KR100255800B1 - Cell path testing method of atm exchange - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for testing cell paths in an ATM exchange is provided to make an operator easily confirm the start status of a cell path test by outputting a cell path test start message to the operator side immediately when the test is started. CONSTITUTION: An SPMF(Switch Path test Management Function) block collects information about a cell path test and transmits the information corresponding to 4 cell paths appointed by an operator to an SPTF(Switch Path Test and supervision Function) block. If the SPTF block receives information about one out of the 4 cell paths, the SPTF block judges whether the cell path is under test. If the cell path is not under test, the SPTF block confirms bandwidth usage status for the external links of an ASNM(Access Switching Network Module) in an ALS(ATM Local Switching) subsystem that the SPTF block belongs to. If the confirmation of bandwidth usage status is completed, the SPTF block analyzes bandwidth usage status information, selects an idle external link and determines a routing tag so that the test cells can be transmitted through the selected external link. Then the SPTF block transmits routing tag information to an ACTA in the ALS subsystem and sends a signal to inform the SPMF block that a test of a cell path has been started. The SPMF block, receiving the signal, outputs a message to notify a workstation that the cell path test has been started so that the operator can recognize it.

Description

Method of testing cell pathes in ATM exchange system

The present invention relates to a cell path test method of an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) switch. In particular, when a test is started for a cell path designated by an operator, the ATM switch outputs a message indicating that the test of the cell path has been started to the operator. It relates to a cell path test method.

Recently, with the development of technology such as digitization of voice and video, optical fiber, multimedia communication is enabled, and as a network supporting this, the implementation of a high-speed broadband network using ATM technology has been realized.

The ATM technology is a technology that can freely allocate a communication channel from low-speed low-capacity communication to high-speed broadband communication, and transmits information by a continuous flow of packets having a constant size. It is called a cell.

The ATM cell consists of a total of 53 bytes, of which 5 bytes are allocated as headers and 48 bytes as payload space. Here, the cell header section may include Generic Flow Control (GFC), Virtual Path Identifier (VPI), Virtual Channel Identifier (VCI), Payload Type (PT). , Cell Loss Priority (CLP), Header Error Control (HEC) Header Subdivision.

The ATM cell configured as described above is transmitted to the ATM network and arrives at the intended receiver at high speed according to the information written in the header. ATM cells arriving at the destination are reconstructed with the actual information after the header is examined.

On the other hand, the ATM switch is a system that performs a node function for connecting an ATM network and an ATM network or a subscriber to an ATM network in the case of a public network based on an ATM method. A virtual channel (VC) switch and a virtual path switch (VP) Separated by.

The ATM switch is implemented with a subscriber matching device, a switch network, a relay line matching device, and the processors for controlling them.

The subscriber matching device performs UPC traffic control along with UNI physical layer matching, ATM layer processing, signal cell and user cell separation transfer, header conversion, and OAM processing. In addition, the subscriber matching device may also include a medium-low speed subscriber matching function to provide services for existing subscribers other than ATM subscribers.

The switch network is realized by configuring a plurality of unit switches capable of high-speed switching of several hundred Mbits. Here, the ATM switch element is divided into an input buffer, an output buffer, a common memory, a common bus, a cross point switch, and the like according to its configuration.

The relay line matching device performs NNI interface physical layer processing, ATM layer processing, OAM processing, and the like, and performs a traffic control function in conjunction with a switch network. In addition, interworking with other networks such as telephone network, N-ISDN, packet network and frame relay network is included.

On the other hand, the ATM switch configured as described above includes a processor for operation and maintenance in the system for operation and maintenance functions, and is connected to a computer system (workstation, personal computer, etc.) externally. At this time, the connection between the external computer system and the ATM switching system operated by the operator is also made by ATM for high speed transmission.

In addition, a method for testing whether a cell path of an ATM switch is normally formed by the system internal processor and an external computer system is required. In the related art, an operator designates a cell path to be tested, and then a test result of the cell path from the ATM switch. There was no way to find out whether the current test was started and in progress, or if it could not be started in the meantime, so I could only wait for the results of the cell path test. As a result, the operator frequently fails to perform the cell path test quickly and smoothly.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and when the test of the cell path is started, the operator can easily check whether the test of the cell path is started by outputting a message indicating that the test of the cell path has been started. The purpose is to provide a cell path test method for an ATM switch.

In order to achieve the above object, a cell path test method of an ATM switch includes a first step of receiving a cell path test request command from an operator and analyzing the contents thereof, and a switch network among cell paths designated by the operator after the first step. A second step of checking the bandwidth usage status of the external link of the; and after analyzing the bandwidth usage status information of the external link confirmed after the second step of the routing tag to the test cells to transmit the test cells over the low-use external link ( and a fourth step of outputting a message indicating that the test of the cell path designated by the operator has started after the third step is transmitted by attaching a routing tag).

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an ATM switch to which the present invention is applied;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the ASNM shown in Figure 1,

3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of performing an SPTF block for cell path testing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a simplified structural diagram of an ATM switch to which the present invention is applied, and the ATM switch includes n ATM Local Switching (ALS) subsystems and an ATM Central Switching (ACS) subsystem.

The ALS subsystem includes a subscriber interface module (SIM), an access switching network module (ASNM) for accommodating each SIM, a call & connection control processor (CCCP) connected to the ASNM, and an ACTA.

The ACS subsystem is provided with an Interconnection Switching Network Module (ISNM) and an Operation and Maintenance Processor (OMP) connected to the ISNM, and an operator's workstation (W / S) is connected to the OMP.

