JP5379994B2 - Communication test apparatus, network having communication test function, connection test method, and connection test program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication test apparatus, a network having a communication test function, a connection test method, and a connection test program. More specifically, the present invention relates to a communication test apparatus for executing a communication test of a plurality of communication devices connected to a network, a network having a communication test function, a connection test method, and a connection test program.

  In recent years, the forms of communication services have become more complex, more sophisticated and diversified, and there are many systems composed of a plurality of communication devices, and development of systems composed of such a plurality of communication devices. There is a request for.

  For example, in the road traffic information providing service as shown in FIG. 18, various communication devices are connected via a network.

  In such a communication system composed of a plurality of communication devices and the development thereof, for example, a network structure design policy “OSI” established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to realize data communication between different models. "(Open Systems Interconnection)" is a model that divides the functions that a communication device such as a computer should have into a hierarchical structure. The communication function is divided into seven layers, and standard function modules are defined for each layer.

  First layer (physical layer): physical connection. Number of connector pins, connector shape, etc. Conversion of electrical signals between copper wire and optical fiber (for example, RS-232, telephone line / UTP, hub, repeater, wireless, optical cable, etc.).

  Second layer (data link layer): Signal transmission (for example, Ethernet, token ring, arc net, PPP, frame relay, etc.) between directly (adjacent) connected communication devices.

  Third layer (network layer): selection of a communication path in the network (routing). Data relay (eg, IP, ARP, RARP, ICMP, DHCP, IPX, NetBEUI).

  Layer 4 (transport layer): Network end-to-end communication management (error correction, retransmission control, etc.) (for example, TCP, UDP, SPX, NetBEUI, etc.).

  5th layer (session layer): A procedure from the start to the end of communication between communication programs (for example, NetBIOS, NWLink, PAP, named pipe, etc.).

  Sixth layer (presentation layer): a data representation method (for example, SMTP, SNMP, FTP, Telnet, etc.).

  Layer 7 (application layer): Provides specific communication services (for example, file / mail transfer, remote database access, etc.). Communication service by HTTP, SMTP, SNMP, FTP, Telnet, Apple Talk (registered trademark), X500, etc.

  Further, in such a communication system composed of a plurality of communication devices and the development thereof, an effective test system is required because a lot of labor is required for the communication test.

  A communication test in such a communication system is difficult to automate because the test pattern has a huge number of combinations and quantities, and it is necessary to perform the test manually.

  For this reason, as the number of test patterns increases in items that have been manually tested, the test execution mistakes, the input / output data when a defective event occurs, the generation timing, etc. become ambiguous and cannot be easily reproduced. There were problems such as.

  And, there are cases where events due to test execution mistakes are investigated more deeply than necessary, or events due to defects are overlooked. Such events suddenly occur in actual operation. It is also conceivable.

NEXCO Higashi Kanto Branch Expansion / Integration Explanation Material (http://www.exttec.or.jp/pdf/extec80/p007.pdf, retrieved on March 13, 2008)

    More specifically, the communication device connection test by the conventional method has the following problems.

(1) It is assumed that the peripheral devices to be connected have already been completed and can be used. When developing a whole system for the method of collecting actual line data, there is no peripheral device, so the conventional technology is used. The test used cannot be performed. In addition, it is not possible to conduct a test that combines abnormal data that would not occur in actual line data.

(2) It is not possible to support a synchronous communication test such as a case where there are a plurality of connected communication devices and the communication device is composed of an upper communication device and a lower communication device. Furthermore, it cannot cope with a case where a plurality of network communication means are used simultaneously.

(3) In a message sequence such as request and response, detailed control tests such as setting a waiting time before response transmission and adjusting the timing interval cannot be performed.

(4) If the subsequent sequence or the format of the message is different depending on the received message, it cannot be handled in one scenario, so a plurality of continuous judgment tests cannot be performed. There must be prepared at least a telegram scenario required for the sequence.

(5) In a message, there are many data that differ only in part, but since all the data of the message is an analysis target, it takes a long time to make a determination and adversely affects subsequent sequences. Furthermore, the amount of data to be accumulated becomes enormous, and the disk capacity is reduced.

(6) The received data is monitored in real time, and a message containing the specified keyword cannot be detected. At least affected by the scenario.

  Therefore, there is a demand for conducting a connection test of such a plurality of communication devices accurately and efficiently.

The present invention solves such problems of the prior art, and relates to the following items.
According to the first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a communication test apparatus for connecting to a plurality of communication devices interconnected via a network or a communication environment including a network and a local connection and performing a connection test of these communication devices. Is done.

