US 6,147,998 A · Method and apparatus for performing in-service quality of service testing

Abstract

An apparatus and method for determining the QoS of a communication system. In one embodiment a service verification equipment device (SVE) is placed into the communications link between the wide area network and the transmitting customer premise and an SVE is placed into the communications link between the wide area network and the receiving customer premise. The transmitting SVE inserts a test cell into the customer's data stream over communications link which informs the receiving SVE that a test is commencing. After a predetermined number of customer data cells are sent, the transmitting SVE inserts a termination cell into the communications link at the end of the test. The receiving SVE then compiles data related to the QoS of the communications link and that data is analyzed to determine the QoS.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of testing QoS in an in-service communications link comprising the steps of:

inserting, by a transmitting service verification equipment device located at a transmitting customer premise, a test initiation cell having a standard header and a specific payload into a data stream from said transmitting customer premise;
receiving, by a receiving service verification equipment device located at a receiving customer premise, the data stream;
determining by the receiving service verification equipment that a cell in the data stream is the test initiation cell by reading the specific payload of the cell, said cell payload indicating that a test is being initiated;
continuing to transmit by the transmitting service verification equipment device a number of cells of the customer's data stream;
receiving by said receiving service verification equipment device said number of cells of customer's data stream;
collecting by said receiving service verification equipment device statistical data regarding the QoS of the communications link;
inserting, by said transmitting service verification equipment device located at a transmitting customer premise, a test termination cell having a standard header and a specific payload into a data stream of said customer indicating to said receiving service verification equipment device located at said receiving customer premise that said test is being terminated;
and
analyzing said data collected by said receiving service verification equipment device to determine QoS.

6 more elements

A system for testing an in-service communications link between a first service customer located at a first service customer premise and a second service customer located at a second service customer premise, comprising:

a first service verification equipment device inserted between the first service customer and the in-service communications link passing data cells from the first service customer to the in-service communications link and passing to the in-service communications link a test initiation cell having a header identical to the data cells of the first service customer and having an unique payload;
a second service verification equipment device inserted between the in-service communications link and the second service customer passing data cells from the in-service communications link to the second service customer and recognizing the unique payload in the test initiation cell and not passing the test initiation cell on to the second service customer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for performing in-service quality of service testing

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for performing in-service quality of service testing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19