Testing for the "real world" - new tools for new testing needs

This paper deals with the means for doing a thorough and complete job in testing Switching products for use by local telephone companies. Traditionally, testing of switching equipment has been done from theperspective of how the switch should work given normal stimuli. Little attention has been paid to testing the limits of the equipment in "real world" situations. A discussion of the change in testing perspective required is presented. In addition, testing approaches and tools, particularly automated tools, are discussed along with their importance in establishing the confidence levels with which results can be viewed.