The communication test apparatus according to the first embodiment is a communication test apparatus that performs a connection test of these communication devices by connecting to a plurality of communication devices interconnected via a communication environment including a network or a network and a local connection.
Connection means prepared according to the communication device;
A test management unit storing a scenario in which test contents and test procedures of a plurality of connection tests for performing a connection test according to the communication device are stored;
An opposing test execution unit that operates based on the scenario;
A scenario management unit that is activated and controlled for each scenario execution of the scenario, and that controls and manages the opposing test execution unit,
A communication test apparatus that selects the connection means and the scenario according to a communication device to be tested for connection, and the opposing test execution unit simulates a communication device to be connected to the communication device for connection test to perform a connection test. And
The test management unit
A communication device storage unit for storing communication device information for performing a connection test;
A template storage unit that stores a template for identifying a message format and making it possible to refer to a part or all of the message format at the time of creating transmission data to the communication device to be connected or determining received data;
A transmission data storage unit that stores the transmission data that is edited in accordance with the configuration of the template and the layout frame and is transmitted to the communication device to be connected.
A received data storage unit for storing received data received from the communication device to be connected;
A determination data storage unit that stores data for determination that is edited in accordance with the configuration and layout of the template, and for determining what kind of message the received data is;
A scenario storage unit for storing the scenario;
With
The opposing test execution unit
A command execution unit for executing the command described in the scenario;
A data transmission unit for transmitting the transmission data to the communication device to be connected;
A data receiving unit for receiving the received data;
A reception data determination unit for determining the reception data by the determination data;
A communication control unit for performing data communication with the connection test target communication device under a connection condition determined according to the connection test target communication device;
Equipped with a,
The connection test is
First, transmit the transmission data to the selected communication device of the connection test target,
Next, from the communication device subject to the connection test selected corresponding to the transmission data
Receiving the received received data ,
Next, during the predetermined time described in the scenario, by the determination data,
Determine the received data received,
Then, after the lapse of the predetermined time, the corresponding transmission according to the result of the determination
Data is transmitted to the communication device subject to the connection test selected after the predetermined time
Do it.

  Note that the term “communication environment” used in the present invention refers to an environment in which a communication device is connected via a network, an environment in which a communication device is directly connected by, for example, an RS232C cable, a USB cable, or the like, and a combination of both. Means connection environment.

  In addition, the term “scenario” used in the present invention is composed of data, commands, etc. describing the test contents and test procedures of the connection test, and in the present invention, according to this scenario, Perform a connection test.

  That is, in other words, the scenario in the present invention is a data group having a function of simulating the opposing test execution unit in the connection test apparatus of the present invention into a communication device directly connected to the communication device performing the connection test. is there. In the connection test apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of communication devices can be executed with various test contents as desired by the same connection test apparatus according to the communication equipment and the test contents. The feature is that a scenario is prepared.

In the communication test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the test management unit further registers and edits communication device information for performing a connection test, a scenario that is a test item, transmission data , and data including determination data. It is preferable to have an editing section ( second embodiment).

In the communication test device of the second embodiment like the present invention, the test management unit preferably further comprises a template editing unit for registering and editing the template (third embodiment).

In the communication test apparatus according to the second or third embodiment of the present invention, the test management unit may further include a keyword editing unit for registering / editing a determination keyword included in the received data. Yes ( fourth embodiment).

In the communication test device of the fourth embodiment from the second embodiment of the present invention, the test management unit further comprises a verification unit for verifying information registered and edited by the editing unit prior to the connection test run ( Fifth embodiment).

Moreover, in the communication test apparatus according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention, the opposing test execution unit includes a plurality of opposing test execution units, and each of the opposing test execution units selects the connection test target selected . Based on the scenario that simulates the upstream and downstream communication devices of the communication device, the connection test can be performed by connecting to the selected communication device of the connection test target ( sixth embodiment).

Furthermore, the communication test apparatus according to the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention automatically performs a connection test on some or all of a plurality of communication devices interconnected via the communication environment at predetermined time intervals. or run (seventh embodiment), or has a communication test selection means for selecting one or more communication devices of said connection test target, with respect to one or more said connection test target communication equipment selected The connection test can be executed ( eighth embodiment).

Network In a ninth embodiment of the present invention, comprising a communication test device of the present invention, the test device and the configured communication equipment connected test function from via the communication environment with the plurality of communication devices interconnected A system is provided.

A network system having such a communication device connection test function includes a LAN system, an intranet system, a provider billing system, a road traffic information providing system, a weather information providing system, a disaster information management system, a train information management system, a gateway monitoring system, trading system based on a network, it is suitably applicable to real distribution system of information.

