SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REPLICATION OF TEST RESULTS IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT

• US 20140026123A1
• Filed: 07/19/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Original Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Inventors: Dhanapal, Karthikeyan Balaji, Paul, Sanjoy, Siddaramappa, Harsha
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,266 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3664 Environments for testing or debugging software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0686 Additional information in the notification, e.g. enhancement of specific meta-data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage

Abstract

Systems and methods for replication of test results in a network environment are disclosed. Methods described may include recording network traffic in a first instance of a test case by a network emulator node emplaced in the network environment, recording a time at which a connection open at the network emulator node completes a communication task, and deriving an order of task completion for each extant open connection thereby, and detecting the occurrence of one or more events, such as a packet drop, a packet retransmission, or a packet delay, among other events. Replication, as described, additionally involves recording the nature of the event and identification information associated with the packet to which the event is detected to have occurred; and associating the one or more events with each of the packets recorded, on the basis of the identification information and event recording.

Claims

1. A method for replication of test results in a network environment, the method comprising:

recording, by a network management computing device, network traffic in a first instance of the test case, wherein network traffic comprises one or more data packets transmitted to the network management computing device by one or more remote nodes, and wherein the recording further comprises;

recording, by the network management computing device a time at which a connection open at the network management computing device completes a communication task, and deriving an order of task completion for each extant open connection thereby; and

detecting, by the network management computing device, the occurrence of one or more events, wherein the one or more events is one or more of a packet drop, a packet retransmission, a packet delay, a packet duplication, packet reordering, a change in the connection'"'"'s IP address, or a disruption in a radio link associated with the network management computing device;

recording, by the network management computing device, the nature of the event, and identification information associated with the packet to which the event is detected to have occurred; and

associating, by the network management computing device, the one or more recorded events with each of the packets in the incoming network traffic on the basis of the identification information.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the identification information comprises a one or more of a connection protocol, a packet count number, a sequence number of the packet, a size of the packet or a port number to which the packet is addressed, wherein the packet count number is relative to the temporal position of the packet counting from the start of the application traffic, and the sequence number is a measure of bytes passed before the arrival of the packet at the network management computing device.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the completion of a communication task is triggered on satisfying at least one of a connection closure condition or a connection idling condition wherein the connection is in an idle state for longer than a predefined threshold time.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising identifying, by the network management computing device, one or more packets to which the event is detected to have occurred.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4, further comprising replicating, by the network management computing device, the application traffic monitored in a second test case, wherein the replicating further comprises applying one or more events to one or more packets associated with each of the one or more events recorded.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5, further comprising detecting, by the network management computing device, a deviation in the network traffic in the second test case from the recorded network traffic.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising reporting, by the network management computing device, the deviation to a user.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising replicating, by the network management computing device, the network traffic monitored in a second test case, wherein the replicating further comprises

mapping, by the network management computing device, one or more packets in the second test case to one or more packets in the recorded network traffic;

and

applying, by the network management computing device, one or more events to the mapped one or more packets in the second test case.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein one or more packets are selected for the application of one or more events by establishing a relationship between the one or more packets and at least one corresponding packet in the recorded network traffic.

10. A network management computing device comprising:

a processor;

a memory, wherein the memory coupled to the processor which are configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory comprising;

recording, network traffic in a first instance of the test case, wherein network traffic comprises one or more data packets transmitted to a network management computing device by one or more remote nodes, and wherein the recording further comprises;

recording, a time at which a connection open at the network management computing device completes a communication task, and deriving an order of task completion for each extant open connection thereby; and

detecting, the occurrence of one or more events, wherein the one or more events is one or more of a packet drop, a packet retransmission, a packet delay, a packet duplication, packet reordering, a change in the connection'"'"'s IP address, or a disruption in a radio link associated with the network management computing device;

recording, the nature of the event, and identification information associated with the packet to which the event is detected to have occurred; and

associating, the one or more recorded events with each of the packets in the incoming network traffic on the basis of the identification information.

11. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the identification information comprises a one or more of a connection protocol, a packet count number, a sequence number of the packet, a size of the packet or a port number to which the packet is addressed, wherein the packet count number is relative to the temporal position of the packet counting from the start of the application traffic, and the sequence number is a measure of bytes passed before the arrival of the packet at the network management computing device.

12. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the completion of a communication task is triggered on satisfying at least one of a connection closure condition or a connection idling condition wherein the connection is in an idle state for longer than a predefined threshold time.

13. The device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising identifying one or more packets to which the event is detected to have occurred.

14. The device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising replicating, the application traffic monitored in a second test case, wherein the replicating further comprises applying one or more events to one or more packets associated with each of the one or more events recorded.

15. The device as set forth in claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising detecting, a deviation in the network traffic in the second test case from the recorded network traffic.

16. The device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising reporting, the deviation to a user.

17. The device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory further comprising replicating, the network traffic monitored in a second test case, wherein the replicating further comprises

mapping, one or more packets in the second test case to one or more packets in the recorded network traffic;

and

applying, one or more events to the mapped one or more packets in the second test case.

18. The device as set forth in claim 17, wherein one or more packets are selected for the application of one or more events by establishing a relationship between the one or more packets and at least one corresponding packet in the recorded network traffic.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for replication of test results in a network environment comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

recording, network traffic in a first instance of the test case, wherein network traffic comprises one or more data packets transmitted to a network management computing device by one or more remote nodes, and wherein the recording further comprises;

recording, a time at which a connection open at the network management computing device completes a communication task, and deriving an order of task completion for each extant open connection thereby; and

detecting, the occurrence of one or more events, wherein the one or more events is one or more of a packet drop, a packet retransmission, a packet delay, a packet duplication, packet reordering, a change in the connection'"'"'s IP address, or a disruption in a radio link associated with the network management computing device;

recording, the nature of the event, and identification information associated with the packet to which the event is detected to have occurred; and

associating, the one or more recorded events with each of the packets in the incoming network traffic on the basis of the identification information.