Automated network infrastructure test and diagnostic system and method therefor

• US 9,436,542 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2015
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sons of Innovation LLC
• Original Assignee: Circadence Corporation
• Inventors: McFate, Marlin Popeye, Vange, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US14/867,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20160085610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0751 Error or fault detection not based on redundancy power supply failures G06F1/30; network fault management H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/079 Root cause analysis, i.e. error or fault diagnosis in a hardware test environment G06F11/22; in a software test environment G06F11/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5021 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1416 Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1458 Denial of Service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 : for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10015 : Access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. using brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 : based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 : based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1021 : based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1029 : using data related to the state of servers by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 : Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1034 : Reaction to server failures by a load balancer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 : Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 : Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 : Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 : Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 : Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 : Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 : Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 : Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 : Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A testing system provides automated testing of one or more network infrastructures. The testing system may automatically reconfigure one or more devices within a network infrastructure and then conduct testing on the newly configured network infrastructure. Test results may be used to diagnose network anomalies and to compare performance or other characteristics of various network configurations. In one embodiment, the testing system tests a communication channel between a front-end and back-end mechanism where data traffic is encoded between the front-end and back-end mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of testing a communication link between a first computing device and a second computing device of a network, the first computing device operating according to a first network infrastructure configuration and the second computing device operating according to a second network infrastructure configuration, comprising the steps of:

generating at least one network infrastructure test configuration at a testing device;

transmitting said at least one network infrastructure test configuration from said testing device to said first computing device to modify said first network infrastructure configuration;

transmitting said at least one network infrastructure test configuration from said testing device to said second computing device to modify said second network infrastructure configuration;

causing said first computing device and said second computing device to execute one or more test data transfers over said communication link there between based upon said modified first and second network infrastructure configurations; and

collecting results of said one or more test data transfers at said testing device.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of generating comprises executing a script at said testing device.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said script is configured to generate said network infrastructure test configuration from values associated with a configuration test file.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said script parses values from a configuration test file and incorporates said values into said network infrastructure test configuration.

5. The method in accordance with claim 3 wherein said configuration test file is stored in a memory associated with said testing device.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said testing device comprises a processor, a memory device, and a network interface, wherein said script is stored and executed on said testing system hardware.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising analyzing said results.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising displaying information regarding said results via a least one display associated with said testing device.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said test data transfers comprises request data transmitted from said first computing device to said second computing device and response data from said second computing device transmitted to said first computing device.

10. The method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

generating at least one second network infrastructure test configuration at a testing device,

transmitting said at least one second network infrastructure test configuration from said testing device to said first computing device to create a second modified first network infrastructure configuration;

transmitting said at least one second network infrastructure test configuration from said testing device to said second computing device to create a second modified second network infrastructure configuration;

causing said first computing device and said second computing device to execute one or more test data transfers over said communication link there between based upon said second modified first and second network infrastructure configurations.