Understanding the test plan for the simulated network

A careful definition of what is to be simulated is essential for your design process to be successful. The test plan for the simulation you are conducting provides information about the resources and applications to be simulated and the tasks to be performed. Consult your test planner to find out test objectives and how the message traffic to be simulated contributes to those objectives. If you do not have a test plan for the simulation you are conducting, see WSim User's Guide to determine the information you must have when developing your simulation.

Since the detail in a test plan varies from installation to installation, you may need to define some of the requirements yourself based on your knowledge of the network and the applications you are testing.

Once you have an overview of the requirements from the test plan, you can translate that knowledge into specifics. For example, you may have devices or terminals with particular restrictions. Your network may have specific timing or message-load requirements. You may want to use the same messages for each terminal, or you may need to have each terminal perform different tasks. You will need procedures to handle errors and to send messages to the test operator.

For example, a test plan might call for two terminals that send five different messages with at least a 10-second delay between messages. Each message is sent only after a designated message is received. The test plan indicates that both terminals should send the same messages. To design a program to meet these specifications, you need to answer questions such as the following:
  • How are simulated messages created—are they typed in at a terminal, or perhaps obtained from a device such as a magnetic stripe reader?
  • What type of terminal are you using?
  • What type of network are you using and what are its requirements?
  • What kind of data are you sending?
  • What kind of data will you receive from the application program?
  • What timing is anticipated for messages to be received? Will they arrive on a set schedule or at unanticipated times?
  • What timing is anticipated for messages to be transmitted?
The answers to these and similar questions will determine what you need to include when designing and coding your STL programs.
Parent topic: Designing STL programs