3G Test Cases for C++ Programming Interface

Europe Germany : Rohde & Schwarz has already taken the lead with its selection of tree and tabular combined notation (TTCN) test cases for the R&S CRTU-W UMTS protocol tester. The company now also offers a wide-ranging package of 3G test scenarios for the MLAPI C++ programming interface. Rohde & Schwarz is thus responding to the needs of laboratories, for a TTCN programming environment is too inflexible and complicated for development.

In addition, neither end-to-end applications nor interoperability can be tested with the official TTCN test cases. For the MLAPI there are now interoperability test cases for WCDMA (release 99) as well as extensive test scenarios for HSDPA (release 5). The scenarios including source code are provided so that users can adapt the test cases to their individual needs.

The test cases specified in the TTCN description language contain a large number of different signaling scenarios. On this level all aspects that are invisible to subscribers can be tested, such as the standard-compliant setup of a voice connection. The MLAPI also provides the R&S CRTU-W with links to the user level. Tests for applications or the data throughput actually implemented at the subscriber's end can thus be performed at high data rates.

The test case packages for UMTS in accordance with release 99 cover functionalities currently used for mobile telephony up to 384 kbit/s. The new HSDPA scenarios make it possible to test a mobile phone's response to changes in the data rate or to multicall situations. Expanded scenarios for HSDPA tests such as mobility management and interradio access technology (RAT) scenarios are already available.

With the MLAPI, Rohde & Schwarz provides an enhancement to the R&S CRTU W that is of interest especially to development labs. The interface is able to configure the lower UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) layers automatically. As soon as a layer 3 message from a scenario has been sent, the MLAPI independently extracts the relevant information and distributes it to layers 1 and 2. This reduces the developmental effort involved in generating scenarios, which is minimized even further by the new test case packages. At the same time, the programming interface remains flexible, since users can create their own scenarios at any time.

Another new implementation is the R&S Message Composer, a graphical tool that developers can use to create and change layer 3 messages and their parameters. One of the advantages this offers is that the dynamic sequence of the chosen scenario does not have to be recompiled. To change the system information of the base station, all you need to do is to edit the corresponding XML files in the Message Composer.

Rohde & Schwarz now provides altogether more than 350 test cases for release 99 and HSDPA. The company thus supports labs that have to quickly generate test scripts to meet new requirements. Also in the pipeline for the MLAPI are scenarios for HSUPA and for multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS).

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