Data processing: structural design – modeling – simulation – and em – Emulation
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-09
2001-09-25
Teska, Kevin J. (Department: 2123)
Data processing: structural design, modeling, simulation, and em
Emulation
C703S013000, C709S220000, C709S223000, C709S227000, C712S208000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06295518
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to emulation of telecommunication network devices (TNDs) and, more particularly, to a system, method and computer program product for emulating independent activities performed by multiple network devices in a telecommunications network to allow testing of a telecommunications control system.
RELATED ART
Telecommunication networks serve to transport information among a number of locations. The information can be frequency-domain or time-domain electrical signals representing any combination of telephony, video, or computer data in a variety of analog and/or digital formats. A typical telecommunication network has various physical sites, called nodes, interconnected by information conduits, called “links.” Each link serves to carry data from one node to another node. Individual nodes contain telecommunication network devices (TNDs) for combining, separating, transforming, conditioning, multiplexing/de-multiplexing, and/or routing data.
TNDs can include switching devices such as digital cross-connect switches (DXCs). DXCs are often provided at sites or nodes to switch traffic, electrically or optically, to provide alternative links to alleviate congestion, avoid a link failure, or fulfill any other network configuration or restoration order.
Telecommunication networks typically employ external computer systems or control systems for provisioning and control of network devices. For example, a control system can provision ANI tables with ANIs, ANI indices, or other parameters to implement ANI screening capabilities. A control system can also provision tables for implementing various call processing functions or ad-hoc routing. For example, if a planned special event is known to have traffic impacts, such as a telemarketing promotion targeting a specific city, a control system can provision certain switches to temporarily reroute traffic to circumvent corresponding traffic impacts. After the special event is over, the system can instruct the switches to restore the original routing. A control system can also be responsible for testing for link and node failures and for rerouting traffic in the event of a failure.
The role of a control system in a communication network for network management become even more vital as networks grow in size, complexity, and data capacity. Traffic on a single link through a digital cross-connect switch represents a formidable volume of data, possibly equivalent to tens of thousands of phone calls or more. Any delay or failure by an control system to detect and respond to a link-failure can cause a significant loss in revenues for a network owner and loss of commerce and other benefits for the network subscribers. Demand for temporary dedicated lines continues to escalate as telecommunications customers send greater amounts of electronic data more often.
It is, therefore increasingly important that a control system be fully tested before it is relied upon to serve a communication network. Thorough testing should include functionality, stability, and stress testing.
In order to adequately test a control system, a system, method and computer program product for simulating telecommunication network devices is needed. Simulation should include emulation of network device functionality in the context of receiving commands and data from a control system and formulating intelligent responses. Simulation should also include emulation of intelligent device processing. Intelligent processing comprises performance of certain tasks such as database manipulation and formulation of responses to commands. Simulation should also include emulation of the volumes of message processing that is typically carried out by a network.
A TND emulator should employ a multi-tasking controller so that multiple network tasks can be emulated essentially simultaneously, thus more realistically emulating a true network.
A network emulator should also employ script-based responses and databases containing the same or similar data as contained in databases of actual networks. Script-based responses to control system inputs provide more realistic responses because they can employ logic and actual databases employed by an actual network. Because script-based responses can take longer to execute than simple non-script responses, an emulator should also employ simple non-script responses for cases where simple responses suffice.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a system, method and computer program product for emulating a telecommunications network by simultaneously emulating multiple independent activities normally performed by multiple network devices in a telecommunications network.
The present invention can be used to emulate digital matrix switches as those found in MCI networks. The present invention provides both script and non-script responses to a control system. Script responses preferably work in conjunction with databases that contain data from actual network devices to generate more realistic responses. In addition, the system, method and computer program product preferably employ a simulated multi-tasking controller to perform internal processes substantially in parallel.
In one embodiment, a TND emulator includes a network interface for communicating with a control system, a user interface for accepting user input and for providing user output, a command response manager for reading control system commands and for formulating intelligent responses, a script interpreter for executing scripts, a script database containing data from actual network devices for use by the scripts, a database manager for performing database functions and a multi-tasking system manager for controlling these logical components and for interacting with an operating system of a host computer to provide for invoking and terminating various processes.
The present invention can run on a standard PC. The present invention emulates the communications protocol of TNDs via the network interface module. Preferably, the network interface module communicates with a control system via an X.25 interface. Preferably, the control system utilizes Message Transfer Protocol (MTP) over an X.25 network. Other communications protocols can be employed as well.
The present invention can be coupled to one or more ports of a control system for simulating one or more networks simultaneously. Commands are received from the control system via the network interface and are then processed in the command response manager. The command response manager generates responses substantially similar to responses that would be expected if those commands were sent to actual networks.
The command response manager can employ one or more command response tables to generate responses. Command response tables provide multiple levels of logical responses. In one embodiment, a command response table provides up to three levels of responses, including simple, unintelligent responses, simple command-based responses and detailed logical responses.
In one embodiment, detailed logical responses are provided by one or more scripts that are invoked by an instruction in the command response table. In executing a script, a script database file can be accessed to obtain actual data used by an actual network device. Such data is employed by the scripts to generate more realistic responses to the control system.
The present invention can use a multi-tasking routine to emulate multiple network devices working in parallel. The multi-tasking routine permits a processor to switch between processing tasks for the user interface, the network interface, the command response manager and the database manager. In one embodiment, the multi-tasking system is a hybrid preemptive and cooperative multi-tasking system that executes a number of logical units of computer instructions for a first task before switching to processing of a second task.
The TND emulator can employ command control vectors for controlling system resources. Command control vectors permit multiple responses to be gener
Curnell Damon
McLain John V.
Broda Samuel
MCI Communications Corporation
Teska Kevin J.
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