According to a tenth embodiment of the present invention, in the connection test method for communication devices for performing a connection test of the plurality of communication devices interconnected via the communication environment using the communication test apparatus of the present invention,
(A) in the communication test apparatus, a step of selecting the communication device to be connected;
(B) in the communication test apparatus, a step of selecting the scenario according to the selected communication device to be connected;
(C) In the communication test apparatus, a step of selecting the connection means according to a connection mode with the selected communication device as a connection test target;
(D) In the communication test apparatus, on the basis of the scenario, a process of simulating a communication device directly connected to the communication device to be connected that has selected the opposing test execution unit;
A communication device connection test method including:
The process of mimicking is
(D-1) a step of transmitting the transmission data to the selected communication device to be connected;
(D-2) a step of receiving the reception data transmitted from the connection test target communication device selected corresponding to the transmission data;
(D-3) During the predetermined time described in the scenario, according to the determination data,
A process of determining the received data received;
(D-4) a step of transmitting the transmission data corresponding to the result of the determination to the selected communication device to be connected after the predetermined time after the predetermined time has elapsed ;
A communication device connection test method is provided.

In an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the communication device connection test method of the present invention, and in the twelfth embodiment, a computer readable storage storing the program. A medium is provided.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of scenarios connected to a communication environment such as a network are prepared in advance by preparing a plurality of scenarios in which the test contents and test procedures are described according to each communication device to be connected and the contents of the connection test. It becomes possible to easily execute a connection test on the communication device according to the test contents.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connection test apparatus of the present invention has a function for registering and editing scenarios and the like, so that it can be used for a connection test of a communication device on an extended network, an additional change of a test item, and the like. Can also be supported.

  Furthermore, by having a template for such a scenario, a new scenario can be easily added based on the template.

Hereinafter, a communication test apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the communication test apparatus of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing another example of the overall configuration of the communication test apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the communication test apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a drawing showing an example of the configuration of the test management unit of the connection test apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a connection method with a communication device and information for connection / data transmission / reception (communication device information) stored in the communication test apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing an example of template information stored in the communication test apparatus of the invention, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are drawings showing another example of template information stored in the communication test apparatus of the present invention. These are figures which show an example of the structure information of the reception data storage part in the communication test apparatus of this invention, and the determination data storage part, FIG. 9 is another example of the scenario information stored in the communication test apparatus of this invention. FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in the present invention, FIG. 11A is a sequence diagram when the scenario shown in FIG. 10 is executed, and FIG. 11B is a diagram in a specific embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure explaining also the data processing flow in a communication test device.

First, the entire communication test apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the basic configuration of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 1 which is a schematic diagram showing the most basic configuration of the communication test apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the communication test apparatus D of the present invention is composed of a computer system that can be connected to a plurality of communication devices C... Via a network N, and stores a plurality of scenarios. The scenario management unit 20 and the opposing test execution unit 30 are mainly configured.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the test management unit 10 includes a storage unit that stores communication devices C... And a scenario prepared in advance according to the contents of the connection test. In the first embodiment, the scenario management unit 20 controls and manages the opposing test execution unit 30 according to the test content and the test procedure and the scenario selected by the corresponding communication device C, and the communication device to be a connection test target. The communication device C directly connected to Ct is configured to be simulated.

  The opposing test execution unit 30 simulates the communication device on the immediate upstream side or the immediate downstream side of the communication device Ct that executes the connection test according to the scenario stored and selected in the test management unit 10 and selects the selected scenario. And a function for executing a connection test of the communication device Ct by exchanging messages along the line.

  The scenario management unit 20 has a function of reading the selected scenario, being controlled for each scenario execution, and controlling and managing the opposing test execution unit 30. In other words, when the communication device Ct to be tested existing in the communication environment (network N) and the test contents are determined, a scenario corresponding to the connection test for the communication device Ct is determined (selected scenario in the figure). . Based on the selected scenario, the scenario management unit 20 performs activation control for simulating the opposing test execution unit 30 to the communication device C connected to the communication device Ct to be tested.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, scenarios are prepared according to communication devices and test contents, and the scenario management unit 20 performs control management of each scenario. It is possible to easily execute a connection test on the communication device C connected to the other communication device.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a connection test apparatus including a plurality of opposing test execution units 30, and FIG. 2B illustrates another example of the connection test apparatus including a plurality of opposing test execution units 30. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, by providing a plurality of opposing test execution units 30, it is possible to execute a simultaneous connection test for a plurality of communication devices C as described later. Furthermore, it is possible to simulate the opposing test execution unit 30 for the upstream and downstream communication devices for one communication device C and execute the transmission side connection test and the reception side connection test (FIGS. 2B and 11). To FIG. 13). In other words, in the present invention, one or a plurality of opposing test execution units 30 are controlled according to the selected scenario. As shown in FIG. 2A, a plurality of scenarios can be activated simultaneously to execute an opposing test, or as shown in FIG. 2B, a plurality of opposing test execution units 30 can be controlled according to one scenario to execute an opposing test. Are also within the scope of the present invention.

