Designing and Implementing a Router Node Simulator for

Designing and Implementing a Router Node Simulator for Network Management Testing Presented by: Mikko Kyllönen 21. 5. 2008 Tellabs Internal and Confidential

Contents § Basic information § Background § Stress testing § Problem § Simulator design possibilities § Final design § Initialization mode § Simulation mode § Basic message handling § Simulator GUI § Faults and PMS data § Using the Simulator § Simulator performance § Conclusions and future development 2 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Basic information § Author: § Title: § Supervisor: § Employer: Mikko Kyllönen Designing and Implementing a Router Node Simulator for Network Management Testing Raimo Kantola Tellabs Oy The goal was to build a simulator that would simulate a large amount of Tellabs 8600 nodes so that Tellabs 8000 Network Manager would see them as real network equipment. 3 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Background § Tellabs 8600 Managed Edge System > 8600 series multiservice routers > Data transport in mobile access networks > IP MPLS over Ethernet, ATM, TDM… > VPN and pseudowire services § Tellabs 8000 Network Manager > 8600, 8100, 8800, 6300, 7100… > Several components > Element-, Network- and Service Management > FMS, PMS, customers, accounting, network tests 4 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Stress testing § Heavy tests in large environments § Efficiency in terms of delays and error caused by mass usage § Trend for efficiency during development releases § Now environments are database only, but this is not enough § This is where the Simulator is to be used 5 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Problem § How to test Tellabs 8000 Network Manager scalability? > Big networks: thousands of nodes… > Impossible to bring that many nodes to laboratory > Can’t test wild things in production networks § Could the nodes be simulated? > Information model – Very complex > BMP protocol for node communication – Hexacode based – Quite simple – Well specified 6 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Possibilities for simulator design § Pure infomodel implementation > Hard task, maintenance problem § EMS server internal simulator > Very hard task, might not work § ESW porting to Windows platform > Does not scale 7 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Final design § Initialization --> Simulation § The Simulator is initialized by running an automated test case through the simulator. § The Simulator stores all the messages and “learns” how to reply to each message type § The stored messages are used as a basis for the reply in the simulation mode § Uses the features of BMP protocol § Several advantages: quite simple, low maintenance, scalable 8 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Initialization mode § Two modes: > Initialization mode 9 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Simulation mode § Two modes: > Simulation mode 10 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Basic message handling § Receive the request § Find a similar request from message database § Get the matching response as basis for the new response § Change message id and other fields if needed § Send back to NMS 11 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Simulator GUI § Intuitive § Easy to use § Only the needed features 12 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Faults and PMS data § Special message handlers § Support for a limited set of faults > Easy to add more § PMS data only for T 1 s > Others use SNMP > SNMP support planned but not implemented 13 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Using the simulator § For basic load § Tests to real HW § More like real network environment 14 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Simulator performance § Tested with 5000 nodes § Probably would handle a lot more § Max CPU 9%, max memory usage 30, 1 MB § Biggest initialization 10 h and 33 k messages § IP addressing a problem, workaround done 15 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Conclusions and Future development § Conclusions > The project went well > Simulator is being used > Simulator has been found useful § Future > More product families 8100, 7100, 8800, 6300 > SNMP > Generic fault and PMS features > Simulator programmability 16 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021

Questions 17 Tellabs Internal and Confidential 3/4/2021