilitates regression testing, which verifies common features among different software versions. In addition, automated test cases are generally more reliable than manual test cases due to the reduction of human factor errors. Further, automated test systems are more efficient and reliable because they execute test cases repeatedly in exactly the same manner.
However, in order to gain the maximum benefit from automation, test cases must be designed for execution without human interaction. This not only reduces test staff requirements, but also enables one to run test cases continuously during the day or night. In order for test cases to run unattended, they must be able to verify the correct operation of telecommunication services and they must be able to detect errors when they occur. Typically, test cases are designed to accomplish this by dynamically comparing the test case results against predefined expected results. Alternatively, test cases can be programmed to generate test result logs or the like, which can be analyzed at a later time.
In addition, in order for test cases to run unattended, the telecommunication service under test must not require human interaction. For example, telecommunication services such as voice mail systems, automated collect call services and the like, generally require human interaction. Human interaction can be in the form of speech and/or telephone keypad input. As such, testing these types of telecommunication services are conventionally performed manually.
Another difficulty arises when testing telecommunication services that include the use of manual operators. Typically such services involve human operators interacting with customers from manual operator consoles. The very nature of such human interaction makes the testing of such service inherently difficult to automate. Thus, these types of services are also conventionally tested manually. Moreover, today's hardware is increasingly dependent upon and tightly coupled with software that enables many of the features that consumer's demand. As the software and hardware are joined, the complexity of the software components and the difficulty of testing the union of the software and the hardware have increased in complexity.
Former software and hardware development tools included editors, debuggers and a lot of programmer sweat time. With the complexity of modem software and hardware, and the many possible scenarios that must be tested to assure proper system function, it is necessary to replace older, primitive tools with a testing system that is flexible and capable of testing many, diverse permutations of software enabled hardware features.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing problems are overcome in an illustrative embodiment of the invention in which a system for testing various network elements/entities and processes in a telecommunications network is provided. A network under test contains network entities which save data to a common database that is associated with processing particular test cases. A server correlates database data from the network under test and compares it to anticipated test case results. A disposition of the test cases is determined. Various elements of the invention interface appropriately, and process accordingly, to accomplish the testing and test result(s) disposition that include intelligent network elements such as automated response units, and manual network elements such as manual operator consoles. The test system can be used to test services in an automated fashion that have traditionally been very difficult or impossible to automate due to the requirement of human interaction.
The system of the preferred embodiment comprises a means for communication between a test call controller and one or more Intelligent Service Platforms within an Intelligent Services Network (ISN), such as Operator Network Centers (ONCs), and the like. ONCs are used to provide human and automated operator services to customers through the use of manual operator consoles, and Audio Response Units (ARU)s. The test system of the preferred embodiment provides two way communications between the network elements within ONCs and the test call controller. The communication means is used to facilitate automation of test calls for products that use such operator services.
For example, the communication means of the preferred embodiment can be used to send keystrokes to a manual operator console. The keystrokes sent during a test call are received by the manual operator console and used as input to the console. In this manner, the controller emulates a live operator typing on an operator console.
Similarly, the communication means of the preferred embodiment can be used to send status information from the manual operator console to the controller. In this manner, the controller receives the same information as a live operator would receive from the console's display screen. This includes caller information, such as a caller's name or the called number, as well as signaling information such as call ringing, call answering, etc.
In a similar fashion, the controller of the preferred embodiment receives status information from ARUs. Such information includes for example the identification of a particular vocal script that is being played to a caller, or status information such as call received and call ringing messages. In a preferred embodiment, the communication means comprises a message protocol such as the User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDP/IP). Both the controller of the preferred embodiment and each element within the ONC contain UDP/IP communication components.
A preferred embodiment also comprises a test call generator used to generate test calls in the communication network. The controllers operate in
Badger Brian
Liese William
Newman Craig
Maung Zarni
MCI Communications Corporation
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