  Next, based on FIG.3 and FIG.4, 3rd Embodiment of this invention is described. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection test apparatus D according to the third embodiment includes an editing unit 11 in which the test management unit 10 edits data such as a scenario, in addition to a storage unit 12 that stores data such as a scenario. A verification unit 13 for verifying the connection test result is provided.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the test management unit 10 has a function of managing the entire communication test apparatus D of the present invention, such as registration editing by screen operation, verification, data registration, scenario operation, etc. It is comprised from the software which has the function which controls and manages these functions.

  The editing unit 11 has a function of controlling and managing functions such as registration editing by screen operation, verification, data registration, and scenario operation in the communication test apparatus D of the present invention, and includes a template editing unit 11b and a transmission data editing unit 11c. , A judgment data editing unit 11d, a keyword editing unit 11e, and a scenario editing unit 11f.

  The communication device editing unit 11a is for registering and editing the connection method with the communication devices C, C... (See FIG. 3) to be tested, information for connection / data transmission / reception (communication device information). Has a screen function.

  The template editing unit 11b has a screen function for registering and editing a template for identifying a message format and enabling partial reference when creating transmission data to the communication device C or determining received data. Have. The template can be combined with a plurality of layout frames, as will be described later.

  The transmission data editing unit 11c has a screen function for registering and editing data to be transmitted to the communication device. The transmission data editing unit 11c matches the template configuration and layout frame registered in the template editing unit 11b. Can be edited.

  The determination data editing unit 11d registers and edits determination data for determining what type of data is received from the communication device that is the connection test target among the communication devices C, C... Shown in FIG. Has a screen function. Further, the determination data editing unit 11d can register determination data for each element in accordance with the template configuration and layout frame registered in the template editing unit 11b. Further, the determination data editing unit 11d can register the determination keyword registered in the keyword editing unit 11e described later.

  The keyword editing unit 11e has a screen function for registering and editing a determination keyword included in the data received from the communication device C.

  The scenario editing unit 11f has a screen function for registering and editing a scenario according to the present invention in which execution commands are combined.

  The information registered and edited by each of the editing units 11a to 11f is stored in the storage unit 50. The screen function referred to in the present invention refers to a screen editing function for registering and editing information to be stored as shown in FIGS. 5 to 10 described later, for example, by calling registration editing software such as an editor.

  Thus, by providing the editing unit 11 in the test management unit 10 in the third embodiment, registration and editing of various data for executing a connection test by the connection test apparatus D of the present invention including a scenario is performed. It becomes possible.

  The storage unit 12 includes storage means for storing each data registered / edited by the editing unit 11, for example, storage means known in the technical field such as a hard disk or a magneto-optical disk.

  More specifically, the storage unit 12 in the third embodiment includes a communication device storage unit 12a, a template storage unit 12b, a transmission data storage unit 12c, a transmission data storage unit 12d, a determination data storage unit 12e, a keyword storage unit 12f, a command It is mainly composed of a storage unit 12g, a scenario storage unit 12h, and a scenario execution result storage unit 12i.

  The communication device storage unit 12a is a storage unit for storing and storing a connection method with the communication device C to be tested and information (communication device information) for connection / data transmission / reception.

  The connection method with the communication device C and information for connection / data transmission / reception (communication device information) stored in the communication device storage unit 12a are stored in a database structure as shown in FIG. 5, for example. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, the communication device information includes a first table composed of a communication device management ID, communication control unit identification information, a communication device name, and the like. ), As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the second table composed of the connection method (associated with the identification ID of the identification information of the communication control unit), detailed information, etc. And a detailed information table associated with the second table (that is, information such as a detailed identification ID, a partner IP address, a partner port number, a self IP address, a self port number, etc.) is managed as shown in FIG. Table).

  The template storage unit 12b is a storage unit for storing and storing templates. The template referred to in the present invention is data for identifying a message format and enabling partial reference when creating transmission data to the communication device C or when determining received data. The template editing unit 11b Registered or edited.

  For example, the template information is stored as a database as shown in FIG. More specifically, the template management ID. , Template configuration information, template name, etc., a template configuration management ID associated with the template configuration information of the first table as shown in FIG. , Layout management serial number, start position, fixed length / variable length type, presence / absence of blocking / number of blocking, etc., and the second table for managing the template configuration and the layout management information as shown in FIG. A layout management ID, a start position indicating an element, a size indicating an element, a third table for managing a layout such as an element name, and the like.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the template is preferably made identifiable via a layout frame so that partial reference and extraction can be performed with respect to the application-level message format (FIG. 7). reference). Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 7B, it is preferable that the template has a configuration in which a plurality of layout frames can be combined so as to flexibly cope with a variety of message formats. Each transmission level layout frame is created as a template according to the transmission protocol standard.

