1 The Protocol & Testing Competence Centre

2 In Pursuit of Interoperability Ultimate aim of ICT standardisation is interoperability Likelihood of interoperability is increased with Well-defined, accurate and unambiguous standards Systematic testing of products based on those standards ETSI produces Base Standards and Test Specifications DevelopmentTesting Test Specs Specification

3 TC MTS (Methods for Testing and Specification) Develops specification methodologies and techniques E.g., this is where TTCN-3 was defined and is further evolving with significant contribution of PTCC testing methodology (e.g., IPv6 Testing Framework) ETSI PTCC (Protocol and Testing Competence Centre) Supports ETSI Technical Bodies with the development of: Protocol and service standards (Standards Engineering) Test specifications ETSI Plugtests Service Organises interoperability events Unique Resources Available to ETSI Technical Bodies

PTCC team Protocol Specification, Validation and Testing experts known as PEX Mr. Anthony Wiles (PTCC manager) Mr. Shicheng Hu Mr. Ultan Mulligan Mr. Milan Zoric PTCC assistant: Mrs. Emmanuelle Chaulot-Talmon

5 How Does the PTCC Help? Assist ETSI Technical Bodies on the use of state of the art techniques for Specification, validation and testing Good working practices (Standards Engineering) Pragmatic and flexible approach Based on experience Help to develop usable methodologies For ETSIs current and emerging needs Knowledge transfer Quality through Continuity

6 Who PTCC Supports Technical Bodies (TB) Technical Committees ETSI Projects Partnership Projects etc. Chairmen, Rapporteurs, Individuals Working Groups (WG) STFs (Specialist Task Forces) PTCC budget for test specifications (15-20 STFs per yr) ETSI Secretariat

7 Typical PTCC Areas of Activity GSM and 3G (UMTS) terminals Wireless: HiperACCESS, HiperMAN/WiMAX (802.16) Cordless phones: DECT Access terminals: FSK, SMS ISDN, Broadband ISDN OSA (API, IDL) – web services NGN VoIP: H.225, H.248, H.245 (ITU), SIP (IETF) SIGTRAN Smartcards DECT IPv6: Core, IPSEC, Mobility, v4 -> v6 DSRC (ITS) DMR... future: More telematics/ITS, more security?

8 PTCC Support in Standards Development Conformance Test Specifications Interoperability Test Specifications (Unit) Conformance Testing Interoperability Testing Specification, validation and simulation Products mature from prototypes to commercial products ETSI TB: Development of base standards ETSI PTCC: Support on Protocol Specification and Testing Good practice, pragmatic application of methodology, text complemented by the use of specification languages: UML, SDL MSC, ASN.1, IDL, XML etc. Planning, methodology, test specifications, TTCN, ISO-9646, TS Certification Industry

9 PTCC Expertise Technical competence GSM/3G UMTS, OSA, VoIP, WirelessLan, IPv6, DECT, INAP, B- ISDN etc. Protocol Specification and Validation UML (Universal Modelling Language), MSC (Message Sequence Charts), SDL (Specification and Description Language), ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One), Production of Test Specifications world recognised testing expertise TTCN (Tree and Tabular Combined Notation) Modern tool support

10 Design for Interoperability Interoperability takes place on external interfaces Normative (mandatory) features Options Consequences must be clear Abnormal behaviour should be well-defined Robustness Never specify how product is to be implemented internally Different levels of abstraction e.g., 3-stage approach Methods like SDL, ASN.1, XML, MSC and UML used to specify these interfaces Data transferred on protocol interfaces syntax and encodings (ASN.1, XML) Behaviour of modules as seen from these interfaces TTCN and test methods used for black box testing No need to know how product is implemented External interface is tested according to specification

11 Software Interfaces: APIs APIs are external interfaces to software specification of external interface: Protocol used at interface Data exchanged on interface Behaviour displayed by interface API can be specified in high-level language like Java, C++ etc. No specification of software system as a whole Interoperability is difficult without well-defined external interfaces or connectors Standardised test procedures required to demonstrate compliance with interface definition Use of TTCN (TTCN-3)

12 Profiling and Interworking Many standards are open Include many options Interoperability requires profiling e.g. ETSI TISPAN NGN Options are screwed down (dropped) Works with similar technologies Implement and test the profile Significantly different technologies Interworking functions e.g., SIP – H.323 General reluctance to specify profiles Indications that situation is changing

13 Different Kinds of ETSI Test Specifications Conformance Robustness Performance Interoperability Network Integration RF/EMC

14 The PTCC Testing STFs Write Test Specifications PTCC 4 full-time experts + 1 assistant (employed by the ETSI Secretariat) 60% test specification, 40% protocol specification We use Specialist Task Forces (STFs) Experts are seconded from the ETSI membership PTCC STF Budget Assignment of this budget is done by ETSI members (ETSI Board) Produce test specifications Short projects e.g., 2 man-months maintenance of VoIP tests Long projects e.g., UMTS testing 58 man-months per year over 3-4 years 15 – 20 PTCC STFs per year Typical total yearly resource = man-years (with UMTS)

What is an STF ? An STF is a group of experts working together as a team, to produce one or more ETSI standards STFs give ETSI a competitive advantage by accelerating the development of urgently needed standards Funded by a dedicated budget line (FWP and PTCC) STFs are proposed by the ETSI Technical Bodies Experts are seconded from ETSI Members Experts normally work at ETSI premises

Technical Body STF (contracted experts) Funding Board approval TB approval Published ETSI standard Draft ETSI standard ETSIEC/EFTA Members STF ToR Urgent work Committee voluntary work Normal work Draft standard The STF role in the standards production

17 2 nd allocat. Jun STF funding OCG / Board ETSIMembers VoluntaryfundingETSIbudget STF 1, STF 2,..... STF n 1 st allocat. Jan… Contract Contract EC/EFTA eEuropeDirectcontracts … Contract Contract

Experts Steering Group TB/WG Team Leader ETSI Secretariat EC/EFTA OCG / Board Members Funding & Reporting TB liaison & support Organization of an STF Administration & Project Management Technical guidance

19 Information on STF process General information List of STFs Open Call for experts etc. STF Management principles and practice A guide through the STF process: How to create an STF How to join an STF ETSI contractual conditions etc …

20 Summary Standards can be designed for interoperability Standards should be engineered Plan for testing (early) Do the right kind of testing and test in parallel We can help you achieve the above

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