Overview
The Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP) is a signaling and call control protocol used between the Media Gateway Controller (MGC) and Media Gateway (MG). The MGC uses MGCP to instruct MG about the events, media, signals to be played on Endpoint, to create a Connection, and to audit the status of the Endpoints and connections involved in the conversion of media from one type of network, to the media required in other type of the network. The Media Gateway uses MGCP to report events (such as off-hook, or dialed digits) to the Call Agent.
GL’s Message Automation & Protocol Simulation (MAPS-MGCP) is an advanced protocol simulator/tester designed for MGCP testing, which can
simulate MGC to test Media Gateways with various types of calls. It can also control scenario involved in Media conversion. This test tool can also be
used to perform protocol conformance testing (MGCP protocol implementations) as per IETF Standard according to RFC 3435.
The application is available as
- MAPS MGCP Protocol Test Tool (Item # PKS124)
- MAPS MGCP Conformance Test Suite (Item # PKS125)
The MAPS - MGCP Protocol Conformance Test Suite is designed with 70+ test cases, as per RFC 3435. Test suite includes in-built scripts, which
tests the functionality of the Media Gateway for MGCP protocol valid and in-valid behavior.
Main Features:
- Simulates Media Gateway Controller (MGC) and Media Gateway(MG).
- Used to test Media Gateway and Media Gateway Controller functionalities.
- Generates and processes MGCP valid and invalid messages.
- Fully integrated, complete test environment for MGCP
- Supports complete customization of call flow and messages
- Supports automated call generation using scripts.
- Supports all the MGCP commands as per the protocol specification such as CRCX, NTFY, MDCX, RQNT, AUEP, AUCX, DLCX, EPCF, and RSIP.
- Supports message templates for each MGCP message and customization of the field values.
- Facilitates defining variables for the various protocol fields of the selected MGCP message type.
- Supported on Windows® 2000 and XP operating systems.
- Displays ladder diagram for the call flow with detail view of time stamp and message decoded
- Provides protocol trace with full message decoding, custom trace, and graphical ladder diagrams during active simulation
- Option to run the test for multiple iteration, and
- Interactive GUI to view status, results, call information, total iterations to be done, and number of completed iterations
Supported Protocols
- Conformance testing of Media Gateway Controller and Media Gateway
- Supports - IETF MGCP - RFC 3435 specifications.
MGCP Test Configurations
MAPS acting as Media Gateway Controller for Media Gateway Testing
As depicted in the scenario below, MAPS can be configured to act as MGC, so that entire MG (Media Gateway) testing can be automated.
MAPS includes inbuilt Media Gateway Conformance scripts (*.gls) that allow the application to act as MGC. The MGC uses MGCP protocol to
send/receive signaling information to/from the Media Gateway.
MAPS acting as Gateway for MGC Conformance Testing
As seen in the figure below, MAPS can be configured to act as MG, so that entire MGC testing can be automated using conformance scripts.
Working Principle
The message template forms the backbone of MAPS-MGCP application. Message Template is created by user by mentioning the fields in the MGCP
Message which are to be replaced at the runtime with the Variables.
The scripts comprises of sequence of instructions that perform the required operations using pre-defined message templates. The Script Editor is
another powerful utility of MAPS-MGCP in which sequences of instructions can be grouped together in an order to create call flow.
MAPS-MGCP provides the ability to create any number of scripts to simulate a real-time scenario with MAPS-MGCP and DUT.
Call Generation
Call Generation function allows to send call control messages to the MG with proper usage of scripts and respective profiles. Call generation provides
various options to create and operate on the call instances and the window displays Script Name, Profile, Call Info, Status, Events, Results and Iterations
statistics along with call flow details for easy monitoring of the scripts being executed. The Call Generation interpretation of establishing call is to invoke
the required scripts for call.
Screen Shot of Call Generation
Call Receive Script Configuration
The Call Reception function focuses on the MGC (MAPS) receiving signaling information/requests from the MG (MAPS) during Media Gateway testing.
The Call Reception operation is triggered on reception of proper messages for the corresponding messages are pre-loaded in the Script configuration window.
The script configuration option is used to preset the script required to handle all possible signaling and call processing messages for responding to
the call requests in Call Receive part of the MAPS.
Screen Shot of Script Configuration
Message Sequence
Message Sequence pane gives the ladder diagram of the messages flowing between the MAPS (MGC) and the DUT (MG). Each message sequence
can be highlighted to observe the corresponding script execution results as shown in the screen below.
Screen Shot of Message Sequence and Script Log
MGCP Call Flow
Diagram below depicts MAPS-MGCP simulating the Call flow scenario which is placed from one PSTN interface to another PSTN interface between
two Media Gateways through IP Network.
- Media Gateway indicates to MGC that it is in the process of restarting with RestartInProgress (RSIP) command Media Gateway informs MGC with
RSIP command about rebooting of the Gateway, and it also indicates the resources available in the Gateway to place a Call.
- To request notification of events and to apply signal on the Media Gateway, MGC programs Endpoint using RequestNotification (RQNT) command.
- Media Gateway responds NTFY command to MGC indicating that it has detected an event for the previously requested notification (via the RQNT
command)
- To manage the connection on a Media Gateway, MGC uses Create Connection (CRCX) command to create the connection. Now the two-way call is
established to exchange the media.
- MGC queries (the state of) a Media Gateway using Audit Endpoint (AUEP) and Audit Connection (AUCX) commands to get the statistics of the
Endpoint and Connection.
- Media Gateway sends a Delete Connection (DLCX) command to delete the connection for its self-management.
- With the appropriate responses for the above set of commands, the call flow is completed.
Buyer's Guide:
Specifications are subject to change without notice.
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