Network testing and monitoring systems
First Claim
1. A method of providing performance information for 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, and having interfaces between said elements; and
a plurality of mobile communications devices for radio communications with said base stations;
communications between said mobile communications devices and said base stations, and signals on interfaces within the network infrastructure, comprising traffic and signaling data;
the method comprising;
collecting data on at least one parameter associated with a first data communications session of a said data communications device to provide measurement data;
establishing a second data communications session for said mobile communications device;
sending said measurement data from said mobile communications device into said communications network infrastructure using said second data communications session;
reading at least signaling data for said first data communications session from a first of said network infrastructure interfaces;
reading said measurement data from a second of said network infrastructure interfaces;
correlating said signaling data for said first data communications session and said measurement data; and
outputting a result of said correlating to provide said performance information.
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Accused Products
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 analyzed 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.
226 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of providing performance information for a digital mobile communications network, the network comprising:
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a communications network infrastructure, the infrastructure having a plurality of elements, including a plurality of radio communications base stations, and having interfaces between said elements; and a plurality of mobile communications devices for radio communications with said base stations; communications between said mobile communications devices and said base stations, and signals on interfaces within the network infrastructure, comprising traffic and signaling data;
the method comprising;collecting data on at least one parameter associated with a first data communications session of a said data communications device to provide measurement data; establishing a second data communications session for said mobile communications device; sending said measurement data from said mobile communications device into said communications network infrastructure using said second data communications session; reading at least signaling data for said first data communications session from a first of said network infrastructure interfaces; reading said measurement data from a second of said network infrastructure interfaces; correlating said signaling data for said first data communications session and said measurement data; and outputting a result of said correlating to provide said performance information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A digital mobile communications network, comprising:
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a communications network infrastructure, the infrastructure having a plurality of elements, including a plurality of radio communications base stations, and having interfaces between said elements; and a plurality of mobile communications devices for radio communications with said base stations; communications between at least one of said plurality of said mobile communications devices and said base stations, and signals on interfaces within the network infrastructure, comprising traffic and signaling data; machine readable memory storing code to; input at least signaling data for a first data communications session of said mobile communications device from a first of said network infrastructure interfaces; input measurement data from a second data communications session of said mobile communications device from a second of said network infrastructure interfaces; correlate said signaling data for said first data communications session and said measurement data; and output a result of said correlating to provide said performance information. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. Performance monitoring apparatus for providing performance information for a digital mobile communications network, the network comprising:
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a communications network infrastructure, the infrastructure having a plurality of elements, including a plurality of radio communications base stations, 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 signaling data, the apparatus comprising; means to input at least signaling data for a first data communications session of a said mobile communications device from a first of said network infrastructure interfaces; means to input measurement data from a second data communications session of said mobile communications device from a second of said network infrastructure interfaces; means to correlate said signaling data for said first data communications session and said measurement data; and means to output a result of said correlating to provide said performance information. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification