Open Systems Protocol Testing Techniques

As network management systems evolve and become more complex, the task of verifying protocol implementations becomes an ever growing challenge. The introduction of protocol specifications based upon published standards introduces the additional difficulty in insuring compatibility between different implementations wishing to communicate. This problem is addressed by standards bodies (such as CCITT and ISO) and implementors workshops (such as NIST) by defining specific standard test methods and specifications for verifying compatibility with the protocol specifications. Each technique has advantages and disadvantages over each other and the method adopted can have an effect upon the design and implemention of the communications system.