  The transmission data storage unit 12c is a storage unit for storing and storing data to be transmitted to the communication device C, and the reception data storage unit 12d is a storage unit for storing and storing data received from the communication device C. The determination data storage unit 12e is a storage unit that stores and stores determination data for determining what type of data the data received from the communication device is.

  Examples of configuration information of the transmission data storage unit 12c, the reception data storage unit 12d, and the determination data storage unit 12e are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, these pieces of configuration information are data management ID. , Template management ID. , Communication device management ID. Etc., and a data management ID. And a second table composed of data identification contents associated with each other.

  The keyword storage unit 12f is a storage unit that stores and stores a determination keyword included in data received from a communication device. The command storage unit 12g stores definitions and specifications of each command specified in the scenario. It is a memory | storage part to preserve | save.

  The scenario storage unit 12h is a storage unit for storing and storing a scenario verified by a scenario verification unit 13b described later and related information (communication device, transmission data, determination data, template) specified in the scenario. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 9, for example, the scenario storage unit 12g includes a first table for managing scenario management ID, communication device configuration information, scenario name, and the like, and a configuration management ID. And communication device management ID. A scenario is stored as database information composed of a second table composed of the above.

  As a specific scenario, for example, the scenario shown in FIG. 10 can be cited. This scenario is described by combining each execution command according to the connection test procedure. It is possible to execute a flexible connection test, in particular, a connection test automatically by simple command specification described in the scenario. In the scenario described in FIG. 10, the description of each command is described after the // part.

  As shown in the sequence diagram shown in FIG. 11A, based on such a scenario, it is possible to simulate the communication device C2 and the communication device C1 and perform a connection test with the communication device C to be tested. In FIG. 11A, (A) is a command for line 6 to line 21 in FIG. 10, (B) is a command for line 23 to line 34 in FIG. 10, and (C) is for line 36 to line 36. 42 shows the execution of the command of part.

  The scenario execution result storage unit 12i is a storage unit that stores and saves the result of the executed scenario in association with the execution result for each command, received data, and the like.

  These storage units are stored in conventionally known storage means such as a hard disk and a magnetic recording medium, for example, with partitions separated.

  The scenario management unit 20 in the communication test apparatus D of the present invention has a function of starting and controlling a scenario registered and stored in the scenario storage unit 12h for each scenario execution and controlling and managing the opposing test execution unit 30. Yes.

That is, for example, in the test system having the configuration shown in FIG. 13 to be described later, based on a scenario in which each execution command is described in combination with the connection test pattern as shown in FIG. 10, FIG. 11A and FIG. The connection test is carried out by simulating the communication device nearest to the communication device C that performs the connection test of the opposing test execution unit 30 in the test device D of the invention. The scenario causes each opposing test execution unit to function as a pseudo communication device, and has a function to cause the opposing test execution unit 30 to simulate a communication device according to a connection test. The scenario management unit 20 executes the scenario and controls the opposing test execution unit.
The numbers in parentheses shown in FIGS. 10, 11A, and 11B correspond to each other. In FIG. 11B, the scenario execution unit instructs the command execution unit 31a on the pseudo communication device C1 side to execute a command for transmitting the transmission data aaa (S1). The pseudo communication device C1 transmits the message aaa to the test target (1). The test object that has received the message aaa transmits some message to the pseudo communication device C1 (2). The pseudo communication device C1 determines the received message, and transmits a corresponding message (ccc, eeee, or ggg) to the test object according to the determination result (3). Thereafter, the test is executed according to the procedure described in the test scenario.

  Thus, the present invention is a connection test apparatus for performing a connection test for each communication device in a network system having a plurality of communication devices compliant with the OSI guidelines, for example, an editing unit, a test management unit, and an opposing test. Since it is comprised from the execution part and the determination result output part which outputs a determination result, the connection test of each communication apparatus which comprises a network system can be implemented easily.

  Next, a specific connection test to a communication device using the communication test apparatus of the present invention will be described based on FIGS.

  FIG. 12 is a drawing showing an example of a connection test of a communication device using the communication test apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 13 shows another example of a connection test of a communication apparatus using the communication test apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a further example of a connection test of a communication device using the communication test apparatus of the present invention.

  The example shown in FIG. 12 is a test configuration example when the communication devices C1, C2, C3, and C4 are connected to the Ethernet, and it is desired to perform individual tests simultaneously based on the respective scenarios (test items).

