SMS Probe
Short Message Service (SMS) is important for network operators, service providers and MVNOs. Accessibility, retainability and integrity for this service is crucial from revenue perspective and service availability perspective.
Many business applications are using SMS as a central communication element. In many cases network operators, service providers and MVNOs are required to prove the short message service quality achieved. SMS Probe from ADVENAGE - together with HP Business Service Management (BSM), HP Business Availability Center (BAC) and HP SiteScope (SiS) - was tailored to fulfill these needs of MVNOs, service providers and network operators.
Apart from core SMS capabilities, SMS Probe supports USSD MO/MT, Voice Calls MO/MT, support for varying roaming scenarios, support for variying geographically distributed application cases, and also access to SIM SAT functionality (STK). With BPM as monitor for BSM/BAC a single test scenario allows to combine all these functionalities to test multi service application secnarios - such as Value Added Services (VAS).
SMS Probe extends HP Business Service Management (BSM), HP Business Availability Center (BAC) and HP SiteScope (SiS) with testing capabilities for SMS, USSD, Voice Calls, and SAT/STK. SMS Probe simulates mobile subscribers interacting with different mobile services and delivers detailed performance data to BSM/BAC and SiS.
SMS Probe integrates seamlessly with HP BSM/BAC, HP SiS and other HP Business Service Management products. It also provides additions - such as the Resource Management System - providing existing probes with additional functionality.
As a probe application for HP BSM/BAC and HP SiS, SMS Probe enables mobile network operators, service providers and MVNOs to monitor mobile services end-2-end using an industry standard performance management system. This avoids expenditures by running separate systems or integrating non-standard systems.
Short Message Service (SMS) related features
- Monitoring of availability and performance of SMS services
- Monitoring of roaming and interconnection scenarios
- Monitoring of SMS info services
- Monitoring of SMS to E-Mail interconnection
- Monitoring of SMS to and from Large Accounts (SMPP)
- SMS MO & MT recording
- Text and binary SMS, including WAP-Push, MMS notifications, and OTA
- SMS content check
Unstructured Supplementary Data (USSD) related features
- Access to USSD based information services such as account balance queries
- Access and browsing of USSD based menu functions (simple menu browsing and step by step interactions)
- Access to standard USSD functionalities such as switching malibox features and/or redirection rules
- Utility functions support extraction of relevant information from USSD service responses
- USSD MO and MT messages are recorded in the message store
Voice calls & Voice call notification related features
- Call alert messages / call notifications.
- Processing of mobile originated calls (MO calls).
- Termination of MT calls.
- Information on call alerts and call data (MO/MT) are recorded in the message store.
SIM Application Toolkit (SAT) features
- The easy to use "Simple SAT" API allows to browse SAT/STK menus with a single call.
- The core SAT API allows to implement comprehensive SAT Terminal Applications (TAs).
- Communications between probe server and Remote-SAT Interface is recorded in the message store.
Service access features
- Access to probe services via XHR web services and a set of API calls from HP BPM.
- Felxible Bearer support.
- Remote configuration with web interface.
SMS Probe gathers availability and performance data by periodically accessing mobile data services, usually over the air.
Measurement results are reported online to HP BSM/BAC an can be instantly displayed and serve as input for SLA and KPI calculations, alarming, and reporting. Service failures and KPI/SLA violations can be reported to the Network-Management-Center using standard reporting and alarming functions.
Direct SNMP notifications may be raised as well. This allows for quick reaction on performance bottlenecks and system failures and helps to reduce revenue loss due to system unavailability from the end customer perspective.
Interoperability with HP Business Service Management (BSM) and HP Business Availability Center (BAC)
SMS Probe provides full interoperability with HP Business Service Management (BSM) and HP Business Availability Center (BAC). Two of the data collectors of BSM/BAC - HP SiteScope (HP SiS) and HP Business Process Monitor (HP BPM) - are supported to collect data from SMS Probe.
HP SiteScope Integration
Integration with HP SiteScope is achieved by registering SMS Probe as custom probe via the scripting interface of SiteScope.
Advantage is quick and easy deployment, and metrics reported can be selected from the SiteScope configuration dialogs. SiteScope integration provides full functionality, including geographical distributed measurements and allows to integrate UNIX and Windows based systems. SMS Probe integration via SiteScope is especially useful for smaller installations with less complex test scenarios.
HP Business Process Monitor Integration
Integration with HP SiteScope is achieved by an extension of the HP Virtual User Generator language. It allows to directly trigger SMS, USSD, voice call and SAT end to end measurements, to combine service test elements and to process metrics received back as well as additional failure information.
HP BPM integration is intended for larger installations running several data collectors, usually at different location. The central repository service of BSM/BAC enables central development, testing and deployment of SMS measurements at different locations from the central management system. Measurement results appear in the end user management section of BSM/BAC and may be aggregated for SLA and KPI performance tracking. The figure below depicts BSM/BAC integration of SMS probe via Business Process Monitor:
SMS Probe Server Administration Interface
SMS Probe comes with an easy to use web administration interface for probe servers. The probe server administration interface provides access to status information, service management, parameterization, provides access to log files and provides utility functions in order to test local connectivity and modem allocation.