Network testing and monitoring systems
First Claim
1. A digital mobile communications network, the network comprising:
- a communications network infrastructure, the infrastructure having a plurality of elements, including a plurality of radio communications base stations to communicate with a plurality of mobile communications devices, and having interfaces between said elements; and
a plurality of mobile communications devices for radio communications with said base stations;
communications between a said mobile communications devices and said base stations, and signals on interfaces within the network infrastructure, comprising traffic and signalling data;
wherein at least one of the plurality of mobile communications devices includes a machine-readable memory storing code for controlling the device to;
collect data on at least one parameter associated with a first data communications session of said data communications device to provide measurement data;
establish a second data communications session for said mobile communications device;
combine a characteristic pattern with said measurement data;
send said measurement data with said characteristic pattern from said mobile communications device into said communications network infrastructure using said second data communications session;
whereby said measurement data is identifiable and retrievable by said characteristic pattern at said network infrastructure interface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of testing a digital mobile phone network such as a GPRS or 3G network comprises either using real traffic or creating test traffic using test mobile phone coupled to a computer, and using the computer to measure a parameter associated with the network'"'"'s response to the traffic. The measurements made by the computer are themselves sent as traffic to create one or more data streams within the mobile phone network comprising the traffic, measurements relating to the traffic, and signalling relating to the traffic, whereby this data stream or these streams can be captured at interface points within the network and analysed to investigate the functioning of the network dynamically as the network is exercised with the traffic. Software and test equipment for performing the method are also described.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A digital mobile communications network, the network comprising:
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a communications network infrastructure, the infrastructure having a plurality of elements, including a plurality of radio communications base stations to communicate with a plurality of mobile communications devices, and having interfaces between said elements; and
a plurality of mobile communications devices for radio communications with said base stations;
communications between a said mobile communications devices and said base stations, and signals on interfaces within the network infrastructure, comprising traffic and signalling data;
wherein at least one of the plurality of mobile communications devices includes a machine-readable memory storing code for controlling the device to;
collect data on at least one parameter associated with a first data communications session of said data communications device to provide measurement data;
establish a second data communications session for said mobile communications device;
combine a characteristic pattern with said measurement data;
send said measurement data with said characteristic pattern from said mobile communications device into said communications network infrastructure using said second data communications session;
whereby said measurement data is identifiable and retrievable by said characteristic pattern at said network infrastructure interface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A digital mobile communications device to communicate with a network that includes base stations, the device comprising:
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an output to communicate by radio communications with at least one base station and to produce signals comprising traffic and signalling data on interfaces within the network infrastructure;
wherein at least one of the plurality of mobile communications devices includes a machine-readable memory storing code for controlling the device to;
collect data on at least one parameter associated with a first data communications session of said data communications device to provide measurement data;
establish a second data communications session for said mobile communications device;
combine a characteristic pattern with said measurement data;
send said measurement data with said characteristic pattern from said mobile communications device into the communications network infrastructure using said second data communications session;
whereby said measurement data is identifiable and retrievable by said characteristic pattern at the interface.
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9. A machine readable medium comprising instructions to:
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collect data on at least one parameter associated with a first data communications session of a data communication device to provide measurement data;
establish a second data communications session for the mobile communication device;
combine a characteristic pattern with the measurement data; and
send the measurement data with the characteristic pattern from the mobile communications device into a communications network infrastructure using the second data communications session, wherein the measurement data is identifiable and retrievable by said characteristic pattern at an element of the network infrastructure interface. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A machine readable media carrying performance monitoring code to:
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input at least signaling data for a first data communications session of a mobile communications device from a first network infrastructure interface;
input measurement data from a second data communications session of the mobile communications device from a second network infrastructure interface;
correlate the signaling data for the first data communications session and the measurement data; and
output a result of correlating to provide performance information. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification