METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER READABLE MEDIA FOR TESTING NETWORK EQUIPMENT DEVICES USING CONNECTIONLESS PROTOCOLS

• US 20170272352A1
• Filed: 03/22/2016
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keysight Technologies Singapore (Holdings) Pte. Limited. (Keysight Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ixia (Keysight Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Badea, Alexandru, Bulboaca, Radu, Filipescu, Emilian-Mihai, Ionescu, Marius-Gabriel
• Granted Patent: US 10,178,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/256 NAT traversal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]

Abstract

The subject matter described herein relates to methods, systems, and computer readable media for testing network equipment devices using connectionless protocols. In some examples, a method for testing a network equipment device under test (DUT) includes transmitting a first message using a connectionless protocol for a network flow to the network equipment DUT according to a test script. The method includes storing a record for the network flow including a first flow identifier for the flow based on a first payload of the first message. The method includes receiving a second message from the network equipment DUT and determining that the second message belongs to the network flow by determining a second flow identifier based on a second payload of the second message and matching the second flow identifier to the first flow identifier.

Claims

1. A system for testing a network equipment device under test (DUT), the system comprising:

a network equipment test device including at least one processor and configured to execute a test script to test the network equipment DUT by sending network traffic to and receiving network traffic from the network equipment DUT using a connectionless protocol;

a test message generator implemented on the network equipment test device and configured for transmitting a first message using the connectionless protocol for a network flow to the network equipment DUT according to the test script and for storing a record for the network flow including a first flow identifier for the network flow based on a first payload of the first message; and

a test analyzer implemented on the network equipment test device and configured for receiving a second message from the network equipment DUT and determining that the second message belongs to the network flow by determining a second flow identifier based on a second payload of the second message and matching the second flow identifier to the first flow identifier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein storing the record for the network flow comprises determining the first flow identifier by hashing the first payload of the first message and adding the record and the first flow identifier to a flow map table, and wherein matching the second flow identifier to the first flow identifier comprises using the flow map table.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the test message generator is configured for using the first flow identifier to index the flow map table, and wherein test analyzer is configured for determining the second flow identifier by hashing the second payload of the second message and searching the flow map table using the second flow identifier.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the network equipment DUT comprises a network address translation (NAT) device configured to translate an internet protocol (IP) address of the first message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the connectionless protocol is the user datagram protocol (UDP).

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the test analyzer is configured for capturing a flow tuple from the second message, adding the flow tuple to the record for the network flow in a flow map table, and determining that one or more subsequently received messages belong to the network flow using the flow tuple.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the test analyzer is configured for analyzing the subsequently received messages in accordance with the test script and producing a test report for the network equipment DUT based on analyzing the subsequently received messages.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the test analyzer is configured for initiating a different flow for an application protocol where the network equipment DUT will alter at least one payload of at least one message for the application protocol;

wherein the test message generator is configured for initiating the different flow by transmitting a first different message, having a first cookie embedded in the first different message, for the different flow to the network equipment DUT and adding, to a flow map table, a record for the different flow including the first cookie; and

wherein the test analyzer is configured for receiving a second different message from the network equipment DUT and determining that the second different message belongs to the different flow by extracting a second cookie from the second different message and matching the second cookie to the first cookie using the flow map table.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the application protocol is a session initiation protocol (SIP) over a user data protocol (UDP), the first different message is a SIP INVITE message, and transmitting the first different message includes embedding the first cookie into a message header of the SIP INVITE message.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein adding the record for the network flow comprises capturing a flow tuple from the first message, determining that a flow map table lacks a record for the network flow using the flow tuple, and, in response, adding the record for the network flow to the flow map table.

11. A method for testing a network equipment device under test (DUT), the method comprising:

executing, by a network equipment test device including at least one processor, a test script to test the network equipment DUT by sending network traffic to and receiving network traffic from the network equipment DUT using a connectionless protocol;

transmitting, by the network equipment test device, a first message using the connectionless protocol for a network flow to the network equipment DUT according to the test script;

storing, by the network equipment test device, a record for the network flow including a first flow identifier for the network flow based on a first payload of the first message; and

receiving, by the network equipment test device, a second message from the network equipment DUT and determining that the second message belongs to the network flow by determining a second flow identifier based on a second payload of the second message and matching the second flow identifier to the first flow identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein storing the record for the network flow comprises determining the first flow identifier by hashing the first payload of the first message and adding the record and the first flow identifier to a flow map table, and wherein matching the second flow identifier to the first flow identifier comprises using the flow map table.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising using the first flow identifier to index the flow map table and determining the second flow identifier by hashing the second payload of the second message and searching the flow map table using the second flow identifier.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the network equipment DUT comprises a network address translation (NAT) device configured to translate an internet protocol (IP) address of the first message.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the connectionless protocol is the user datagram protocol (UDP).

16. The method of claim 11, comprising capturing a flow tuple from the second message, adding the flow tuple to the record for the network flow in a flow map table, and determining that one or more subsequently received messages belong to the network flow using the flow tuple.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising analyzing the subsequently received messages in accordance with the test script and producing a test report for the network equipment DUT based on analyzing the subsequently received messages.

18. The method of claim 11, comprising initiating a different flow for an application protocol where the network equipment DUT will alter at least one payload of at least one message for the application protocol, including:

transmitting a first different message, having a first cookie embedded in the first different message, for the different flow to the network equipment DUT and adding, to a flow map table, a record for the different flow including the first cookie; and

receiving a second different message from the network equipment DUT and determining that the second different message belongs to the different flow by extracting a second cookie from the second different message and matching the second cookie to the first cookie using the flow map table.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the application protocol is a session initiation protocol (SIP) over a user data protocol (UDP), the first different message is a SIP INVITE message, and transmitting the first different message includes embedding the first cookie into a message header of the SIP INVITE message.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein adding the record for the network flow comprises capturing a flow tuple from the first message, determining that a flow map table lacks a record for the network flow using the flow tuple, and, in response, adding the record for the network flow to the flow map table.

21. One or more non-transitory computer readable mediums storing instructions for a network equipment test device comprising at least one processor that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

executing a test script to test a network equipment device under test (DUT) by sending network traffic to and receiving network traffic from the network equipment DUT using a connectionless protocol;

transmitting a first message using the connectionless protocol for a network flow to the network equipment DUT according to the test script;

storing a record for the network flow including a first flow identifier for the network flow based on a first payload of the first message; and

receiving a second message from the network equipment DUT and determining that the second message belongs to the network flow by determining a second flow identifier based on a second payload of the second message and matching the second flow identifier to the first flow identifier.