Next-Generation Network Assessment

ISUP Performance Test Suite

Highlights
Generation and termination of up to 500 calls/s per T1/E1 port
(up to ten T1/E1 ports per chassis)
Various ISUP trafc characteristics (uniform, poisson, step, burst
and random) simultaneous emulation
320 000 endpoints, 40 SS7 signaling endpoints (SSP or STP)
and 163 840 for ANSI, 81920 for ITU-T circuit ID code (CIC)
emulation per chassis
User-denable ISUP messages content and call ow
ISUP message generation during load test
Extensive call statistics and troubleshooting logs
SIP, ISUP, NCS (PacketCable), Diameter, H.323 and Megaco
support in a single chassis
Overview
Circuit-switched and packet-based networks are converging. VoIP popularity is growing and circuit-switched networks
built for voice communications are affected by the growth of in-dial data access. Network operators, service providers and
equipment manufacturers are facing new challenges in ensuring converged network readiness for planned trafc volume,
quality of service and interoperability. The media gateway controller (softswitch), the trafc manager and the bridge
between circuit-switched and packet-based networks, plays a crucial role in the converged SS7/IP networks.
The ISUP Performance Test Suite is an advanced hardware and software solution that emulates the whole SS7 network
and generates high volumes of ISUP trafc. It emulates real-world network conditions and enables network equipment
manufacturers and network operators to perform stability, performance benchmarking, reliability and scalability tests
of media gateway controllers (MGC/softswitch).
The ISUP Performance Test Suite is part of the High-Performance VoIP Test Solution, which also includes SIP, Megaco and
NCS (PacketCable).
Large-Scale and High-Performance Solution
The ISUP Performance Test Suite can generate and is able to respond
to thousands of calls per second. It offers a large-scale test solution
that can emulate four SS7 signaling endpoints (SSP or STP) and 32 000
endpoints and 500 calls per second per T1/E1 port. Users can congure
various test proles within a single test so as to replicate real-world
signaling trafc scenarios.
Several signaling links can be congured to emulate SS7 network
groups, each with its own ISUP trafc characteristics as dened
below:

Trafc prole (receive only, uniform, poisson, step, burst and random)

Call rate and call rate variation during the life of the test (initial call rate, nal call rate, increment/decrement call rate)

Call hold time (innite, xed and random)

Message content for every message generated by the ISUP application

ISUP call ow
Characterizing MGC Response to Network Congestion
The ISUP Performance Test Suite supports SS7 compliant protocol stacks, which will respond appropriately to network
congestion. Once network congestion is detected, the application will stop generating calls until such time the network
has returned to a normal state. This dynamic response to network congestion will enable users to correctly characterize the
behavior of the softswitch during network congestion.
Characterizing MGC Response to Network Failure
The ISUP Performance Test Suite enables users to characterize the behavior of the softswitch when network failure
occurs in order to verify whether the ISUP trafc is rerouted away from faulty signaling points, signaling links and/or signaling
link groups.
During a normal load test, users can send an asynchronous message such as a circuit group blocking message forcing the
MGC to release the affected links and re-route the trafc from the affected links.
Failover Testing
The ISUP Performance Test Suite enables users to characterize the stability and efciency of the softswitch fault-tolerant
mechanisms. It enables users to measure the media gateway controller (softswitch) failover response and recovery time
under various network loads.
Dening and Generating User-Dened Messages
This test suite enables users to dene any ISUP message during the
execution of a test and then generate this message to the device under
test. This feature allows users to perform negative and positive testing
of the softswitch under load. The contents of the generated message
and the response of the device under test can be viewed in the message
display window.
Functional/Positive Testing
The core functions of the media gateway controller can be tested using the
Functional mode of the ISUP Performance Test Suite.
In this mode users can dene:

ISUP messages content

Automatic response to incoming ISUP messages with either the
standard or user dene ISUP message

Call owgenerates ISUP messages or responds to incoming
messages based on a standard or user-dened call ow

Predened or on-the-y user-denable call ow
Negative Testing
To verify proper protocol implementation and characterize the softswitch behavior when subjected to protocol errors, the
ISUP Performance Test Suite allows users to:

Ignore incoming messages
Generate incorrect responses

Specify a delay before responding to incoming messages

Dene compliant and non-compliant ISUP messages and call ow
Statistics
The ISUP Performance Test Suite provides a comprehensive list of statistics and troubleshooting logs to aid in the
identication of stability, reliability, performance and scalability issues that could arise during the tests. The following
statistics are provided in real-time and are also stored in a comma separated le for post analysis.
Links Status

MTP1

MTP2

MTP3



Global Cumulative Statistics
The following statistics are available for outgoing and incoming calls:

Number of active calls

Number of successful/unsuccessful calls

Minimum/average/maximum call establishment time

Minimum/average/maximum call rate

Number of retransmitted/duplicated messages

Number of confusion messages

ISUP messages counters
Troubleshooting Capabilities
To aid in troubleshooting, a comprehensive set of statistics, protocol
message information and troubleshooting logs captured by the application,
are available in real-time. Once a protocol error, failed call or any abnormal
behavior is observed, the user can immediately launch a protocol analyzer
from within the ISUP Performance Test Suite to perform protocol analysis.
All protocol errors observed by the application protocol stack are logged
to le with timestamp and other detailed protocol information required
to identify the root cause of the error.
All statistics, protocol messages and troubleshooting logs can be saved
to a le for post analysis.
Target Users
Network equipment manufacturers use this solution to verify the
proper ISUP protocol implementation, analyze softswitch performance,
stability, reliability, interoperability and scalability under normal and abnormal
network conditions.
Network operators use this solution to evaluate network equipment before
they are deployed and to perform regression testing of new versions of
network devices before upgrading their existing network.
ORDERING INFORMATION
For ordering information, please contact isales@EXFO.com
2009 EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed in Canada 09/11
SPISUP.2AN
2008
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must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. EXFO has made every effort to ensure that the information contained in this specification sheet is accurate. However, we accept no responsibility for
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