WLAN testing using an RF abstraction layer
First Claim
1. An electronic device, comprising:
- a network interface circuit;
a processor coupled to the network interface circuit; and
a memory, coupled to the processor, storing program instructions configured to be executed by the processor, wherein, when executed by the processor, the program instructions cause the electronic device to perform one or more operations comprising;
encapsulating, without regard to a type of MPDU, a first media access control (MAC) layer protocol data unit (MPDU) compatible with a wireless physical layer communication protocol and adding additional information that characterizes transmission of the first MPDU through a modeled radio-frequency environment into a second MPDU compatible with a wired medium communication protocol; and
communicating, from the network interface circuit, the second MPDU intended for one or more virtual electronic devices using the wired medium communication protocol, wherein the one or more virtual electronic devices are simulated during testing.
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Abstract
A technique for testing wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) infrastructure is described. In particular, a radio-frequency abstraction layer (RFAL) in a physical instance of an electronic device is used to simulate the physical layer communication hardware and radio channels. RFAL allows frames in initial packets that are compatible with a WLAN communication protocol (such as an IEEE 802.11 standard) to be encapsulated in the data-link layer into additional packets that are compatible with a network communication protocol (such as an IEEE 802.3 standard). These additional packets can include information that characterizes transmission of the packet through a simulated radio-frequency environment so that the software stack associated with a physical or virtual instance of an electronic device can be exercised as if the packet had been received over a wireless connection. Then, the additional packets can be communicated via Ethernet (i.e., without radio-frequency communication) among virtual instances of access points, clients and/or WLAN controllers.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An electronic device, comprising:
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a network interface circuit; a processor coupled to the network interface circuit; and a memory, coupled to the processor, storing program instructions configured to be executed by the processor, wherein, when executed by the processor, the program instructions cause the electronic device to perform one or more operations comprising; encapsulating, without regard to a type of MPDU, a first media access control (MAC) layer protocol data unit (MPDU) compatible with a wireless physical layer communication protocol and adding additional information that characterizes transmission of the first MPDU through a modeled radio-frequency environment into a second MPDU compatible with a wired medium communication protocol; and communicating, from the network interface circuit, the second MPDU intended for one or more virtual electronic devices using the wired medium communication protocol, wherein the one or more virtual electronic devices are simulated during testing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with an electronic device, the computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein, when executed by the electronic device, the program instructions cause the electronic device to encapsulate a first media access control (MAC) layer protocol data unit (MPDU) by performing one or more operations comprising:
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encapsulating, without regard to a type of MPDU, the first MPDU compatible with a wireless physical layer communication protocol and adding additional information that characterizes transmission of the first MPDU through a modeled radio-frequency environment into a second MPDU compatible with a wired medium communication protocol; and communicating, from the network interface circuit, the second MPDU intended for one or more virtual electronic devices using the wired medium communication protocol, wherein the one or more virtual electronic devices are simulated during testing. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for communicating a second media access control (MAC) layer protocol data unit (MPDU), comprising:
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by an electronic device; encapsulating, without regard to a type of MPDU, the first MPDU compatible with a wireless physical layer communication protocol and adding additional information that characterizes transmission of a first MPDU through a modeled radio-frequency environment into a second MPDU compatible with a wired medium communication protocol; and communicating, via a network interface circuit, the second MPDU to intended for one or more virtual electronic devices using the wired medium communication protocol, wherein the one or more virtual electronic devices are simulated during testing. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification