Network access server testing system and methodology

• US 6,243,832 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Eckes, Van P., Geria, Steven A., Sheets, Alan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E.
• Application Number:
  US09/133,658
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 379/1, 379/17, 379/219, 379/32, 379/220, 379/221, 379/275, 380/255, 714/33, 714/32, 714/43, 714/46, 370/904, 455/227, 455/181.1, 455/185.1, 455/186.1, 455/567
• US Class Current: 714/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses

Abstract

A network access test system includes a test computer system having a modem bank coupled to a network access server via a telephone switch. The network access server is coupled to one or more host computer systems, preferably over a local area network. The test computer system is configured to simulate a large number of test users concurrently accessing the host computer systems via the network access server and performing typical data transfers. Preferably, each simulated test user employs unique network addresses assigned for the test computer system and the host computer system, respectively.

Claims

1. A network for testing an network access server, comprising:

a test computer system having installed thereon a plurality of communication interfaces;

a telephone switch coupled to the communication interfaces of said test computer system and to said network access server;

a host computer system coupled to said network access server;

wherein said test computer system is configured to simulate a plurality of concurrent users, for each said simulating user said test computer system performing the steps of;

(a) initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server; and

(b) transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein said plurality of communication interfaces includes a plurality of modems.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein said plurality of communication interfaces includes a plurality of ISDN cards.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein said telephone switch is a central office switch.

5. The network of claim 1, wherein said telephone switch is a testing switch.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein said host computer system is coupled to said network access server via a local area network.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading textual data from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

8. The network of claim 7, wherein the step of downloading textual data from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a text file at a predetermined location in a file system of said host computer system via an FTP (file-transfer protocol) utility.

9. The network of claim 7, wherein the step of downloading textual data from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a news article from said host computer system.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a compressed text file from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

11. The network of claim 1, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a graphics file from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

12. The network of claim 1, wherein said host computer system is configured to respond to a plurality of IP (Internet protocol) addresses.

15. The network of claim 1, wherein the test computer system is configured to perform step (b) a random number of times for each concurrent user.

16. The network of claim 1, wherein the test computer system is configured to perform step (b) for at least two of said concurrent users at substantially the same time.

13. A network for testing a network access server, comprising:

a test computer system having installed thereon a plurality of communication interfaces;

a telephone switch coupled to the communication interfaces of said test computer system and to said network access server;

a host computer system coupled to said network access server and configured to respond to a plurality of IP (Internet protocol) addresses;

wherein said test computer system is configured to simulate a plurality of concurrent users, for each said simulating user said test computer system performing the steps of;

(a) initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server; and

(b) transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server;

wherein the step of initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of assigning a first unique IP address for each simulated concurrent user.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer via said telephone switch and said internet access server includes the steps of:

determining a second unique IP address from among said plurality of IP addresses; and

transferring said data using the first unique IP address to indicate the test computer system and the second unique IP address for the host computer system.

17. A method of testing a network access server in a network including a test computer system having installed thereon a plurality of communication interfaces, a telephone switch coupled to said communication interfaces and to said network access server, and a host computer system coupled to said network access server, said method comprising the steps of:

accessing a table containing a plurality of entries indicative of respective simulated users;

performing the following steps substantially concurrently for at least some of the entries in the table;

(1) initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via a respective one of said communications interfaces through said telephone switch and said network access server; and

(2) transferring data between said test computer system and said host system through said telephone switch and said network access server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein step (1) includes the step of initiating the connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via a modem.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein step (1) includes the step of initiating the connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via an ISDN card.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein step (1) includes the step of initiating the connection from said test computer system to said host computer through a central office switch simulator.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading textual data from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of downloading textual data from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a text file at a predetermined location in a file system of said host computer system via an FTP (file-transfer protocol) utility.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of downloading textual data from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a news article from said host computer system.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a compress text file from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of downloading a graphics file from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server.

28. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of performing step (2) a random number of times for each of the at least some of the entries in the table.

29. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of performing step (2) at substantially the same time for at least two of the entries in the table.

30. The method of claim 17, said sequences of instructions further comprise sequences of instructions for performing the step of performing step (2) at substantially the same time for at least two of the entries in the table.

26. A method of testing a network access server in a network including a test computer system having installed thereon a plurality of communication interfaces, a telephone switch coupled to said communication interfaces and to said network access server, and a host computer system coupled to said network access server, said method comprising the steps of:

accessing a table containing a plurality of entries indicative of respective simulated users;

performing the following steps substantially concurrently for at least some of the entries in the table;

(1) initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via a respective one of said communications interfaces through said telephone switch and said network access server; and

(2) transferring data between said test computer system and said host system through said telephone switch and said network access server, the step of transferring data comprising downloading a graphics file from said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server;

and further comprising the steps of;

assigning a first IP address indicative of the test computer system and a second IP address indicative of the host computer system, wherein said first IP address and said second IP address are unique for each simulated user;

establishing statically a route between said first IP address and said second IP address; and

wherein the step of transferring data between said test computer system and said host computer system via said telephone switch and said network access server includes the step of transferring said data using said first IP address to indicate the test computer system and said second IP address to indicate the host computer system.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of assigning a first IP address indicative of the test computer system and a second IP address indicative of the host computer system includes the steps of:

assigning the first IP address with an octet thereof containing a serial number of one of the simulated users; and

assigning the second IP address with an octet thereof containing the serial of said one of the simulated users.

31. A computer readable medium bearing sequences of instructions for testing a network access server in a network including a test computer system having installed thereon a plurality of communication interfaces, a telephone switch coupled to said communication interfaces and to said network access server, and a host computer system coupled to said network access server, said sequences of instructions comprising sequences of instructions for performing the steps of:

accessing a table containing a plurality of entries each indicative of a distinctive simulated user;

performing the following steps substantially concurrently for a plurality of the entries in the table;

(1) initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via a respective one of said communication interfaces through said telephone switch and said network access server; and

(2) transferring data between said test computer system and said host system through said telephone switch and said network access server.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein step (1) includes the step of causing a modem to initiating the connection from said test computer system to said host computer system.

33. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein step (1) includes the step of causing an ISDN card to initiate the connection from said test computer system to said host computer system.

34. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein step (2) includes the step of downloading a text file at a predetermined location in a file system of said host computer system via an FTP (file-transfer protocol) utility.

35. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein step (2) includes the step of downloading a news article from said host computer system.

37. The computer readable medium of claim 31, wherein said sequences of instructions further comprise sequences of instructions for performing step (2) a random number of times for each of the at least some of the entries in the table.

36. A computer readable medium bearing sequences of instructions for testing a network access server in a network including a test computer system having installed thereon a plurality of communication interfaces, a telephone switch coupled to said communication interfaces and to said network access server, and a host computer system coupled to said network access server, said sequences of instructions comprising sequences of instructions for performing the steps of:

accessing a table containing a plurality of entries each indicative of a distinctive simulated user;

performing the following steps substantially concurrently for a plurality of the entries in the table;

(1) initiating a connection from said test computer system to said host computer system via a respective one of said communication interfaces through said telephone switch and said network access server; and

(2) transferring data between said test computer system and said host system through said telephone switch and said network access server wherein step (2) includes the step of transferring said data using a first IP address to indicate the test computer system and a second IP address to indicate the host computer system, wherein said first IP address and said second IP address are unique for each other.