dsTest® supports both server emulation and client simulation for the Gxx Diameter application. Test Serving Gateway (SGW) Gxc interfaces in Evolved Packet Core (EPC) networks and Access Network Gateway (AN GW) Gxa interfaces in trusted IP Connectivity Access Networks (IP-CAN) with our Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) Emulator. Use the Gxx Interface application to simulate a Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function (BBERF) to test the capacity and performance of a PCRF. Use the PCRF Emulator and Gxx Interface application in tandem to test Diameter Proxies, Relay Agents, and Redirect Agents.
A rich set of operational measurements is collected at specified intervals and stored in a SQLite database on the dsTest server. Real-time measurements may be retrieved through our dsClient™ CLI interface or graphed via our dsClient GUI interface.
Implementation
The Gxx application implements the following procedures:
- Bearer control mode selection
- Provisioning of event triggers
- QoS rules request
- QoS rules provision
- Gateway control session termination
- Request of gateway control session termination
Server Emulation
The PCRF emulator executes procedures based on configurable subscriber profiles and PCC rules, responding to requests 
and reports from BBERFs and eliminating the need to dedicate a production server to lab activities. You can execute a test event chain with a run-time command or during an automated test to request IP-CAN session terminations for specified subscribers or to simulate changing network conditions:
- Register or cancel event triggers in the BBERF
- Install, modify, or remove QoS rules in the BBERF
When the Gx interface is also present, session binding is supported, along with QoS rule synchronization between Gx and Gxx, and complete policy and charging control emulation for non-3GPP access is possible.
Read more about our PCRF Emulator.
Client Simulation
The Gxx Interface application can be used to simulate an SGW’s or AN GW’s BBERF functionality to determine the impact of new PCRF features and standards before they are deployed in a network. The Gxx Interface application allows users to validate PCRF performance and capacity in a realistic network environment, replicating the deployment configuration.
Execute timed chains of test events with a run-time command or during an automated test to trigger client-initiated procedures.
- Start and stop specified subscriber sessions, simulating real-world subscriber activity
- Simulate gateway control session modifications with QoS rules update requests, modifying previous requests for resources or adding new requests
Multiple SGW and AN GW nodes can be instantiated on a single server, each with scalable subscriber loads and transaction rates. In this mode, up to 1000 independent nodes may be simultaneously simulated. The nodes are fully independent and their subscriber configurations may also be independent, overlap, or be duplicated.
Read more about our Capacity and Performance.
Read more about testing policy management.
Advanced Testing Features
Enhance your testing with Developing Solutions® advanced testing features:
- Insert, delete, or replace AVPs in your messages with our SmartAVP™ solution. SmartAVP enables you to define proprietary signaling or to corrupt AVPs to facilitate negative testing.
- Configure commands to define the series of actions and rates that each subscriber takes. Advanced profiles can be created using SmartEvents™ to define a mix of traffic based on probability assignments. With SmartEvents, you can specify when your SmartAVPs are used.
- Define a set of message templates against which all messages will be validated with our complete Diameter Dictionary. Every Diameter message is validated, even under load conditions.
Read more about our SmartEvents feature.
Read more about our Advanced Diameter Testing Features.
Supporting Standards
- Gxx – 3GPP TS 23.203 and 29.212
- Diameter – RFCs 6733, 3588 and 5516
- SCTP – RFC 2960 (RFC 3309 checksum)
- TCP – RFC 793