Some issues in protocol implementation testing

ABSTRACT

Communication between various makes of communication equipment and across international boundaries is becoming easier due to the continuing development of international standards on communication protocols, such as those defined by ISO for Open Systems Interworking (OSI). Although the agreement to use standard protocols by the various parties involved is the first necessary step towards OSI, it is not sufficient without assuring that the protocols be correctly implemented in the communication equipment. The assessment of the adherence of a communication protocol implementation to its specification relies on testing as its main tool. The development of the tests and their application (the architecture of the test system) have properties and constraints which make them different from those currently created for testing hardware and software systems. In the remainder of the presentation, these constraints and problems as related to the successful development of a protocol test system will be reviewed. They will be separated into those aspects which pertain more to the form of the test support system (the system architecture), and to those which influence the selection of effective test interaction sequences. This division is slightly arbitrary, for some of the issues have effect on both of the above components of the test system.

REFERENCES

• 1: Bochmann,G.v., Cerny,E., Maksud,M., Sarikaya,B., "Testing of transport protocol implementations", Proc. CIPS Conf., Ottawa, 1983, pp.123-129.
• 2: Cerny,E., Bochmann,G.v., "An experimental protocol implementation testing system", CERBO Informatique Inc., prepared under DOC/DSS Canada contract OST82-0092, 1983.
• 3: ISO TC97/SC16 N1347 (revised July 1983), "An FDT based on an extended state transition model".
• 4: Maksud,M, "Un système de tests de protocoles de communication", Mémoire de maitrise (M.Sc.), Dépt I.R.O., Univ. de Montréal, 1983.
• 5: Sarikaya,B., Bochmann,G.v., "Synchronization and specification issues in protocol testing", IEEE Trans. Comm., to appear in 1984.
• 6: Sarikaya,B., Ph.D. Thesis, McGill University, in preparation, to be submitted Spring 1984.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.2 Network Protocols

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.2 Network Protocols
          Subjects: Protocol architecture (OSI model)

  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.5 Testing and Debugging
          Subjects: Testing tools (e.g., data generators, coverage testing)

General Terms:
Verification