Network testing and monitoring systems

• US 7,792,032 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Actix Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Actix Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dobson, Robert William Albert, Ko, Yiu Fai
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah; Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu; Michael T
• Application Number:
  US11/789,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20070195696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 370/232, 370/230, 370/247, 370/227
• US Class Current: 370/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/142 using statistical or mathematical methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5003 Managing SLA; Interaction between SLA and QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5087 wherein the managed service relates to voice services management of VoIP services H04M7/0081
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/509 wherein the managed service relates to media content delivery, e.g. audio, video or TV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/02 Capturing of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/55 Testing of service level quality, e.g. simulating service usage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/04 Large scale networks; Deep hierarchical networks

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.

Claims

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.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable memory further stores code to read data for a plurality of communications sessions and identifying signaling data for said first data communications session.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable memory further stores code to identifying said measurement data by identifying a characteristic pattern associated with said measurement data.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein said first and second interfaces comprise the same interface within the network infrastructure.

5. The network of claim 1 wherein said first and second data communications sessions comprise concurrent sessions.

6. The network of claim 1, further comprising a software agent running within said mobile communications device to collect and to establishing said second data communications session.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein said measurement data includes information on at least a category or characteristic of said first data communications session.

8. A digital mobile communications device to communicate with a network that includes base stations, the device comprising:

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.