Abstract:
A test system in a communication system provides for a simulation of a test telephone call to a switching system under test. A test controller is integrated with the system under test for simulating the telephone call to the system under test. A high speed interface card with a processor is interfaced with the computer on the system under test through a computer bus interface for gathering call processing event data, A high speed interface communicates with the test controller to convey the simulated call processing event data to the controller computer.

Description:
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. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a prior art system of testing of a system under test; 
     FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of test system of the present invention interfaced with a system under test; 
     FIG. 3 is a more detailed functional block diagram of the test system of the present invention interfaced with a system under; 
     FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the test system of the present invention interfaced with and a switch; 
     FIG. 5 is block diagram of a high speed interface card; and 
     FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps performed during the processing of a call event. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Turning now to the drawings and referring initially to FIG. 1, a functional block diagram is shown for the prior art of non-integrated system for testing an adjunct system or switch in a telecommunication system. A test system  18  is connected to a system under test (SUT)  19  through a test connection  20 . The SUT  19  is either an adjunct system or switch. The test system  18  includes a computer system for generating data for the test system  18 . 
     The SUT  19  includes hardware that creates a log file  21  and measurement data  22  which in combination with the test system  18  is used by test personnel to monitor the operation of the SUT  19 . However, the information from the log file  21  and measurement data  22  only gives the test personnel a limited idea of what is happening in the SUT  19  because the test system  18  is not integrated into the SUT  19 . 
     As a solution to the problem posed by the non-integration of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of a test system  23  in accordance for the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the test system  23  includes a test controller  24  and an integrated hardware and software device (IHSD)  30  is shown integrated into both the test controller  24  and a system under test (SUT)  28 . The IHSD  26  allows components of the SUT  28  to be accessible at the architectural stage to the test system  23 . Thus, the process of testing and analyzing the SUT  28  is automatic, comprehensive and complete at the test system  23 . 
     FIG. 3 shows a more detailed functional block diagram for the test system  23 . The IHSD  26  includes high-speed interface cards  32  and  34  connected through a high-speed interface connection  36 . Preferably, both high-speed interface cards  32  and  34  are identical and are circuit boards for selective insertion and removal. 
     The high-speed interface card  34  is located inside the SUT  28  and is controlled by the SUT interface software program  37 . The high-speed interface card  32  is located inside the test controller  24  and is controlled by the test controller interface software program  39 . 
     The SUT interface software program  37  is part of the IHSD  26  and is designed to allow the high-speed interface card  34  to communicate with the SUT  28  through the SUT system software program  38 . The test controller interface software program  39  is part of the IHSD  26  and is designed to allow the high-speed interface card  32  to communicate with the test controller  24  through the test controller software program  40 . 
     Both the SUT interface software program  37  and the test controller interface software  39  enable the SUT system software program  38  and the test controller software program  40  to access the functions resident on the high speed interface cards  32  and  34 . These resident functions allow the high speed interface cards  32  and  34  to control the posting and receiving of call events. 
     FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the present invention in conjunction with the test controller  24 , SUT  28 , and a switch  42 . The switch  42  is either a switch from the network area of the telecommunication system and located in either the central office or the field) or a test switch used in a laboratory for simulation purposes. The switch  42  is connected to the SUT  28  through connection  44  and the test controller  24  through a test interface  46 . 
     In FIG. 4, the switch  42  is used to facilitate the simulation of a call generated by the test controller  24 . Accordingly, the switch  42  enables the test controller  24  to test the SUT  28 . In a test mode, the test controller  24  interacts with the switch  42  as if an actual call is being made. The test interface  46  interfaces with the switch  42  such that the switch  42  reacts as if an actual call has entered the switch  42 . The resulting information processed by the switch  42  is then passed to the SUT  28  through connection  44 . 
     In the operation of the test system  23 , the test controller  24  originates a call on the test interface  46 . Then, using event data from the SUT  28 , the test controller  24  executes a call logic script that progresses the call through its various stages to the events re-posted by the SUT  28 . An example of a logic script is described later in this application. 
     This allows the test system  23  to determine the exact state and the respective data for all predefined call stages. In this way the test system  23  has comprehensive, and complete information verifying the proper functioning of the SUT  28 . Thus, this allows the system  20  to identify a call success from a call failure so that enough information is accumulated to understand the nature of a call failure so that the cause of the failure can be corrected. 
