Patents Assigned to Spirent Communications
  • Patent number: 10659339
    Abstract: A transmission control protocol (TCP) session processing architecture for conducting numerous TCP sessions during testing of a network-under-test: multiple processor cores running, allocated to TCP session handling, and program instructions configured to distribute processing of each TCP session across multiple cores with a first set of cores allocated to handle TCP control, a second set of cores allocated to handle TCP packet transmission, and a third set of cores allocated to handle TCP packet receiving. The TCP session processing architecture also includes a shared memory accessible to the first, second and third sets of cores, that holds PCBs for each of numerous TCP sessions during the testing with update access controlled by an atomic spinlock processor instruction that each TCP state machine running on a core must engage to secure the update access to a respective PCB, in order to proceed with state processing of its respective TCP session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Jyotikumar U. Menon
  • Publication number: 20200145301
    Abstract: The present invention relates to testing signals on a coaxial home network that carries a digital video signal. It has direct application to testing Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) standards-compliant networks and applies to similar networks such as Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), Ethernet, and Wi-Fi. An embedded expert system can guide an inexperienced operator through the process of evaluating and resolving problems with a home network with little operator input.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Publication date: May 7, 2020
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas GRINKEMEYER, David DAILEY
  • Publication number: 20200132856
    Abstract: A method is provided for calibrating a test platform including a plurality of system outputs to align RF signals generated by the system outputs. RF power of a combined RF signal is detected, where the combined RF signal is from a reference RF signal generated by a reference system output in the plurality of system outputs and a test RF signal generated by a test system output in the plurality of systems outputs. A phase of the test RF signal is iteratively shifted relative to the reference RF signal until the detected RF power reaches a minimum. The test RF signal is inverted to be in-phase with the reference RF signal when the combined RF power reaches the minimum. A system is also provided for calibrating a test platform including a plurality of system outputs to align RF signals generated by the system outputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, PLC
    Inventors: Neil Christopher Pearse, Mark Geoffrey Holbrow
  • Patent number: 10621075
    Abstract: Computer networks include multiple hardware and software devices, each working together to provide a favorable user experience to an operator. Many of these devices are built to standards that have been published by international standards organizations. These standards include functional test criteria that, when executed successfully, assure functionality of the device within a group of devices. The technology disclosed maintains libraries of canned tests based on these published standards. In addition, the technology disclosed can collect, adapt, and execute sets of predefined transactions to a target test network. This will validate that the target test network can scale up to a desired combination of transactions of different types. This is accomplished by manipulating example transaction sets captured from probes or routers that save network accounting records from a model network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: SPIRENT COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Brian Buege
  • Patent number: 10613958
    Abstract: The technology disclosed relates to implementing a virtual test platform (VTP) and running virtual test applications (VTAs) from an unsecured location. Using a phone home service, the VTP establishes a secure tunnel connection with a test controller. The VTP receives configuration information for a VTA from the test controller. If the VTA is not stored on the VTP, the VTP retrieves the VTA from a repository specified by the test controller. The configuration information from the test controller includes information needed for the VTP to set up a second secure tunnel. The VTP establishes the second secure tunnel and launches the VTA. The VTP relays information sent through the second tunnel to the VTA, and also relays messages from the VTA back to the test controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Grinkemeyer, David Dailey, Kevin Myers, Daniel Abarbanel
  • Publication number: 20200106682
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches automating evaluation of QoE for data communication services in a wireless network—accessing performance indicators, mappings for the performance indicators to SKQIs in a SKQI parameters table, and mappings for SKQIs to KQIs in an SKQI-to-KQI mapping table. The disclosed method includes configuring first and second functions that, respectively, roll up performance indicators into SKQIs based on parameters stored in the SKQI parameters table to calculate SKQI scores and weights, and roll up SKQIs into KQIs and QoE based on parameters stored in SKQI-to-KQI and SKQI-to-QoE mapping tables, to calculate KQI and QoE scores. Also disclosed is generating first SQL statements that invoke the first function to calculate the SKQIs and second SQL statements that invoke the second function to calculate KQIs and QoE, storing generated first and second SQL statements in non-volatile storage and calculating KQIs and QoE using the automatically generated SQL statements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2018
    Publication date: April 2, 2020
    Applicant: SPIRENT COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Swetha PENDYALA, Peter PENG, Ovidiu REGHIS, Marius ADAMUT
  • Publication number: 20200099572
