INAP conformance test system development and verification using IUT simulator

This paper describes the design and implementation of an intelligent network application protocol (INAP) conformance tester. The INAP conformance test system consists of the abstract test suite (ATS) generation function, the test preparation function, the test execution function, and test analysis function. For rapid development and credibility of the test system, we made use of commercially available CASE software and a protocol tester. The developed test system is verified by using an IUT (implementation under test) simulator. Verification of the test system comprises ATS verification and the test execution manager verification. Verification of the ATS includes correcting the logical and syntactic errors generated during running the executable test suite (ETS) against the IUT simulator. In the test execution manager verification, various manager functions such as test case selection and timer processing are examined if they operate properly. While it is practically impossible to guarantee the perfection of the test system, the use of IUT simulator greatly enhances the credibility of the test system. The test system has been used for testing an IP system, an SCP system, and an SSP system.