Architecture for testing protocols

A method for testing a communications network protocol, running on a piece of equipment, the method comprising:

• continuously capturing, by a sniffer, traces corresponding to sequences of messages of the protocol being tested,
• filtering the captured traces based on formalized properties of the requirements of the protocol being tested, the formalized properties being derived from the standard and/or from the technical specification governing the protocol, and
• transferring the filtered traces to a tester configured to emit verdicts by checking whether the traces meet the requirements of the formalized properties of the protocol being tested, wherein
• the tester is saturated when a priority is lowered and/or when the tester reaches a limit on the quantity of traces that can be processed, and
• in which test method, if the tester becomes saturated, a workload notification is emitted so as to interrupt the transfer of the filtered traces to the tester, the traces are at least partially stored in memory in a temporary-storage memory, before the transfer of the filtered traces is resumed when the tester becomes available again.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for testing a communications network protocol, the computer program causing a computer to execute steps comprising:

• continuously capturing traces, corresponding to sequences of messages of the protocol being tested,
• filtering the captured traces based on formalized properties of the requirements of the protocol being tested, the formalized properties being derived from the standard and/or from the technical specification governing the protocol, and
• transferring the filtered traces to a tester configured to emit verdicts by checking whether the traces meet the requirements of the formalized properties of the protocol being tested, wherein
• the tester is saturated when a priority is lowered and/or when the tester reaches a limit on the quantity of traces that can be processed, and
• if the tester becomes saturated, a workload notification is emitted so as to interrupt the transfer of the filtered traces to the tester, the traces are at least partially stored in memory in a temporary-storage memory, before the transfer of the filtered traces is resumed when the tester becomes available again.