Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Automatic CoDec generation to reduce test engineering cost

  • Special section on advances in test automation – the evolution of TTCN-3
  • Published:
International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

TTCN-3 is an abstract language for specification of Abstract Test Suites. Coding of TTCN-3 values into physically transmittable messages and decoding of bitstrings into their TTCN-3 representation has been removed from the language itself and relayed to external and specialized components, called CoDec. CoDec development, either implicitly or explicitly, is a must in any TTCN-3 testing activity. Field experience showed that there is a high cost associated with CoDec development and maintenance. To achieve adequate software engineering practices, a set of types, tools and definitions were developed. This paper unveils gray areas in TTCN-3 architecture and presents a methodological approach to minimize the complexity of CoDec development. Even though the initial field of application is IPv6 testing, the main tool introduced—the CoDec Generator—is a valuable tool in any testing application domain. It is designed to lower the CoDec maintenance costs in all test case lifecycle stages, from development to maintenance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. ETSI. ES 201 873-1 Part 1: TTCN-3 Core Language, Version: 3.1.1. http://www.ttcn-3.org/StandardSuite.htm (2005). Accessed online 31 January 2006

  2. ETSI. ES 201 873-1 Part 2: TTCN-3 Tabular presentation Format (TFT), Version: 3.1.1. http://www.ttcn-3.org/StandardSuite.htm (2005). Accessed online 31 January 2006

  3. ETSI. ES 201 873-1 Part 3: TTCN-3 Graphical presentation Format (GFT), Version: 3.1.1.http://www.ttcn-3.org/StandardSuite.htm (2005). Accessed online 31 January 2006

  4. ETSI. ES 201 873-1 Part 4: TTCN-3 Operational Semantics, Version: 3.1.1. http://www.ttcn-3.org/StandardSuite.htm (2005). Accessed online 31 January 2006

  5. ETSI. ES 201 873-5 Part 5: TTCN-3 Runtime Interface (TRI), Version: 3.1.1. http://www.ttcn-3.org/StandardSuite.htm (2005) Accessed online 31 January 2006

  6. ETSI. ES 201 873-6 Part 6: TTCN-3 Control Interface (TCI), Version: 3.1.1. http://www.ttcn-3.org/StandardSuite.htm (2005). Accessed online 31 January 2006

  7. Grabowski, J., Hogrefe, D.: Towards the third edition of TTCN. In: Csopaki, G., Dibuz, S., Tarnay, K. (eds) (TestCom 1999) Testing of Communicating Systems, Methods and Applications, pp. 19–30. Kluwer, Dordrecht (1999). ISBN 0-7923-8581-0

    Google Scholar 

  8. Grabowski, J., Wiles, A., Willcock, C., Hogrefe, D.: On the Design of the New Testing Language TTCN-3. In: Ural, H., Probert, R.L., Bochmann, G.v. (eds) (TestCom 2000) Testing of Communicating Systems, Tools and Techniques, pp. 161–176. Kluwer, Dordrecht (2000). ISBN 0-7923-7921-7

    Google Scholar 

  9. Vassiliou-Gioles, T., Schieferdecker, I., Born, M., Winkler, M., Li, M.: Configuration and execution support for distributed tests. In: Csopaki, G., Dibuz, S., Tarnay, K. (eds) 12th IFIP International Workshop ont Testing of Communicating Systems, Testing of Communicating Systems—Methods and Applications, pp. 61–76. Kluwer Acdemic Publishers, Dordrecht (1999). ISBN 0-7923-8581-0

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wu, J., Li, W., Yin, X.: Towards modeling and testing of IP routing protocols. In: Hogrefe, D., Wiles, A. (eds) Testing of Communicating Systems In 15th IFIP Testing of Communicating Systems., pp. 49–62. Springer, Heidelberg (2003). ISBN 3-540-40123-7

    Google Scholar 

  11. Sabiguero, A., Baire, A., Floch, A., Viho, C.: Using TTCN-3 in the Internet Community: an experiment with the RIPng protocol. TTCN-3 User Conference 2005–6–8 June, Sophia-Antipolis, France. http://www.ttcn-3.org/TTCN3UC2005/program/Tuesday%207th%20June/Session1/02-UsingTTCN-3intheinternetcommunity.pdf (2005)

  12. Ethereal: A Network Protocol Analyzer. http://www.ethereal.com/ (2006). Accessed online 19 April 2006

  13. PDML Specification. http://analyzer.polito.it/docs/dissectors/PDMLSpec.htm (2006) Accessed Online 19 April 2006

  14. tcpdump/libpcap. http://www.tcpdump.org/ (2006). Accessed online 27 April 2006

  15. The Libnet Packet Construction Library. http://www.packetfactory.net/libnet. Last checked 27 April 2006 (2006)

  16. Sabiguero, A., Baire, A., Viho, C.: Embeding traffic capturing and analysis extensions into TTCN-3 System Adaptor. In: Dulz, W., Schröder-Preikschat, W. (eds.) MMB Workshop Proceedings: Model Based Testing and Non-Functional Properties of Embedded Systems, pp. 27–35. VDE Verlag (2006). ISBN 978-3-8007-2956-2

  17. Bison. http://www.gnu.org/software/bison/ (2006). Accessed online 22 April 2006

  18. Flex. http://www.gnu.org/software/flex/ (2006). Accessed online 22 April 2006

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Computación, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de la República, J. Herrera y Reissig 565, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Ariel Sabiguero

  2. IRISA, Université de Rennes I, Campus Universitaire de Beaulieu, 35042, Rennes Cedex, France

    Ariel Sabiguero, Anthony Baire & César Viho

Authors
  1. Ariel Sabiguero
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anthony Baire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. César Viho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ariel Sabiguero.

Additional information

This work has been partly supported by the IST Go4IT European project: http://www.go4-it.eu/.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sabiguero, A., Baire, A. & Viho, C. Automatic CoDec generation to reduce test engineering cost. Int J Softw Tools Technol Transf 10, 337–346 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10009-008-0073-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10009-008-0073-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation