Data processing: structural design – modeling – simulation – and em – Simulating electronic device or electrical system – Target device
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-09
2001-01-09
Teska, Kevin J. (Department: 2763)
Data processing: structural design, modeling, simulation, and em
Simulating electronic device or electrical system
Target device
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173244
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to telecommunication systems and particularly to systems and methods for testing telecommunication systems.
Current telecommunication systems are composed of large networks with system topologies having a multitude of processors at the central offices, switches, and adjunct systems of the networks. Within these network system topologies, a central office maintains control over a network area of a telecommunication system. Within the network area, there are numerous switches that process incoming and outgoing calls. These switches are located at both the central office and in the field, physically outside the central office boundaries. All of the switches are part of the network area controlled by the central office. An example of such a switch is included in an adjunct system, which is located within or outside of a central office and contains a processor and the necessary components to process a call. An adjunct system assists a corresponding switch by assuming some of the processing duty of the switch.
As communications systems continue to grow worldwide so does the need to test and analyze adjunct systems and switches associated with the development and maintenance of the communication systems. There are practical problems associated with testing and analyzing adjunct systems and switches. For example, present methods and tools for testing and analyzing adjunct systems and switches do not provide the comprehensive data or the needed access to the adjunct systems and switches. Furthermore, adjunct systems and switches are developed in a closed environment and built in an isolated network system topology with limited access to the internal functional components of the adjunct systems and switches. As a result, detailed knowledge of the hardware and software states is not directly available to those who perform the testing and analysis.
Because current test methods and tools are not integrated with the adjunct systems and switches, test systems need to be sophisticated, and in some cases more sophisticated than the adjunct systems and switches under test. Additionally, developers are frequently required to send special software and hardware equipment and products to a field site to gather essential information to perform a desired test. In view of the foregoing, the present methods and tools do not provide an adequate means for performing testing of adjunct systems and switches in real time.
Therefore, there is a need in telecommunication systems for a system and method that is integrated with adjunct systems and switches for performing in real time testing of the adjunct systems and switches.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This need is met by the system and method in accordance with the invention wherein the system and method for testing is integrated with a test system.
Another aspect of the invention provides for simulating a test telephone call to one of a plurality of switch systems selected to be under test and gathering simulated call processing event data associated with processing of a simulated test telephone call by the system under test for testing analysis. The provision for simulation includes another one of the plurality of switch systems of the telecommunication network and a test controller. The test controller controls the other one of the switch systems to simulate a telephone call to the system under test and includes communicating with the other switch system to cause the other switch system to react the same as if an actual call had entered the other switch system for forwarding through the system under test.
A further aspect of the invention provides for monitoring actual telephone calls being processed by the system under test and storing actual call processing event data associated with the actual telephone calls being monitored. The simulation includes a test controller for correlating the simulated call processing event data with the actual call processing event data to determine the nature of a call failure.
In yet another aspect of the invention the simulation is part of a test controller that includes a controller processor for analyzing the simulated call processing event data and the gathering of simulated call processing event data includes a relatively high speed interface card with a processor interfaced with the computer of the system under test through a computer bus interface for gathering the simulated call processing event data on a real time basis. A relatively high speed interface communicates with the test controller to convey the simulated call processing event data to the controller computer on a real time basis.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
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Oka, Transmission Line Simulation for Testing ISDN Devices, May 1989, pp. 87-94.*
Fiul Dan
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Teska Kevin J.
LandOfFree
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