Development, Training And Implementation Of Test Automation For Adsl Interoperability And Reliability Studies

Abstract

At Prairie View A and M University (PVAMU), we developed a new Broadband (High-Speed) Access Technologies Research Laboratory (BATRL) over the last few years. This laboratory is used in helping our premier telecommunication companies in the area of interoperability and reliability studies. It is also used for the training of our students in this emerging area of technology and for research, especially, the Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem technology. DSL is a new technology for providing higher data rates over the twisted telephone copper wire. The Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is one of the first derivatives of this DSL technology. The DSL Forum has defined an ADSL interoperability test specification, known as TR-048, which is supported by all key Service Providers, access IC manufacturers and Independent Test Labs. This research project follows the test plan TR-048 to produce a complete automated testing suit, which can be used in the industry. The goal of the research project is to develop effective scripts, which can be used at PVAMU Center of Excellence for Communication Systems Technology Research (CECSTR) BATRL for ADSL Interoperability and Reliability tests for Sprint High Speed (Broadband) Communication Networks. The automation saves time, manpower and produces unbiased reports for the interoperability and the reliability tests. As part of our goal in the Electrical Engineering Department, our students are exposed to hands-on training. The students are given the opportunity to conduct the tests in the BATRL using the developed automation algorithms for interoperability and reliability tests. The results of these automated tests have been found to conform to industry standards. The lessons learned and recommendations will be discussed in this paper.