Design And Implementaion Of A Graphical Description Tool For Multi-Point Concurrent Router Testing

The general background of this MSc disertaion is performance evaluation techniques for routers, switches, and subnetworks and the disertaion is concerned with development of a graphical description tool for a Distributed Coordinated Multi-point Concurrent Test System (DCMC-TS). The ISO 9646 defined two conformance test methods for OSI Relay systems, i.e. LTM (Loop-back Test Method) and TTM (Transverse Test Method), catered for conformance testing of routers or switches with a single or two observation point(s) only. However, to evaluate performance of routers, switches, and subnetworks with multiple observable points, a new method is needed to emulate their operation environment and to control the test process at all these points simultaneously. For the very reason, SC-Netcom Lab (Sichuan Network Communication Technology Key Laboratory) has introduced a test method called CMC-TTM (Coordinated Multi-Point Concurrent Transverse Test Method). Implementation of CMC-TTM has evolved the DCMC-TS.The DCMC-TS is a two-tier system, where a Coordinated Multi-Point Concurrent Test Manager (CMC-TM) at the top level is networked with multiple Direct Test Controllers (DTCs). CMC-TM uses MPT-CMP (Multi-Point Testing Coordination Management Protocol) to control DTCs coordinately. DTC observes and controls the router or subnetwork under test via relevant ports.For coordinated multi-point testing, CMC-TM must be able:a) to describe the configuration of the test system, assign test suite/cases including test data before testing; b) to define coordination between DTCs, collect test results from DTCs for display in test execution and for storage for generation of test report; and c) to select the next test case manually or automatically after a test case execution. There are at least two ways to fulfill the task:to define a test decription language or to develop a graphical description tool (GDT). The author decided to develop a GDT to ease test case description.Preliminary test experiments have shown that author's GDT-MPC (Graphical Description Tool for Multi-point Concurrent Test) is not only able to graphically configure the CMC-TM and DTCs, but also able to describe, observe, and display the test execution process. The results have also shown that the pototype GDT-MPC has satisfied the design goals. The accomplishment of GDT-MPC provides a tool for test operators to carry out muli-point concurrent test experiments and paves the way for improvement and optimization of the prototype of DCMC-TS.