Head-End System Testing for Performance Optimization

Context

• The client is one of the largest engineering conglomerates.

• The client has a head-end system product line for Utilities, that enables data collection flexibility from bothRF mesh and cellular networks. This gives utilities great coverage, regardless of service territory conditions.

• Demand for head system was increasing due to the global smart energy drive. The system supports extremely large scales. E.g. 5 million devices.

• Different kinds of meters are supported, including gas, electricity, and water. These meters are deployed in IPv4 cellular and IPv6 mesh networks with various data collection and processing configurations.

• Since these are large, performance-critical systems with financial impact, end customers ask for validation reports to ensure:
  • 1. The system will work in the specified context.
  • 2. Deployment infrastructure costs are properly estimated to avoid later shocks.

Before Doppelio

• The client had a dedicated performance engineering team that built simulators for different meter protocols like DLMS and C1222.

• They realized that the home-grown simulator strategy wasn't scaling well for scale, speed, flexibility, and business demands.

• The strategy was also affected by developer churn. 

• The simulator couldn't deliver the required scale, putting deals at risk.

• It also couldn't support complex requirements like validating for IPv6 & pull workloads where the head-end needs to connect to each meter individually and pull readings

Doppelio Impact