Programming interface aids 3G development

A new package of 3G test scenarios for the MLAPI multilingual application programming interface helps development labs adapt the R and S CRTU-W UMTS protocol tester to their needs.

Rohde and Schwarz already offers a wide selection of tree and tabular combined notation (TTCN) test cases for its R and S CRTU-W UMTS protocol tester.

Now the company has added a wide-ranging package of 3G test scenarios for the MLAPI C++ programming interface, responding to the needs of laboratories that have found the TTCN programming environment to be too inflexible and complicated for development work.

In addition, neither end-to-end applications nor interoperability can be tested with the official TTCN test cases.

The multilingual application programming interface now supports interoperability test cases for WCDMA (release 99) as well as extensive test scenarios for HSDPA (release 5).

The scenarios and source code are provided so that users can adapt the test cases to their individual needs.

The test cases specified in the TTCN description language contain a large number of different signalling scenarios.

On this level all aspects that are invisible to subscribers can be tested, such as the standards-compliant setup of a voice connection.

The MLAPI also provides the R and S CRTU-W with links to the user level.

Tests for applications or the data throughput actually implemented at the subscriber's end can thus be performed at high speed.

The release 99 compliant test case packages for UMTS cover functions currently used for mobile telephony up to 384Kbit/s.

The new HSDPA scenarios make it possible to test a mobile phone's response to changes in the datarate or to multiple-call situations.

Expanded scenarios for HSDPA tests such as mobility management and interradio access technology (RAT) scenarios are already available.

With the MLAPI, Rohde and Schwarz has enhanced the R and S CRTU W for development labs.

The interface is able to configure the lower UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) layers automatically.

As soon as a layer 3 message from a scenario has been sent, the MLAPI independently extracts the relevant information and distributes it to layers 1 and 2.

This reduces the developmental effort involved in generating scenarios, which is minimised even further by the new test case packages.

At the same time, the programming interface remains flexible, since users can create their own scenarios at any time.

Another new implementation is the R and S Message Composer, a graphical tool that developers can use to create and change layer 3 messages and their parameters.

One of the advantages this offers is that the dynamic sequence of the chosen scenario does not have to be recompiled.

To change the system information of the basestation, all you need to do is to edit the corresponding XML files in the Message Composer.

Rohde and Schwarz now provides more than 350 test cases for release 99 and HSDPA, helping labs that have to quickly generate test scripts to meet new requirements.

Also in the pipeline for the MLAPI are scenarios for HSUPA and for multimedia broadcast and multicast service (MBMS).

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