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches alerting a network operator to deteriorated wireless network conditions with granularity and reduced false alerts, including receiving tracked performance indicators (KPIs) for multiple components of voice, data and messaging and accessing a mapping for combining the performance indicators into quality sub-indicators for individual users and into key quality indicators (KQI) for the individual users. This includes smoothing the current KQI measures of performance over time to reduce the impact of brief transitory events, accessing a weekly profile of KQIs, and comparing KQIs for a current time window to past KQIs for a corresponding time window for the individual users operating mobile devices in part of the cellular network that is a focus of interest. Based on the comparing, the disclosed technology includes generating alerts that report out-of-range current KQIs within the focus of interest that are persistently out-of-range for longer than a configurable time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Publication date: March 26, 2020
    Applicant: SPIRENT COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Peter PENG, Marius ADAMUT, Meenal AGARWAL, Brion FEINBERG, Ovidiu REGHIS, Thomas RUSSO
  • Patent number: 10587350
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for conducted massive MIMO array testing uses an efficient method of utilizing hardware resources for emulating signals from a massive MIMO base station transceiver to a MIMO mobile unit as dictated by a channel model; and also for emulating signals from a MIMO mobile unit to a massive MIMO BS transceiver, as dictated by a channel model. The system uses a phase matrix combiner to emulate the angular behavior of the propagation using virtual probes, combined with a radio channel emulator to create the temporal, multipath, and correlation behavior of the propagation. Using a phase matrix function increases the number of antenna elements that can be utilized in a massive MIMO array emulation while keeping the required number of fading channels within the radio channel emulator at a reduced number, thus forming a cost effective, yet realistic test system for massive MIMO testing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Alfonso Rodriguez-Herrera, John Douglas Reed
  • Publication number: 20200073866
    Abstract: The technology disclosed relates to a method for storing and time-correlating real-time and queryable test results of a test of a device under test (DUT). The method includes initiating the test applied to the DUT to collect real-time data from a multitude of data streams for multiple aspects of the DUT, the collected data including counters and fact-type values, the collected data having imperfectly synchronized time bases and the collected data being collected from different sources asynchronously at different times, specifying a recording time interval for recording the data collected among multiple databases, recording data according to the specified recording time interval, such that each piece of the recorded data is associated with a particular time interval, and at a conclusion of the test, correlating the recorded data with the test configuration data about a test state in the respective time intervals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 5, 2020
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: David Joyner, Rahul Patel
  • Patent number: 10581664
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches alerting a network operator to deteriorated wireless network conditions with granularity and reduced false alerts, including receiving tracked performance indicators (KPIs) for multiple components of voice, data and messaging and accessing a mapping for combining the performance indicators into quality sub-indicators for individual users and into key quality indicators (KQI) for the individual users. This includes smoothing the current KQI measures of performance over time to reduce the impact of brief transitory events, accessing a weekly profile of KQIs, and comparing KQIs for a current time window to past KQIs for a corresponding time window for the individual users operating mobile devices in part of the cellular network that is a focus of interest. Based on the comparing, the disclosed technology includes generating alerts that report out-of-range current KQIs within the focus of interest that are persistently out-of-range for longer than a configurable time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Peng, Marius Adamut, Meenal Agarwal, Brion Feinberg, Ovidiu Reghis, Thomas Russo
  • Patent number: 10582400
    Abstract: The disclosed system for testing a massive MIMO beamforming antenna array of arbitrary size includes an anechoic chamber, and a mount for a MIMO array antenna positioned in the chamber, wherein the array has at least 8×4 antenna elements that are individually activated to steer transmissions from the array. The system includes dual element antenna probes positionable in the anechoic chamber, with feeds coupling one or more UE sources to the antenna probes; and the UE sources generate RF in OTA communication with the array, emulating multiple UE devices. Additionally the system includes base station electronics coupled to the array, and a test controller coupled to the base station electronics. The test controller signals the UE sources OTA via the array to invoke a connection to the UE sources and measure OTA channel performance between the array and the multiple UE devices emulated, the performance including at least throughput.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: John Douglas Reed
  • Patent number: 10536516
    Abstract: A utilization test generates the multiple dimensions of resource load on the first computer, the multiple dimensions including at least two of: a processor utilization dimension, a main memory utilization dimension, a mass storage utilization dimension, and a network utilization dimension. The utilization test performs iterations of attempts to generate said each dimension of the resource load on the first computer, in an amount equal to a changeable target utilization of said each dimension of the resource load on the first computer. The utilization test adjusts the adjusted utilization to attempt to correct for inequality between (i) the actual utilization of a particular one of the multiple dimensions of the resource load on the first computer, and (ii) the changeable target utilization of the particular one of the multiple dimensions of the resource load on the first computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2020
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Timmons Player, David Joyner
  • Patent number: 10484104
