MSAN All-In-One Tester

All-In-One Solution for MSAN signaling tests.

MSAN All-In-One Tester

Overview

The MSAN All-In-One Tester is a powerful & field-proven signaling test system that terminates the network interface (MEGACO, SIGTRAN) of a Multi-Service Access Network (MSAN) allowing test calls to be made without an available NGN.  It is a self-contained, SAFIRE based test environment conforming to IETF, ITU-T & proprietary (on request) standards with the key components:

• NGN Softswitch Emulator
• MEGACO Signaling Tester
• SIGTRAN (DUA) Signaling Tester
• SIGTRAN (IUA) Signaling Tester
• VoIP Protocol Analyzer
• RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer
• SAFIRE Professional

Key Features

MEGACO & SIGTRAN (DUA/IUA) Signaling Testers

• Fully integrated, complete MSAN conformance test environment
• ISO conformant framework test suites for MEGACO & SIGTRAN (DUA/IUA)
• Graphical development environment & libraries for creating new tests
• Compatible with ACATS Professional Test Suites (not included)
• Expandable for SIP, ISUP-SIP interworking and more

VoIP Protocol Analyzer

• VoIP decode for ITU-T and IETF standards
• Multiple user defined levels of decode detail
• Single line decode showing key information (IP address, TCP or UDP ports...)
• Color formatting of field names and values for readability
• Built-in VoIP specific event masks used for filters, triggers and counters

RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer

• Easy to use, all-in-one RTP troubleshooting and analysis
• At a glance evaluation using SWiQI
• Drill-down to stream level for detailed analysis
• Real-time protocol analysis for detailed fault diagnosis

SAFIRE Professional

• SAFIRE Designer - graphical editor, viewer, compiler
• SAFIRE Campaigner - test execution & report generator
• SAFIRE Animator - slow motion replay (actions, events, behavior)
• SAFIRE Tracer - protocol analyzer
• SAFIRE Organizer - version control & project management
• SAFIRE VM Virtual Machine - high performance virtual machine

Description

Reproducing an NGN in a compact format, the MSAN All-In-One Tester is built around a softswitch emulator, which handles all the call signaling related to start-up, test calls and maintenance.  The pre-defined & validated signaling allows MSAN systems under test to make test calls without a physical NGN, resulting in rapid commissioning of new systems and pre-configuration of subscribers.

The MSAN All-In-One Tester includes MEGACO & SIGTRAN (DUA/IUA) Signaling Testers, which are conformance test environments for the signaling specifications as defined by the IETF standards.  They are SAFIRE based test harnesses able to run pre-defined ACATS test scenarios against MSAN test objects in a controlled & deterministic manner with documented confirmation of system functionality and diagnostics.

The test scenarios are easily customized for specific requirements using the SAFIRE graphical editor and MEGACO & SIGTRAN interface libraries (API), which define the signaling messages and parameters.  The tester includes a VoIP protocol analyzer for on-line capture and decode of the signaling in real-time both during tests and as a stand-alone tracer for live systems.

The test environment can be enhanced with the RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer (RTP TQA, optional) to generate an audio confirmation (playback or echo) for each test call as well as measuring the quality of audio streams from the MSAN.

The MSAN All-In-One Tester is suitable for on-site commissioning, conformance tests, functional tests, factory tests & acceptance tests.  Both the VoIP Protocol Analyzer and the RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer can be used passively during live operation of the MSAN with a real NGN to observe call signaling and audio (RTP) datastreams in real-time.

Based on the SAFIRE Professional toolchain, which has been designed for the implementation, validation & observation of signaling systems, users have access to a range of advanced features. 

Protocol Analysis

The VoIP Protocol Analyzer is a SAFIRE Tracer Plug-In for decoding VoIP signaling according to the protocol specifications provided by ITU-T & IETF standards.

This module also includes VoIP specific event masks for filtering, triggering, counting & searching, both for online & offline processing of captured data.

Supported protocols include

• H.323
• SIP
• SIP-T
• MGCP
• MEGACO

VoIP Protocol Architecture

RTP Traffic Quality Analysis

The RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer is a passive network monitor for the RTP signaling specification as defined by the IETF standards. It is a SAFIRE based application able to measure & analyze RTP quality metrics for VoIP networks.

The stream browser monitors the network traffic, automatically detecting & tracking RTP streams. The browser gives an on-line overview of the real-time status of active streams with quality metrics, such as jitter, delay & packet loss. The SAFIRE Weighted Quality Index (SWiQI) presents a color-coded, 'at-a-glance' summary of the quality metrics per stream & for the total RTP traffic. Detailed information for a stream can also be presented in real-time charts or saved as a report (HTML).

The network monitor includes a VoIP protocol analyzer for on-line capture & decode of the signaling in real-time, both during quality measurements & as a stand-alone tracer for live systems.

The RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer is suitable for quality & performance measurements in NGN environments & of components such as soft-switches, VoIP clients, routers & gateways.

RTP Traffic Quality Analyzer

SAFIRE Professional

SAFIRE Professional is a fully integrated development & run-time environment optimized for the implementation, validation & observation of signaling systems. It is used for a wide range of applications, such as gateways, signaling testers & protocol analyzers.

SAFIRE Professional

With over a decade of experience in the industry, the SAFIRE team has created a powerful, innovative tool chain based on international standards, such as UML, SDL, MSC, ASN.1 & TTCN (ITU-T, ETSI, ANSI, ISO).

SAFIRE Professional has an easy-to-learn graphical development environment for quickly creating, editing & building signaling systems, test harnesses & test suites.

With SAFIRE’s advanced testing features, signaling systems can be validated to various levels of confidence, from top-level tests to detailed conformance tests according to international standards.

SAFIRE tests are automated, deterministic, reproducible & documented.

For the observation of signaling systems, SAFIRE has a built-in protocol analyzer. It is able to capture system internal signaling events, as well as signaling traffic from live networks, using SAFIRE compatible probes & 3rd party applications. The captured events are decoded, formatted & presented according to configurable protocol stacks.

There are SAFIRE compatible libraries, test suites, drivers & hardware available for a wide range of signaling systems, including mobile, internet, aerospace & trunk networks.

The SAFIRE Professional tool chain has a modular architecture.

SAFIRE Professional Architecture