The SIM provides a DS1E (2 Mbps), DS3 (45 Mbps), or STM-1 (155 Mbps) subscriber interface.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ASNM includes four Switch and Multi-Link board Assembly (SMLA) boards. In the SMLA board, two 16 × 16 unit switch blocks are configured in two stages to switch ATM cells inputted from external links of 16 ports into two groups (or 16 individual groups). It is re-input to the individual switch of the next stage and the lower group is output through the internal link. The 16 × 16 unit switch is doubled as A and B, and the two blocks of the redundant 16 × 16 unit switch are connected by an internal link of 8 ports which are doubled in a cross.

The 32 × 32 switches of the ASNM configured as described above form an Inter Module Interface (IMI) with a User Network Interface (UN), a Network Node Interface (NNI), or another switch block, respectively.

The CCCP includes an upper subscriber call processing function, a connection admission control function, a VPI / VCI allocation function, a station number translation function, a switch path selection function, a connection processing control function, a permanent virtual channel control function, and an ALS charging. It performs the function of reporting the connection processing related information such as the information to the OMP, and is equipped with a switch path test and supervision function (SPTF) block.

The ACTA is a hardware device that generates and transmits a test cell used for a cell path test, loops back, and compares the received cell with the transmitting cell to test whether the cells match.

The ISNM is similar to the structure of ASNM and has a 64 × 64 or 256 × 256 switch structure.

The OMP performs control functions related to general-purpose I / O management, matching and switching state management, subscriber management, system resource management, processor state management, and operation, and is equipped with a switch path test management function (SPMF) block. have.

In addition, the ACS subsystem and the n ALS subsystems are connected by a link, and call setup and data transfer between different ALS subsystems are configured through the ACS subsystem.

Hereinafter, a cell path experiment process of an ATM switch according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3.

First, when an operator inputs a cell path test request command (including test switch number, test port number, test duration, traffic mode, etc., and can test up to 4 cell paths at once) through the workstation, the operator enters the OMP of the ACS. The provided SPMF block receives the command and finds and stores the port number corresponding to the link connected to each ALS. That is, the port number of the ALS corresponding to each port of the ACS is retrieved and stored.

In addition, the SPMF block retrieves and stores a port number of an interface module (IM) connected to each ALS. Here, the interface module IM refers to subscriber and relay line boards, and various types of boards may exist.

When the information is collected through the above process, the SPMF block of the OMP transmits the information corresponding to the cell path designated by the operator to the SPTF block provided in the CCCP of the corresponding ALS block.

When the SPTF block receives information about one cell path, the SPTF block determines whether the cell path is currently being tested. As a result, if the cell path is not under test, it communicates with the call processing block that manages the bandwidth for the user cells, and the bandwidth usage state of the ASNM of the ALS to which the cell path belongs is used. Check that you are using bandwidth.

After checking the bandwidth usage status of the external link of the cell path to be tested through the above process, the SPTF block analyzes the bandwidth usage status information and selects a spare external link that is not used by the user cells. Determines a routing tag that causes them to be sent over the selected external link.

Thereafter, the SPTF block transmits routing tag information to the ACTA included in the ALS to which the SPTF block belongs, and sends a signal indicating that the test of the corresponding cell path has started to the SPMF block included in the OMP of the ACS subsystem.

When the SPMF block receives a signal indicating that the test of the cell path specified by the operator has started, the SPMF block outputs a message indicating the start of the test of the cell path to the workstation (W / S) so that the operator can confirm the test start of the cell path. Make sure

Meanwhile, when the ACTA receives the routing tag information, the ACTA attaches the received routing tag to the test cells and transmits the received routing tag information. Here, the VPI and VCI of the test cells are set to 104 and 1023, respectively, so that they can loop back to ACTA.

Subsequently, when the test cell transmitted by the self is looped back, the ACTA checks the received test cells to check whether there is an abnormality in the cell path, and then stores the comparison analysis result between the transmitted test cells and the received test cells. When all tests on the cell path have been completed, the results are sent to the SPTF block in the CCCP of the ASL to which it belongs.

More specifically, the ACTA measures the number of generated test cells, the number of received cells, the number of error cells, the number of lost cells, the number of duplicate cells, the transmission delay time, and transmits the result information to the SPTF block.

When the SPTF block receives the cell path test result from the ACTA, the SPTF block transmits the cell path test result to the SPMF block provided in the OMP of the ACS, and the SPMF block is received by the workstation (W / S) when the cell path test result is received. Output the result. That is, notify the operator of the cell path test results.

Thereafter, for the remaining cell paths specified by the operator, the CCCP of the ALS and the OTA of the ACTA and the ACS perform the cell path test procedures described above in turn to notify the operator of the start of each cell path test and the test results. do.

After the test for all cell paths is completed and the result is notified to the operator, the operator checks the test result for each cell path and checks for abnormal cell paths.

In addition, the operator can easily check whether the test of the cell path specified by the user can be performed more quickly and smoothly.

As described above, the present invention promptly informs the operator that the test of the cell path has been started when the test of the cell path is started, so that the operator can easily check whether the test of the cell path specified by the user is easily started. In this case, the maintenance of the ATM switching system is enhanced, thereby providing a high quality service to the user.

Claims (1)

A first step of receiving a cell path test request command from an operator and analyzing the contents; A second step of checking a bandwidth usage state of an external link of a switch network in a cell path designated by an operator after the first step; A third step of analyzing the bandwidth usage state information of the external link identified after the second step and attaching a routing tag to the test cells so that the test cells are transmitted through the external link with low usage; And a fourth step of outputting, to the operator side, a message indicating that the test of the cell path designated by the operator has started after the third step.

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