Patent ID: 7840664

Claim:
A system to automatically generate outgoing network traffic based on observed production network traffic, the system comprising at least one network card, the network card including at least one processor and memory, the system further comprising: a data collector to automatically capture production network traffic and to compile network traffic data based on the captured production network traffic, the network traffic data including: distribution data comprising at least one of protocol distribution data, length distribution data, and transaction distribution data; header information comprising at least one of a group of most common addresses, a group of most common ports, and most common header data; and payload data a characterization engine to receive the production network traffic and the network traffic data from the data collector and to automatically prepare network traffic characterization data based on the production network traffic and the network traffic data, the network traffic characterization data including at least two of statistical indicators, a traffic model and traffic profile data, a feedback unit included in the characterization engine, the feedback unit to communicate with the data collector to automatically adjust the network traffic data compiled based on earlier captured production network traffic including successively refining the network traffic data compiled a script generator to receive the network traffic characterization data from the characterization engine and to automatically prepare a plurality of scripts based on the network traffic characterization data, each of the scripts associated with a type of network traffic modeled in the network traffic characterization data a traffic generator to automatically generate test network traffic based on the scripts, including multiplexing in the test network traffic groupings of data units, each grouping representing the type of network traffic specified in the scripts wherein the data collector, the characterization engine, the script generator and the traffic generator operate automatically without human intervention a manager coupled with at least the data collector and the characterization engine, the manager to obtain statistical data from at least one of the data collector and the characterization engine and to provide an interface to allow a user to view information about the captured network traffic, including providing at least one of reports, log files, charts, and graphs showing at least one of the network traffic characterization data and the statistical data.