Quality of service testing of communications networks
First Claim
1. A method of testing packet prioritization in a data network, comprising the steps of:
- transmitting a stream of data packets over said network from a sender toward a receiver, wherein said stream is formed of a sequence of high priority packets and low priority packets in a predetermined sending order;
receiving said stream at said receiver;
determining a difference between a receiving order of packet arrival at said receiver of said high priority packets and said low priority packets in said stream relative to said sending order; and
responsively to said difference, evaluating performance of said packet prioritization in said network.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Network testing is conducted using a pair of traffic agents that acts as sender and receiver endpoints. The sending traffic agent generates and transmits a stream of packet batches, each batch being composed of high and low priority packets in a predetermined sending order. The receiving traffic agent analyzes the order of packet arrival in the stream relative to the sending order, and returns results to a traffic control module. Path speed and the priority classification of the traffic are parameters used to configure the tests. The tests are typically run periodically under different load conditions in order to evaluate the effects of other traffic being concurrently transiting the network.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of testing packet prioritization in a data network, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a stream of data packets over said network from a sender toward a receiver, wherein said stream is formed of a sequence of high priority packets and low priority packets in a predetermined sending order;
receiving said stream at said receiver;
determining a difference between a receiving order of packet arrival at said receiver of said high priority packets and said low priority packets in said stream relative to said sending order; and
responsively to said difference, evaluating performance of said packet prioritization in said network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A computer software product, including a computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for testing packet prioritization in a data network, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting a stream of data packets over said network from a sender toward a receiver, wherein said stream is formed of a sequence of high priority packets and low priority packets in a predetermined sending order;
receiving said stream at said receiver;
determining a difference between a receiving order of packet arrival at said receiver of said high priority packets and said low priority packets in said stream relative to said sending order; and
responsively to said difference, evaluating performance of said packet prioritization in said network. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for testing packet prioritization in a data network, comprising:
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a sending traffic agent and a receiving traffic agent, which are respectively coupled to a sender endpoint and a receiver endpoint of a path through the network; and
a testing center coupled to said receiving traffic agent and to said sending traffic agent, said testing center being operative to instruct said sending traffic agent to transmit a stream of data packets to said receiving traffic agent, wherein said stream is formed of a sequence of high priority packets and low priority packets in a predetermined sending order, said stream being received by said receiving traffic agent, said receiving traffic agent being operative for determining an order of packet arrival at said receiver endpoint of said high priority packets and said low priority packets in said stream and for calculating responsively to said order of packet arrival a difference between a receiving order of packet arrival at said receiver endpoint of said high priority packets and said low priority packets in said stream relative to said sending order that represents a quality of said packet prioritization in said network. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification