Book Review

by Doug Mohney

The Making of Ensuring a Quality IMS Experience

IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) has been bandied about knowledge on how to test and monitor IMS–something that as a panacea for carriers, providing them with an architectural was in short supply. “There’s not a lot of information for test-framework to deliver multimedia to mobile ing and monitoring to begin with,” states users, enable applications across wireless “We easily put in Hart. “There are a lot of [theoretical] IMS and wireline networks, and as a way to bill several hundred books out there, but not a lot of practi-for anything at any time in a standardized cal information.” Vendors have often fashion, regardless of the application. The hours [of work] compounded matters by failing to docu-reality of implementing working IMS solu- between all of us.” ment how they have implemented their tions has, as it most often does, proved to products. be more challenging and complex than the Taking the lessons learned from marketing hype. Empirix’s worldwide road shows and “It’s not about theory. It’s not about what materials pulled together for a series of the [IMS] specs say. It’s about what people are webinars, Hart and eight other contribu-choosing to implement them,” says Chad Hart, tors put together the first practical Product Marketing Manager for Empirix and guide to testing and moni-author of Ensuring a Quality IMS Experience. toring IMS. “We eas- “In our experience, people ignore tons of that ily put in sev-stuff, ignore large portions of the specs, or eral hundred they disagree with it. The actual end result hours [of work] is different than what the specifications between all of us,” say…. IMS is relatively immature. You Hart says. “It was a can’t really ‘prove’ it works without pretty significant ef-using testing.” fort.” Since September 2005, Emp- The book examines irix ( www.empirix.com) has methods for testing and been conducting IMS semi- monitoring the many facets nars around the globe, talk- of IMS, highlighting the chal-ing to carriers, and collect- lenges of implementing IMS and ing real-world informa- methods for testing all the moving tion about the challeng- parts and pieces of IMS. The book es of implementing and finishes with a chapter on best prac-testing IMS. “We’ve tices and recommendations. “If you are done over 30 on- really interested in understanding how site seminars,” says IMS works and how to prove that IMS Hart. “We typi- does work, this is the book,” Hart states. cally talk to 20 Ensuring a Quality IMS Experience, by to 30 test engi- Chad Hart. (166 pages, soft cover, $80.00, neers, operational per- VON Publishing, Spring 2007, ISBN: 978- sonnel, [at a time]. Over time, 0-9748130- 6-6.) Complimentary copies are as IMS started being deployed, we got available to qualified industry professionals at into how people are testing IMS and how they www.empirix.com. V are monitoring it.” Over time, Empirix has amassed a lot of practical Doug Mohney can be reached at dmohney@vonmag.