Method and system for evaluating wireless applications

• US 7,339,891 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2003
• Issued: 03/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mverify Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mverify Corporation
• Inventors: Hanlon, James, Binder, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Hugh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gebresilassie; Kibrom
• Application Number:
  US10/340,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 703/21, 370/252, 370/270, 370/231, 370/235, 709/203, 709/224, 714/4, 714/18, 380/270, 702/108
• US Class Current: 370/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for evaluating wireless applications utilizing a test console, an application model builder, a test repository manager, a simulator, a test controller, test agents, and a comparator in order to test the performance of a plurality of mobile user devices on a wireless network.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a wireless system comprising the steps of:

modeling application user behavior for a system under test using an application model builder that is independent from the system under test, wherein modeling application user behavior comprises;

creating an application-specific event profile that defines the relative probability of events that are expected to produce a response from the system under test;

creating an event model that defines inputs and outputs of each of the events, wherein the event model specifies a domain of outputs for a particular input condition; and

defining allowed event sequences;

providing at least one of the application-specific event profile the event model, and the allowed event sequences to a simulator to generate test run inputs;

using an application-specific trusted source derived from a trusted source framework to generate expected test results from the test run inputs;

executing an end-to-end test run of the system under test using the test run inputs and a plurality of test agents controlling wireless mobile user devices under a test controller, wherein the end-to-end test run generates actual test results; and

using an application-specific comparator derived from a comparator framework to compare the actual test results to the expected test results to determine a test verdict.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein a first portion of the plurality of test agents have a first type of application user behavior, and wherein a second portion of the plurality of test agents have a second type of application user behavior.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising conducting a reliability assessment of the test results.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the application-specific event profile is further based on a time varying load profile.

5. The method as in claim 1, wherein modeling the application user behavior is further based on application user movement through a coverage area.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein modeling the application user behavior is further based on radio frequency signal propagation properties in a coverage area.

7. The method as in claim 1, wherein the end-to-end test run further comprises a test output that ends at a modeled application user.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein the end-to-end test run further comprises a test output that ends at an application server within the system under test.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising dividing the test run inputs among at least two test agents and wherein, during the end-to-end test run, the at least two test agents to apply the test run inputs to the system under test at times scheduled by the simulator.