    Abstract: A method is provided for generating and transmitting a test signal for an over-the-air test of a device-under-test that is in simulated motion. The method includes dithering Doppler shifts of a carrier frequency of the test signal on sub-path components of the test signal to produce slightly different frequencies per sub-path component, wherein the sub-path components are at a first and second polarization orientations. Dithering Doppler shifts can include dithering a first sub-path component at the first polarization orientation while keeping this sub-path component at the second polarization orientation at the original Doppler shift of the carrier frequency of the test signal, or keeping a first sub-path component at the first polarization orientation at the carrier frequency of the test signal while dithering this sub-path component at the second polarization orientation. Dithering Doppler shifts can include dithering sub-path components at the first and the second polarization orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: John Douglas Reed
  • Publication number: 20190349284
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches TCP session processing architecture for conducting numerous TCP sessions during testing of a network-under-test: multiple processor cores running, allocated to TCP session handling, and program instructions configured to distribute processing of each TCP session across multiple cores with a first set of cores allocated to handle TCP control, a second set of cores allocated to handle TCP packet transmission, and a third set of cores allocated to handle TCP packet receiving. The disclosed architecture also includes a shared memory accessible to the first, second and third sets of cores, that holds PCBs for each of numerous TCP sessions during the testing with update access controlled by an atomic spinlock processor instruction that each TCP state machine running on a core must engage to secure the update access to a respective PCB, in order to proceed with state processing of its respective TCP session.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Jyotikumar U. Menon
  • Publication number: 20190347271
    Abstract: An SQL interceptor inserted as a proxy between a database client and the corresponding database server intercepts a constrained application-generated SQL query and composes a new data request. Parameter values in the SQL query determine whether the new data request is sent to a database server or a web service provider. A reserved table name specified in the SQL query triggers a rewrite of the data request. Parameter values in the query are used to select among a plurality of executable modules to use for rewriting the data request. Special data encoding and formats need to be used based on the source of data that will receive and respond to the rewritten data request. For example, communication between a database client and server may use a vendor-specific, non-standard binary encoding, and XML and JSON response data must be reformatted as an SQL response for processing by the database client.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Publication date: November 14, 2019
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Marius ADAMUT
  • Patent number: 10448007
    Abstract: The operation of testing device for troubleshooting failures in a MoCA LAN system is disclosed that discovers devices on a MoCA LAN. These automatically discovered devices are then sent a large number of data packets that elicit a response from the recipient. The packets transmitted for which no corresponding response is received are counted as lost packets, and the packet loss results for each tested device enables identifying the source of a failure in the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: David Dailey, Douglas Grinkemeyer
  • Publication number: 20190296997
    Abstract: The disclosed technology teaches testing a mesh network using new service application level KPIs that extend the TWAMP measurement architecture. A control-client receives and parses a configuration file to populate memory with IP addresses, ports, and test session parameters for disclosed KPIs used to originate two-way test sessions from a first network host; with control-servers and session-reflectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Jyotikumar U. Menon
  • Publication number: 20190288780
    Abstract: The disclosed systems and methods for conducted massive MIMO array testing uses an efficient method of utilizing hardware resources for emulating signals from a massive MIMO base station transceiver to a MIMO mobile unit as dictated by a channel model; and also for emulating signals from a MIMO mobile unit to a massive MIMO BS transceiver, as dictated by a channel model. The system uses a phase matrix combiner to emulate the angular behavior of the propagation using virtual probes, combined with a radio channel emulator to create the temporal, multipath, and correlation behavior of the propagation. Using a phase matrix function increases the number of antenna elements that can be utilized in a massive MIMO array emulation while keeping the required number of fading channels within the radio channel emulator at a reduced number, thus forming a cost effective, yet realistic test system for massive MIMO testing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Alfonso RODRIGUEZ-HERRERA, John Douglas REED
  • Publication number: 20190278681
    Abstract: The technology disclosed relates to implementing a virtual test platform (VTP) and running virtual test applications (VTAs) from an unsecured location. Using a phone home service, the VTP establishes a secure tunnel connection with a test controller. The VTP receives configuration information for a VTA from the test controller. If the VTA is not stored on the VTP, the VTP retrieves the VTA from a repository specified by the test controller. The configuration information from the test controller includes information needed for the VTP to set up a second secure tunnel. The VTP establishes the second secure tunnel and launches the VTA. The VTP relays information sent through the second tunnel to the VTA, and also relays messages from the VTA back to the test controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Grinkemeyer, David Dailey, Kevin Myers, Daniel Abarbanel
  • Publication number: 20190280914
    Abstract: The disclosed methods and systems of using TWAMP measurement architecture for testing a large network include a control-client running on a first network host initializing memory for test session parameters used to originate a test, parsing a configuration file to populate the memory with IP addresses, ports and QoS parameters for control-servers and session-reflectors; and originating test sessions using the test session parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Applicant: Spirent Communications, Inc.
    Inventor: Jyotikumar U. Menon