  As shown in FIG. 12, in this example, the communication device C1 and the communication device C3 are connected to the opposite sides of the communication devices C2 and C4 to be tested by TCP / IP, respectively.

  In this case, two sets of scenarios and two opposing test execution units are prepared. The first scenario and the first opposing test execution unit simulate the communication device C1 and execute the connection test by transmitting and receiving data to and from the communication device C2 in order to execute the connection test of the communication device C2. And it is the structure which determines the connection test result which was performed. Therefore, in the first scenario, the opposing test execution unit (C1 pseudo) and the communication device C2 that is the connection test target are connected in a predetermined connection mode.

  Similarly, the opposing test execution unit 30 simulates the communication device C3 in order to execute the connection test of the communication device C4, transmits and receives data to and from the communication device C4, and executes the connection test. The connection test result is determined. Therefore, in the second scenario, the opposing test execution unit (C3 pseudo) and the communication device C4 that is the connection test target are connected in a predetermined connection mode.

  By configuring in this way, the communication test apparatus D of the present invention can execute a connection test simultaneously with a plurality of communication devices of the communication device C2 and the communication device C4.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the communication test apparatus D of the present invention performs a connection test between a plurality of opposed test apparatuses C, C... With a communication apparatus nearest to the upstream side of the communication apparatus that executes the connection test. A connection test can be executed by simulating a communication device closest to the downstream side of the communication device.

  That is, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the upper communication device C1, the lower communication device C2, and the communication device C32 to be tested are each connected to the Ethernet, and it is desired to perform a synchronous test based on a linked scenario (test item). An example of a test configuration is shown. In the connection test having such a configuration, the connection test is executed according to the test procedure shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B based on the scenario shown in FIG. 10 described above.

  In this case, the first opposing test execution unit 30a simulates the upstream upstream communication device C1 to the communication device C2 that executes the connection test, while the second opposing test execution unit 3b Is configured to simulate and connect the communication device C2 closest to the downstream side (subordinate) to the communication device C3 that executes the above.

  At this time, each connection unit 50 in the communication test apparatus D of the present invention is a connection unit that provides a connection environment in which communication can be performed by TCP / IP in accordance with the connection method from the communication devices C1 and C2 to the communication device C3. In this case, a communication environment can be constructed by preparing several connection means in hardware and switching the connection means compatible with the opposing test execution unit in software.

  In this way, it is possible to prepare connection means suitable for the communication device C2 and execute the connection test by imitating the two opposing test execution units 30a and 30b to the nearest communication devices C1 and C3, respectively. It becomes. At this time, even when the original communication device C2 is operating, the transmission of a message from the communication device C1 to the opposing test execution unit 30b simulated to the communication device C2 is performed temporarily by the communication device C1. It can be easily realized by a command for disabling the message, designation of a transmission destination of a message to the opposing test execution unit 30b, and the like.

  By configuring in this way, the communication test apparatus of the present invention performs the connection test of the communication device C3 inserted on the upstream side and the downstream side, and sets the opposing test execution units 30a and 30b to the upstream and downstream communication devices, respectively. It is possible to execute by imitating.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the communication test apparatus D according to the present invention has an environment in which the upper communication device C1, the communication device C2, and the communication device C3 to be tested are connected to the Ethernet, respectively, and the lower communication device C4. The present invention is also applicable to a case where it is desired to perform a synchronous test based on a scenario (test item) linked to the communication device C3 in an environment in which the communication device C to be tested is locally connected via the RS-232C.

  The communication test apparatus D of the present invention configured as described above can automatically perform a connection test on some or all of the plurality of communication devices C connected via the network at predetermined time intervals. In addition to this, for example, the communication test apparatus D of the present invention is provided with communication test selection means for selecting one or more communication devices to be tested, and one or more communication devices C selected by the communication test selection means are selected. It is also possible to perform a connection test.

(Network description)
The communication test apparatus D of the present invention configured as described above can select a connection test for a plurality of communication devices interconnected to various communication environments by a selection means or can be automatically executed. In a preferred embodiment, it is possible to perform a connection test in a system that links communication between upper and lower communication device rings. In particular, it is possible to efficiently perform a telegram connection test at the application level.

  Hereinafter, a network system including the communication test apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  15 is a diagram showing an example of a network system provided with the communication test apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a connection test in the network system shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 15 is a diagram showing data processing in the network system shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 18 is a diagram showing another example of a network system to which the communication test apparatus of the present invention can be applied, and FIG. 19 is a network shown in FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the connection test in a system.

  The system including the communication test apparatus D of the present invention is applicable to a network including a plurality of communication devices such as a provider billing system and a road traffic information providing system illustrated in FIG. 18 as shown in FIG. With the communication test apparatus D, it is possible to execute a connection test of various communication devices constituting the network.

