How Do I Make an External Device Connection?

How Do I Make an External Device Connection?

Last updated: December 2, 2008

Description

You can connect your 8960 test set to an external device (such as another 8960 test set) over an IP network. Once you've established this connection, you can test supported end-to-end services between two wireless devices (such as W-CDMA end-to-end video calls), or configure a two-cell test system to test a single mobile's cell transitions, such as handovers and cell selections/reselections.

You can establish an External Device Connection while your test set is in any operating mode. However, most services utilizing the External Device Connection feature require active cell mode operation.

When connecting two test sets, it is recommended that you connect them via a hub, rather than through a gateway or WAN link, or connect them directly using a LAN crossover cable. This helps minimize the risk of lost data due to delayed packets.

External Device Connection Setup for Two 8960s

External 8960 Connection Setup

  • External 8960 IP Address

    Before establishing a connection with another 8960, you must first specify its IP address.

    Ext 8960 IP Addr cannot be set to the same value as LAN IP Address or DUT IP Address . If LAN IP Address is set to the value of Ext 8960 IP Addr , Ext 8960 IP Addr is reset to a blank field.

    GPIB command: SYSTem:COMMunicate:LAN:EXTernal:ADDRess

  • Connect to External 8960

    This action establishes a TCP/IP connection with the 8960 at the address specified by External 8960 IP Address .

    If the External Device Connection Status is Connected , then this action is ignored by the test set.

    GPIB command: SYSTem:COMMunicate:LAN:EXTernal:CONNect

  • Disconnect from External 8960

    This action disconnects the TCP/IP connection with the connected external 8960.

    If the External Device Connection Status is Disconnected , then this action is ignored by the test set.

    GPIB command: SYSTem:COMMunicate:LAN:EXTernal:DCONnect

LAN Connection Information

  • External Device Connection Status

    The External Device Connection Status is displayed in the LAN Connection Information window of both tests sets, regardless of which test set initiated the connection. The possible states of the external device connection are: Not Connected , Connecting , Connected and Disconnecting .

    When the External Device Connection status is Connected , ExtDev is displayed in the Instrument Status Area of both test sets:

    GPIB command: SYSTem:STATus:COMMunicate:LAN:EXTernal[:CONNected][:STATe]

  • Connected Device IP Address

    Once a connection has been established between the two test sets, the IP address of each test set is displayed in the other test set's LAN Connection Information window.

    GPIB command: SYSTem:STATus:COMMunicate:LAN:EXTernal[:CONNected]:ADDRess

  • LAN (Self) IP Address

    For your convenience, the IP address of the test set is shown in its LAN Connection Information window. This is a duplicate display of its LAN IP Address setting, which you set from the Instrument Setup ( F1 ) menu on its System Config screen, or using the SYSTem:COMMunicate:LAN[:SELF]:ADDRess command.

DUT IP Address Information

The DUT IP Address Information window indicates the IP address(es) currently in use by the DUT, and whether the IP address was assigned by the current test set or the external test set. Note that DUT IP Address must be set to a different value in both test sets.

Once an IP route is established between a test set and a device on the LAN, internet protocols do not provide a mechanism to re-establish the connection with another test set. Thus, when a mobile has an active PDP context with one test set and transitions to another, a tunnel is created to route data to and from the mobile via the originating test set. The originating test set must continue to act as the end-point for the IP connection, regardless of the location of the mobile, and to forward any received packets to the test set currently serving the mobile. This forwarding of packets is referred to as "tunneling".

During tunneling, the mobile uses the DUT IP Address provided by the originating test set, not the DUT IP Address of the serving test set. To help indicate this situation, the DUT IP Address setting on the serving test set is grayed out. Also, DUT IP Address Origin on the serving test set displays External 8960 and the IP address currently in use by the mobile is displayed under DUT IP Address 1 .

  • DUT IP Address Origin

    Displays either This 8960 or External 8960 to indicate which test set assigned the IP address currently in use by the mobile.

  • DUT IP Address 1

    Displays the IP address currently in use by the mobile.

  • DUT IP Address 2
  • DUT IP Address 3
  • DUT IP Address 4

Other Considerations

The external device connection is not affected by a partial preset. However, the external device connection is disconnected as a result of a full preset.

Before initiating an external device connection between two test sets, you can verify that the two test sets are able to communicate by pinging one test set from the other. To do so, on test set #1:

  • Press the Call Setup key, then the left More key until the Ping menu is available.
  • Select Ping , then Ping Setup ( F1 ).
  • Set Device to Ping to Alternate ( CALL:DATA:PING:SETup:DEVice ).
  • Set the Alternate Ping Address to the IP address of test set #2 ( CALL:DATA:PING:SETup:ALTernate:IP:ADDRess ).
  • Select Start Ping ( F3 ) ( CALL:DATA:PING:STARt ).

Related Topics

External Device Connection