Conformance testing of network simulators based on metamorphic testing technique

Abstract

Network simulators, which implement network protocols under some simulated conditions, have been widely used to analyze the feasibility of network protocols. Conformance testing of the simulator against the protocol is a very important task in the community of telecommunications. However, many current conformance testing methods face a problem of finding a systematic mechanism to verify the test outputs. This paper proposes to use an innovative testing approach, metamorphic testing (MT), to alleviate such a problem. We select one ad-hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) simulator for study and test its conformance against the AODV protocol by the MT technique. Through our experiments, we illustrate the applicability of MT in the protocol conformance testing, confirm the reliability of the selected AODV simulator, and demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of MT using the mutation analysis technique. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.