  In addition to the provider billing system and the road traffic information providing system, the network system having the connection test function of the present invention includes a weather information management system, an earthquake information management system, a river, water level information management system, a network gateway system, and a wireless base Various network systems such as a station gateway system, a trading system for securities and futures, a real-time distribution system from an information vendor, and the like can be mentioned, but the present invention is not limited to these network systems.

  First, a provider billing system including a communication test apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 15, the provider billing system of the present invention includes servers 1 and 2 (communication device C1, communication device C2), billing management server (communication device C3), and a plurality of user terminals 1 and 2 at a plurality of service provider sites. , 3 (communication device C4, communication device C5, communication device C6) and the communication test apparatus D of the present invention.

  In such a network system, for example, the communication test apparatus D is simulated to each charging management server (communication device C3) and user terminal 1 (communication device C4), and a connection test with the service provider 1 (communication terminal C1) is executed. Is done.

  In this case, the user terminal 1 (communication device C4) simulated by the communication test apparatus of the present invention, the service provider 1 (communication terminal C1), and the charge management server (communication apparatus C3) simulated by the communication test apparatus of the present invention. The data flow with () is as shown in FIG.

  Then, the flow between the communication test apparatus of the present invention and the service provider server as the test target apparatus along the data flow is as shown in FIG.

  That is, in the communication test apparatus D of the present invention, the opposite test execution unit 30a is simulated to the user terminal 1 that is the communication device C4, and the opposite test execution unit 30b is simulated to the billing management server that is the communication device C5. Data is transmitted to and received from the provider (messages (1) to (9)), and transmission / reception data is determined.

  By configuring in this way, the provider billing system, which is a network system including the communication test apparatus D of the present invention, executes a connection test of a service provider server connected to a terminal or a billing management server automatically. By specifying, it becomes possible to execute a connection test.

  In the road traffic information providing system shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, it is possible to execute a connection test between communication devices in the same manner as the provider billing system shown in FIGS. Since the data flow in this case is the same as that of the provider billing system shown in FIGS. 15 to 18, its detailed description is omitted.

The present invention described above has the following excellent effects.
(1) Using the communication test device of the present invention, connection tests can be performed without having many peripheral devices as before, and connection tests can be performed without being affected by development delays of other communication devices. It becomes possible.

(2) The communication test apparatus of the present invention can simultaneously simulate a plurality of communication devices in order to support a plurality of communications, and is linked (coordinated) operation with communication devices such as upper and lower positions. Connection test is possible. Furthermore, even when a plurality of communication means are used at the same time, a linked test is possible.

(3) The communication test apparatus of the present invention can be implemented in one scenario even in a plurality of determination processes in which the subsequent telegram sequence changes depending on the received telegram.

(4) The communication test apparatus according to the present invention performs a detailed control test in consideration of the timing interval in which a waiting time is set in a telegram sequence such as a request and a response by utilizing the template function effectively. It becomes possible.

(5) In the message determination process in the communication test apparatus of the present invention, determination data, wildcards, etc. can be specified in layout frame delimiters, so the test processing speed is increased and the amount of data to be stored is minimized. Can be suppressed.

(6) It is possible to monitor the received data in real time, detect a message containing the specified keyword, and to clip the received data without being affected by the scenario.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the whole structure of the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic which shows another example of the whole structure of the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic which shows another example of the whole structure of the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of the whole structure of the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is drawing which shows an example of a structure of the test management part of the connection test apparatus of this invention shown in FIG. It is drawing which shows an example of the connection method with the communication apparatus stored in the communication test apparatus of this invention, and the information (communication apparatus information) for connection and data transmission / reception. It is drawing which shows an example of the template information stored in the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is drawing which shows another example of the template information stored in the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is drawing which shows another example of the template information stored in the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is drawing which shows an example of the structure information of the transmission data storage part in the communication test apparatus of this invention, a reception data storage part, and the determination data storage part. It is drawing which shows an example of the scenario information stored in the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is drawing which shows an example of the scenario in this invention. It is a sequence diagram at the time of performing the scenario shown in FIG. It is the figure which also described the data processing flow in the communication test apparatus in specific embodiment of this invention. It is drawing which shows an example of the connection test of the communication apparatus using the communication test apparatus of this invention. FIG. 13 is a drawing showing another example of a connection test of a communication device using the communication test apparatus of the present invention. It is drawing which shows a further example of the connection test of the communication apparatus using the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is drawing which shows an example of the network system provided with the communication test apparatus of this invention. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a connection test in the network system illustrated in FIG. 15. It is drawing which shows the data processing in the network system shown in FIG. It is drawing which shows another example of the network system which can apply the communication test apparatus of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of the connection test in the network system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

