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Specialist Task Force 573:
TTCN-3 Evolution 2019

Who we are:

 

Team leader:
Team Members:

What we do

STF 550 manages the evolution of the TTCN-3 in 2019. This includes the maintenance and further development of the ES 201 873 series of standards and the eight extension packages ES 202 781, ES 202 782, ES 202 784, ES 202 785, ES 202 786, ES 202 789, ES 203 022, and ES 203 790.

In addition STF 573 will (1) develop educational material explaining the effective use of the TTCN-3 OO features, (2) further develop the TTCN-3 extension “Object Oriented features” (ES 203 790), and start the development of a standard OO-based library (i.e., based on the collection of similar functionalities implemented by several users).

For more details, see our Terms of Reference

Why we do it

The TTCN 3 testing language has intensively been developed by ETSI during the last decade and, by today, it consists of 16 ETSI standards, altogether more than 1600 pages. The language is also endorsed by ITU-T as the Z.16x and Z.17x Recommendation series. By now TTCN-3 is used exceptionally as the formal specification language of standardized test suites and has also become an important testing technology at various ETSI member companies and in several industrial domains ( http://www.ttcn-3.org/index.php/about/references/applicatio-domains) and standards organizations ( http://www.ttcn-3.org/index.php/about/references).

TTCN-3 has an important role in standardization; it is an enabler technology in many areas. Several conformance and end-to-end/interoperability test standards have been developed and being developed by 3GPP, ETSI TBs INT, ERM, ITS and oneM2M/smartM2M. 3GPP is using TTCN 3 for UE conformance tests from Rel. 8 and onward to LTE and VoLTE, with NB-IoT on horizon. In the C ITS area also several TTCN-3 test suites have been developed and they start playing important roles in ITS Plugtest events, with automated C-ITS interoperability testing being in progress. In 2016 oneM2M has started using TTCN-3 for IoT/M2M conformance test development that has been continued in ETSI smartM2M in 2017. oneM2M is also developing an open source test tool to the execute the conformance tests.

TTCN-3 fulfills an important role in the industry. In the IoT area several new protocols has been and still being standardized, which lack of proper testing, from conformance, interoperability and security and robustness perspectives. For example, in Germany a state-supported project exists to fill this hole with TTCN-3 based test solutions, but also the EU project ARMOUR is using TTCN-3 in its security related test suite developments. Development of new products raises new TTCN 3 language requirements and requests for new features.

The customers of ETSI industrial members require low time to market of the new capabilities and features developed. Due to this, vendors have had introduced new, agile ways of working, continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) machinery. Both agile and CI/CD are heavily relying on automated testing (AT), including AT solutions based on TTCN-3. Resolving these requests with short response time is important for user satisfaction and to keep low time-to-market for new capabilities and features being developed.

Performance and robustness, and security testing are also of increasing importance and TTCN-3 is used at some ETSI member companies in these areas as well.

During the last years several change requests from 3GPP, industrial users and TTCN-3 tool vendors could be resolved and closed in a shortest possible time due to the fact that a TTCN-3 language evolution STF was at place.

TC MTS is committed to keep the language powerful even so easy-to-use, up-to-date, well maintained and following the changing user needs. Also today 3 further parts of the TTCN-3 standards family are being developed and users request more extensions to ease test framework and test application (i.e. performance and security testing tools) development.

How we do it

The TTCN-3 language evolution work will comprise the following tasks:
•    Review and resolve change requests reporting technical defects, or requesting clarifications and new language features for all existing TTCN-3 language standards.
•    Develop proposals for language extensions requested by 3GPP, OMA, ETSI members and the TTCN-3 community and consent the solution with the contributor(s).
•    Implement agreed solutions.
•    Manage the change request (CR) process.
•    Manage the interim versions of the standard, according to 3GPP needs, and the versions for approval.
•    Present the TTCN-3 standards’ status and the work of the STF at the conference(s) associated with ETSI TB MTS and at ETSI TB MTS meetings.
•    Develop educational material explaining the effective use of the TTCN-3 OO features.
•    Further develop the TTCN-3 extension “Object Oriented features” (ES 203 790).
•    Start the development of a standard OO-based library (i.e., based on the collection of similar functionalities implemented by several users).

Deliverables

The maintenance and further development of TTCN-3 is based on change requests provided by 3GPP, OMA, ETSI members and the TTCN-3 community. STF 550 resolves the CRs in agreement with the contributor(s) and produces new versions for those standards that are affected by resolutions. Potentially, STF 550 produces new versions of the ES 201 873 series of standards and the eight extension packages ES 202 781, ES 202 782, ES 202 784, ES 202 785, ES 202 786, ES 202 789, ES 203 022, and ES 203 790. In addition, the STF will produce educational material and a TTCN-3 library for OO features.

Time plan

For all deliverables produced by STF 573 the following time schedule is planned:
•    Final Draft                    10 Jan 2020
•    TB approval                 10 Feb 2020
•    Publication                   30 Apr 2020
 

How to contact us

For further details, or if you wish to be involved in the work of the STF, please contact the STF Leader: Jens Grabowski.

This information is based upon STF working assumptions.

The views expressed do not necessarily represent the position of ETSI in this context.