Multi-Access (Mobile) Edge Computing Test Automation

Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), also described as Mobile Edge Computing is an industry innovation that improves the performance and intelligence of the software applications that deliver services such as Internet-of-Things (IoT) to end customers. The improved ultra-low latency and high bandwidth performance are made possible by deploying applications in the data center at the edge of the network closer to the customer. The enhanced intelligence is by real-time access to radio network information that can be leveraged by applications.

To achieve the promises made by MEC technology the edge data center should support MEC framework and deployments as defined by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in standard specification ETSI GS MEC 003 V1.1.1 (2016-03). In summary, the implementation minimum requires the MEC platform that hosts and manages MEC applications on an NFVI infrastructure.

The next generation technology such as MEC requires protocols to communicate between Antenna (e.g.) eNodeb, MEC platform, MEC applications, NFVI, and management entities. The connectivity between these entities is called ‘Reference Points.” ETSI defines the API, data model, and data format in the specification for these reference points. The companies who bring MEC compliant products and applications to the market must comply with this specification to work in a multi-vendor deployment.

These companies spend a considerable amount of dollars on developing a conformance test plan and test cases to test these API with commercial test tools. The testers spend a lot of time preparing the manual and automation conformance test cases that must validate the API requests and handling response, the attribute name correctness, its data type definition, cardinality, and the associated values the attribute store as defined by ETSI.

To enable faster time to market and to improve their return on investment (ROI), I created an automated solution that provides tens and hundreds of ready-to-go clientside API and server-side API conformance test cases. Not only that but also I created a solution that takes input API definition file such as YAML and automatically creates tens and hundreds of test cases. As a result, testers do not have to track changes of new feature additions and add test cases manually which is error-prone. They can input the latest or modified YAML files, and the test cases will be automatically created for them.

Thanks to Testoper! If you are interested to know more about my solution, view the MEC playlist at here.

And, if you are interested to know more to buy, read the MEC brochure at here.