C terminal Ct test target terminal D communication test apparatus N network 10 test management unit 11 editing unit 12 storage unit 13 verification unit 20 scenario management unit 30 opposite test execution unit 50 connection means

Claims (12)

In a communication test apparatus for connecting to a plurality of communication devices interconnected via a network or a communication environment including a network and a local connection and performing a connection test of these communication devices,
Connection means prepared according to the communication device;
A test management unit storing a scenario in which test contents and test procedures of a plurality of connection tests for performing a connection test according to the communication device are stored;
An opposing test execution unit that operates based on the scenario;
A scenario management unit that is activated and controlled for each scenario execution of the scenario, and that controls and manages the opposing test execution unit,
A communication test apparatus that selects the connection means and the scenario according to a communication device to be tested for connection, and the opposing test execution unit simulates a communication device to be connected to the communication device for connection test to perform a connection test. And
The test management unit
A communication device storage unit for storing communication device information for performing a connection test;
A template storage unit that stores a template for identifying a message format and making it possible to refer to a part or all of the message format at the time of creating transmission data to the communication device to be connected or determining received data;
A transmission data storage unit that stores the transmission data that is edited in accordance with the configuration of the template and the layout frame and is transmitted to the communication device to be connected.
A received data storage unit for storing received data received from the communication device to be connected;
A determination data storage unit that stores data for determination that is edited in accordance with the configuration and layout of the template, and for determining what kind of message the received data is;
A scenario storage unit for storing the scenario;
With
The opposing test execution unit
A command execution unit for executing the command described in the scenario;
A data transmission unit for transmitting the transmission data to the communication device to be connected;
A data receiving unit for receiving the received data;
A reception data determination unit for determining the reception data by the determination data;
A communication control unit for performing data communication with the connection test target communication device under a connection condition determined according to the connection test target communication device;
The connection test comprises
First, transmit the transmission data to the selected communication device of the connection test target,
Next, the reception data transmitted from the connection test target communication device selected corresponding to the transmission data is received,
Next, during the predetermined time described in the scenario, by the determination data,
Determine the received data received,
Then, after the predetermined time has elapsed, if there is no corresponding case and the time is up, a message indicating no response is output, and if there is a corresponding case, the corresponding transmission data is selected according to the result of the determination. communication test device and performing by transmitting to the communication device of the connection under test. The test management unit further includes the communication device information, the scenario, the transmission data,
The communication test apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an editing unit for registering and editing data including the determination data. The communication test apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the test management unit further includes a template editing unit for registering and editing the template. The communication test according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the test management unit further includes a keyword editing unit for registering and editing a determination keyword included in the received data. apparatus. 5. The test management unit according to claim 2, further comprising a verification unit that verifies information registered and edited by the editing unit prior to execution of a connection test. The communication test apparatus according to item 1. The opposing test execution unit is configured by a plurality of opposing test execution units, and each of the opposing test execution units is based on the scenario that simulates the upstream and downstream communication devices of the selected communication test target communication device, The communication test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a connection test is performed on the selected communication device to be connected. 7. The connection test is automatically performed for some or all of the plurality of communication devices to be connected to each other via the communication environment at predetermined time intervals. The communication test apparatus according to any one of the above. The communication test selecting means for selecting one or more of the connection test target communication devices, and performing the connection test on the selected one or more of the connection test target communication devices. The communication test apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A communication device connection test function comprising the communication test device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the plurality of communication devices interconnected with the communication test device via the communication environment. A network system characterized by comprising: In the communication device connection test method for performing a connection test of the plurality of communication devices interconnected via the communication environment by the communication test device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
(A) in the communication test apparatus, a step of selecting the communication device to be connected;
(B) in the communication test apparatus, a step of selecting the scenario according to the selected communication device to be connected;
(C) In the communication test apparatus, a step of selecting the connection means according to a connection mode with the selected communication device as a connection test target;
(D) In the communication test apparatus, on the basis of the scenario, a process of simulating a communication device directly connected to the communication device to be connected that has selected the opposing test execution unit;
A communication device connection test method including:
The process of mimicking is
(D-1) a step of transmitting the transmission data to the selected communication device to be connected;
(D-2) a step of receiving the reception data transmitted from the connection test target communication device selected corresponding to the transmission data;
(D-3) During the predetermined time described in the scenario, according to the determination data,
A process of determining the received data received;
(D-4) After the predetermined time has elapsed, there is no applicable case and the time is up
In this case, a message indicating no response is output, and when there is a corresponding case , a process of transmitting the corresponding transmission data to the selected communication device to be connected according to the determination result;
A connection test method for communication equipment, comprising: The program for making a computer perform each process of the connection test method of the communication apparatus of Claim 10. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 11.

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