System, method, and computer program for testing composite services in a communication network utilizing test data

A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including computer code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

• identifying, by a computer system, a service to test, the service being formed from an integration of a first virtual network function (VNF) and a second VNF in a network function virtualization (NFV)-based communication network, wherein the first VNF and the second VNF have different functionality and wherein the first VNF is chained to the second VNF such that output of the first VNF is input to the second VNF;
• testing, by the computer system, the service by:
• identifying, by the computer system, test data for testing the service and a definition indicating a portion of the test data that is idempotent data for the first VNF such that the portion of the test data will be forwarded unchanged by the first VNF to the second VNF,
• sending, by the computer system, the identified test data to the service such that the test data is processed through the first VNF and the second VNF,
• as a result of sending the test data to the service, receiving, by the computer system, a first output from the second VNF,
• determining, by the computer system from the identified definition, the portion of the test data that is idempotent data for the first VNF,
• sending, by the computer system, the determined portion of the test data directly to a separate instance of the second VNF such that the portion of the test data is processed through the separate instance of the second VNF without first being processed through the first VNF,
• as a result of sending the determined portion of the test data to the separate instance of the second VNF, receiving, by the computer system, a second output from the separate instance of the second VNF, and
• comparing, by the computer system, the first output with the second output,
• as a result of the comparing:
• (a) determining, by the computer system, that the integration of the first VNF and the second VNF in the service performs correctly when the first output matches the second output, and
• (b) determining, by the computer system, that the integration of the first VNF and the second VNF in the service performs does not perform correctly when the first output does not match the second output.

A system comprising:

• a memory system;
• and
• one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system and that are each configured to:
• identify a service to test, the service being formed from an integration of a first virtual network function (VNF) and a second VNF in a network function virtualization (NFV)-based communication network, wherein the first VNF and the second VNF have different functionality and wherein the first VNF is chained to the second VNF such that output of the first VNF is input to the second VNF:
• test the service by:
• identifying test data for testing the service and a definition indicating a portion of the test data that is idempotent data for the first VNF such that the portion of the test data will be forwarded unchanged by the first VNF to the second VNF,
• send the identified test data to the service such that the test data is processed through the first VNF and the second VNF,
• as a result of sending the test data to the service, receive a first output from the second VNF,
• determine, from the identified definition, the portion of the test data that is idempotent data for the first VNF,
• send the determined portion of the test data directly to a separate instance of the second VNF such that the portion of the test data that is processed through the separate instance of the second VNF without first being processed through the first VNF,
• as a result of sending the determined portion of the test data to the separate instance of the second VNF, receive a second output from the separate instance of the second VNF,
• compare the first output with the second output,
• as a result of the comparing:
• (a) determine that the integration of the first VNF and the second VNF in the service performs correctly when the first output matches the second output, and
• (b) determine that the integration of the first VNF and the second VNF in the service performs does not perform correctly when the first output does not match the second output.