Injecting lost packets and protocol errors in a simulation environment

A system for testing a packet sequence number checker for a packet-based data communication between two interconnected devices, wherein data packets are received in an order from one of the two interconnected devices and sent in the order to the other one of the two interconnected devices on a logical communication line, the system comprising:

• a random number generator to randomly select a received data packet with a first sequence number from a packet data stream on the logical communication line between the two interconnected devices;
• a buffer to store the randomly selected data packet;
• a comparator adapted to compare a length of a later received data packet with a second sequence number from the same sender of the two interconnected devices with the randomly selected data packet stored in the buffer;
• and
• a replacing unit adapted to replace the later received data packet in the order on the logical communication line between the two interconnected devices by the randomly selected data packet stored in the buffer by injecting the randomly selected packet from the packet data stream back into the packet data stream on the logical communication line between the two interconnected devices such that the packet data stream is received from a first device of the two interconnected devices and sent to a second device of the two interconnected devices, wherein based on the replacing in the order, the second device receives the first sequence number in the order in place of the second sequence number via the logical communication line, generating an error within the packet sequence number checker.

A computer program product for testing a packet sequence number checker for a packet-based data communication between two interconnected devices, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising:
• randomly selecting a received data packet with a first sequence number from a packet data stream on a logical communication line between the two interconnected devices, wherein data packets are received in an order from one of the two interconnected devices and sent in the order to the other one of the two interconnected devices on the logical communication line;
• storing the randomly selected received data packet in a buffer;
• comparing a length of a later received data packet with a second sequence number from the same sender of the two interconnected devices with the randomly selected received data packet stored in the buffer;
• and
• replacing the later received data packet in the order on the logical communication line between the two interconnected devices, with the randomly selected received data packet stored in the buffer, wherein the packet data stream is received from a first device of the two interconnected devices and sent to a second device of the two interconnected devices, wherein based on the replacing in the order, the second device receives the first sequence number in the order in place of the second sequence number via the logical communication line, generating an error within the packet sequence number checker.