The Simple IP test cases test a PDSN's capability to service MNs in a simulated CDMA2000 network. This topic will guide you through configuring and running a basic Capacity Test, and then expanding the basic test with the optional behaviors available in the test case.
After you have a functioning test session, you can build tests using other test activities and options:
You can also test a PDSN in a VPN or VPRN configuration:
Using IPSec (Dynamic IPSec feature required)
You should have a basic understanding of the test system:
Prepare the system and gather information about the SUT
Add the SUT to the database if necessary
The PDSN SUT's IP address and authentication, PPP, and RP configurations.
To configure a Simple IP Capacity test:
The goal for the first test is to establish one MN session with the PDSN to confirm the test case definition, then to successfully execute the test with increased rates and multiple sessions, and finally, to customize the more advanced protocol, MN, and test case behaviors.
Create a new test session... and add a Simple IP test case... from the Basic library. The Test Case Settings window... opens to the General tab.
Devices and Addresses — Identify the SUT and define the PCF emulator
On the General tab, select the PDSN SUT from the System Under Test drop-down list.
Define the PCF Node. Select a Physical Interface and the first address in the interface's pool is displayed in Starting IP Address. This test will only use one PCF node.
If the routing defined on the test server encompasses the SUT, accept the Default Routing setting. If there is a gateway between the test server and the SUT, select Specify Next Hop IP Address and enter the gateway address in the adjacent field.
The node will use port 699 by default. Click Advanced... and define a Specific Port if the default is not acceptable.
RP Parameters — Define the RP interface between the PCF node and the SUT
On the RP tab, confirm that the SUT Port Number is compatible with the SUT.
Define the following parameters according to the SUT provisioning:
Include ESN... and/or Include MEID...
Review the Active Start Airlink Parameters and modify the defaults if necessary.
PPP Parameters — Define the synchronization mode, control protocol, and authentication
On the PPP tab, modify the default Magic Number... if necessary.
Select the Network Control Protocol... and enable Van Jacobson Compression... if it is required when IPCP is used.
If the SUT requires that authentication is performed, select the Authorization type on the PPP tab and configure the User Name and Password... The Auto-Increment feature gives you the ability to provision a unique User Name for each MN session.
Configure the AAA server that the SUT will use for authentication to accept the range of names that the test will produce when multiple MN sessions are used.
Select the Synchronization Mode, and configure ACCM if necessary.
You are now ready to test your configuration. The parameters that have not been addressed control optional behaviors that do not affect the success of a session. Click OK to accept the test case. If any parameters fail validation, you will receive an error indicating the problem parameter. Correct the problem and when the definition is accepted, the test case is listed in the Test Session window.
Run the test session, and a validation check is performed on the test session. This validation ensures that the IP addresses used by the test case do not conflict with any other test sessions that may be running on the test server, and that the test definition does not violate rate and volume limits. You will also receive an error if you attempt to run the test session on a test server that is already running at capacity or is otherwise unable to accept a test session. See Running a Test Session for more information on handling these types of errors.
Select the Reports tab when it becomes available. Ideally, your MN session is established and the Sessions Established, Attempted Session Connects, and Actual Session Connects measurements on the Test Summary tab are all 1. Explore the measurements displayed on the tabs. The measurement definitions are located in the Measurement Reference. Stop the test session when you are ready to continue.
|
TROUBLESHOOT: If the MN session fails to connect, Attempted Session Connects will increment but no connections are recorded. Eventually, Session Errors will accumulate as the connection is retried. Look at the protocol measurement tabs, starting with the lowest layer, Open R-P. If you see Attempts without corresponding Successes, look at the error counters for an indication of why the RP sessions are failing. The most common cause of RP session failures is a connectivity problem. Registration Reply Timeout reports RP connectivity problems. Confirm that the SUT address is correct, and that the address assigned to the PCF node does not conflict with another device in the test network. You can also SSH to the test server as cfguser and ping the SUT. If RP sessions are establishing but the problem lies with PPP, you will see Attempts without Successes on the PPP report tab. Look at the PPP error counters for the reason. |
Next, increase the MN sessions and the test rates. Edit the test case... and set the Number of Sessions to 100 and the Session Connect Rate and Session Disconnect Rate to 10.
OK the change, and Run the test session again. This time you should be able to see the MN sessions establish over 10 seconds (10 sessions each second).
|
TROUBLESHOOT: If all the MN session fail to establish, Attempted Session Connects will be larger than Actual Session Connects and Sessions Established. The most likely reason is a problem with parameter values that increment for each MN session:
|
Finally, customize the optional behaviors to tailor the test to your purpose.
General options:
Add auxiliary service instances to the test with Aux Per Mobile Node... When you use auxiliary service instances, you can define different Active Start Airlink Parameters for each instance and must check the NVSE Service checkbox to include the Service Option NVSE in RRQ messages.
You can apply a distribution model to vary the activation and deactivation rates with Interval Distribution on the Mobile Node sub-tab. Click the Advanced Settings... button and the Interval Distribution dialogs opens.
You can introduce errors in the PCF node using the Advanced... options on the PCF Node sub-tab.
RP options:
Mobility Event Indicator Control (this option is not necessary yet, but will be needed for handoff tests)
PPP options:
Error Inject... (with asynchronous PPP)
After you have finished the definition and successfully tested it, save the test case and the test session as "Simple IP Base" or something similar.
Continue building your standard tests with a VPN configuration, or expand your base Simple IP test with other test activities or Data Traffic.
To configure a Simple IP VPN test:
You can test a PDSN with a VPN or VPRN access model using the Simple IP VPN test case.
Create a new test session... and add a Simple IP VPN test case... from the Basic library. Define the parameters on the General, RP, and PPP tabs as you would for a Simple IP test.
Devices and Addresses — Define the MN addresses, Security Gateway Node, and optional second SUT.
Select the General tab.
If you are testing a VPN configuration, only one PDSN is used (the RP SUT) and the L2TP tunnel is established between it and the Security Gateway node. With the VPRN configuration, two PDSNs are used. One handles the MN sessions while the other terminates the L2TP tunnel with the SG node. If this is the case, check the L2TP box and select a PDSN SUT.
In this test, the MN addresses are assigned by the Security Gateway. Enter a starting address in Starting IP Address Pool.
Select the Security Gateway sub-tab.
Select a different Physical Interface than you used for the PCF Node, and accept the first address in the interface's pool. This test will only use one node — enter 1 in Number of Nodes.
The node will use port 1701 by default. Click Advanced... and define a Specific Port if the default is not acceptable.
If the routing defined on the test server encompasses the SUT, accept the Default Routing setting. If there is a gateway between the test server and the SUT, select Specify Next Hop IP Address and enter the gateway address in the adjacent field.
L2TP Parameters — Define the L2TP connection between the Security Gateway node and the SUT
Confirm that the SUT L2TP Port Number is compatible with the SUT, and modify it if necessary.
If authentication is used, check the Enable Tunnel Authentication box and enter a Password. When challenge-response authentication is used, check the Require Authentication box and set the Send Challenge Size.
PPP-L2TP Parameters — Define the synchronization mode and control protocol for PPP/L2TP
Modify the default Magic Number... if necessary. This value must be different than the number defined on the PPP tab.
Select the Network Control Protocol and enable Van Jacobson Compression if it is required when IPCP is used.
The Security Gateway node does not support authentication. Select None from the Authorization drop-down list.
Select the Synchronization Mode, and configure ACCM if necessary.
Follow the same process used in the Simple IP test to test your configuration. First run the test with one MN session, and then gradually expand the test definition, running the test session to validate the definition at each stage.