     In addition, in the event of failure of the SUT  28 , the test system  23  provides the data necessary to characterize the failure of the SUT  28  and identify the cause of the failure. More specifically, in the event of a failure of the SUT  28 , the test system  23  provides the data necessary to characterize the failure of the SUT  28  and identify the cause of the failure because the test system  23  is connected via the high speed interface cards  32  and  34  to the SUT  28  at a hardware level. Because of the limited information available in prior art testing identifying the cause of the event failure when the SUT  28  is under a call load is very difficult to achieve. 
     The implementation of this invention is the same if the SUT  28  is either an adjunct system or a switch. When the SUT  28  is an adjunct system, the test system  23  simulates a condition where the switch  42  is off loading some of its call processing to the adjunct system. When the SUT  28  is a switch, the test system  23  is simulating the processing of a call by multiple switches. In this later case, the switch is used as the SUT  28  and is made to react to a simulated call on the switch  42 . 
     FIG. 5 shows a block diagram for the high-speed interface card  32 , which is a card that plugs into the test system  23 . The high-speed interface card  32  has a central processing unit (CPU)  52 , a high-speed interface  50 , a large storage device such as random access memory (RAM)  54 , a voice interface  56 , and a computer BUS interface  58 . 
     The high-speed interface  50  is connected to a high-speed interface  59  of the high-speed interface card  34  in the SUT  28  through the high-speed interface connection  36 . It allows the data obtained from the SUT  28  to be accessed by the CPU  52  and stored in a large RAM  54  for processing. 
     Once the CPU  52  has completed its processing of the data stored in RAM  54 , the CPU  52  sends the processed data to the test system  23  through the high speed interface  50 . The voice interface  56  is used to extract any voice data required or other digital type of communication from the SUT  28  for the test controller  24 . The computer BUS interface  58  is used to give the computer system in the test controller  24  control over the high-speed interface card  32  through the test system software program  40  and transmit SUT  28  calls to the high speed interface card  32 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of a method for the operation of the present invention. The method starts at step  59 . Then, in the first step  60 , the SUT  28  receives a call. The data from this call is defined as call processing event data. The test system  23  then determines, in step  62 , if the SUT  28  is in a data mode  64  or a test mode  66 . If the test system  23  is in a data mode at step  64 , the test system  23  acts in a passive manner monitoring actual calls. In step  68  the data from these call processing events is saved in a storage device (such as a large hard disk) on the test system  23 , and the method ends at step  69 . 
     If instead, the test system  23  is in a test mode at step  66 , the test controller  24  simulates a call, the resulting call processing event data is then correlated, in step  70 , with previous call processing event data. In step  72 , the test controller  24  uses script logic software to determine the next action for the test controller  24 , and the method ends at step  73 . 
     Step  72  is accomplished with a script logic software program that has knowledge of a call scenario and all its call states and insures that the call progresses through its call states such that the call completed the call scenario successfully. A call scenario describes the many call states or steps that a call goes through in a telecommunication system. As an example of the steps or call states of a scenario of a call from an outgoing call from a calling telecommunication station to called telecommunication station: 1) the calling telecommunication station goes off hook; 2) the telecommunication system recognizes the off hook status; 3) a tone is entered at the calling telecommunication station corresponding to the identification number of the called telecommunication station; 4) the telecommunication station converts the tone to a digital data signal; 5) the telecommunication station associates the digital data signal with the identification number of the called telecommunication station; 6) the telecommunication system connects the calling telecommunication station with the called telecommunication station; 7) the called station responds to the call of the calling telecommunication station; 8) communication between the calling telecommunication station and the called telecommunication station occurs; and 9) the connection is terminated by either the calling telecommunication station or called telecommunication system going off hook. 
     While the specification in this invention is described in relation to certain implementations or embodiments, many details are set forth for the purpose of illustration. Thus, the foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the invention. For example, this invention may have other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described arrangements are illustrative and not restrictive. To those skilled in the art, the invention is susceptible to additional implementations or embodiments and certain of the details described in this application can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are thus within its spirit and scope.