Yannis K Magiros

US Patent:

60815094, Jun 27, 2000

Filed:

Mar 3, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/034083

Inventors:

Yannis Magiros - Parsippany NJ
Stuart Warmink - Morristown NJ

Assignee:

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

H04L 1226

US Classification:

370241

Abstract:

A special network interface unit (NIU) for a communication system, called a super NIU, simulates operations of multiple NIUs, called virtual NIUs, for such purposes as testing other components of the communication system. The super NIU has a real (i. e. , actual) NIU that communicates with a message simulator implemented on a PC configured with the actual NIU. The component to be tested (e. g. , the host digital terminal of the communication system) sends downstream messages intended for the virtual NIUs to the super NIU, which handles the downstream messages, generates any necessary upstream messages from the virtual NIUs, and transmits the upstream messages back to the component. In one embodiment, some of the downstream messages are handled by the actual NIU without assistance from the computer, while, for other downstream messages, the computer receives and processes the downstream messages from the actual NIU, and generates and transmits any necessary upstream messages from the virtual NIUs back to the actual NIU, which forwards the upstream messages to the component to be tested.