MAPS™ CAP Protocol Emulator

Overview

GL's Message Automation & Protocol Simulation (MAPS™) is a multi-protocol, multi-technology platform used for the emulation of a variety of communication protocols over IP, TDM, ATM and Wireless networks. MAPS™ can be used to test signaling over legacy networks (such as CAS, SS7, ISDN, PPP and more), IP networks (such as SIP, MGCP, MEGACO, SIGTRAN, Diameter…) and also the Wireless technologies including GSM, UMTS, and LTE networks. Recently, CAMEL (Customized Applications for Mobile networks Enhanced Logic) Application Part (CAP) Protocol emulation capability has been added.

GL's MAPS™ CAP Emulator (MTP2/ATM) can emulate CAP (CAMEL Application Part) supplementary services such as unified messaging, prepaid, and toll-free (Freephone). These services are available in TDM/ATM and IP based GSM, GPRS, UMTS networks. CAP information flow is defined between functional entities such as Service Control Function (SCF) and Service Switching Function (SSF) distributed across network executing services.

MAPS™ CAP functionality covers the ITU and ANSI variants of GSM, GPRS, UMTS implementing M3UA, M2PA, MTP3 and ISUP protocols over TDM/ATM and IP. CAP can be transported using 'traditional' protocols carried by Message Transfer Protocol (MTP) in TDM/ATM (T1 and E1) or over IP using SIGTRAN. With the popularity of the internet and IP, a special IP protocol called SIGTRAN is rapidly gaining acceptance to transport protocol signaling over IP.

MAPS™ CAP scripts, suitable for testing objects reliably and accurately validated for compliance with ANSI and ITU specifications. It is suitable for controlling telecommunication services such as Camel Voice Call Service – which includes Prepaid Call, Toll-free call (free phone), Low Balance Call Services (release on low balance, play announcement on low balance), Camel GPRS Service, Camel SMS Service, and Camel Initiate Call Attempt (ICA) Service.

The tester supports testing network elements SSF and SCF, error tracking, regression testing, conformance testing, and load testing/call generation. It can run pre-defined test scenarios against CAP interface test objects in a controlled & deterministic manner.

MAPS™ Emulator supports powerful utilities like Message Editor, Script Editor, and Profile Editor which allow new scenarios to be created or existing scenarios to be modified using CAP messages and parameters.

MAPS™ CAP ATM uses SSCOP server for establishing SSCOP links over which IN signaling will be carried further for making calls. SSCOP Server is GL's WCS based server module and provides SSCOP, and AAL5 layer services.

Over successfully established call, traffic can be generated. MAPS™ CAP ATM internally uses AAL5 Traffic Generator for traffic generation. Various traffic types like Tone, Digits and File playback are supported.

The AAL5 traffic simulation supports the following actions:

• Transmitting Voice Files
• Transmitting DTMF, MF Digits, and other Tones and Dual Tones
• Recording Voice Files
• Monitoring Single and Dual Tones, DTMF, and MF digits

MAPS™ supports Command Line Interface (CLI) and when configured as server-side application enables remote controlling of the application through multiple command-line based clients including Python, Java, TCL and others, using MAPS™ client-server architecture (requires additional license).

GL also provides various set of protocol analyzer for on-line capture and decode of the signaling in real-time both during tests and as a stand-alone tracer for live systems. Please visit Protocol Analysis page for more details.

Possible applications include:

• Multi-protocol, Multi-interface Simulation
• Test Service Usage Charging for Voice, Data, SMS, etc
• Cost-of-call verification through balance check
• Test Premium Calling and Toll-Free Services
• Provides fault insertion, and erroneous call flows testing capability.
• Performance testing, Load Testing, Functional testing, Regression testing and Conformance testing of network elements.
• Ready scripts make testing procedure simpler, less time consuming and hence time to market products.
• Test response of network against protocol message modification, or corruption
• Inter-operability testing of networks