dsTest® supports both server emulation and client simulation capabilities with the Rf(Gz) Diameter application. Test PDN Gateway (PGW) interfaces and IMS Call Session Control Function (CSCF) interfaces in LTE networks with our Offline Charging System (OFCS) Emulator. Use the Charging Triggering Function (CTF) simulation in the Rf Interface application to test the capacity and performance of an OFCS. Use the OFCS Emulator and the Rf 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 Rf Interface application supports the following charging scenarios:
- Event Based Charging
- Session Based Charging
Server Emulation
The OFCS emulator handles offline charging procedures based on configurable subscriber profiles responding to charging events from CTFs and eliminating the need to dedicate a production OFCS to lab activities.
Read more about our OFCS Emulator.
Client Simulation
The Rf Interface application can be used to simulate a PGW’s or CSCF’s CTF functionality to determine the impact of new charging strategies or OFCS features and standards before they are deployed in a network. The Rf Interface application allows a user to validate OFCS performance and capacity in a realistic network environment, replicating the deployment configuration. The CTF can simulate the following Diameter Accounting actions to the OFCS:
- Start
- Interim
- Stop
- Event
- Abort
Advanced Testing Features
Enhance your testing with Developing Solutions® advanced testing features:
- 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.
- 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.
Read more about our SmartEvents feature.
Read more about our Advanced Diameter Testing Features.
Supporting Standards
- 3GPP TS 32.251 and 32.299
- Diameter – RFC 6733, 3588
- SCTP – RFC 2960 (RFC 3309 checksum)
- TCP – RFC 793