Watch the prpl Foundation's webinar on prplOS 3.1 and prplWare Certification here:
As many operators move towards open-source broadband gateway platforms, several industry organizations have formed to standardize and facilitate their development. The prpl Foundation is one of the most prominent of these projects, whose membership has funded the creation of the prplOS, LCM, and prplMesh solutions.
One of the main advantages of having an industry organization backing solutions like these is the availability of clear, standardized testing and certification for your products. The prpl Foundation does this through their prplWare Certification Program.
Here’s what you need to know about running the certification testing in CDRouter and how to obtain certification for your products.
What is prplWare?
The prplWare architecture Source: prplfoundation.org
prplWare is the name given to the suite of open-source libraries and APIs that are produced by the prpl Foundation. Its main components are:
- prplOS - the underlying gateway operating system based on OpenWRT.
- prplMesh - an open-source implementation of the Wi-Fi Alliance EasyMesh standard.
- LCM - Life-Cycle Management (LCM) project creates the open-source tools to dynamically deploy and remotely manage downloaded applications and services for service providers.
The remote management interface into prplWare is the High-Level API, or HL-API. The HL-API is defined using the Broadband Forum’s TR-181 Device:2 Data Model, and operated using the Broadband Forum’s User Services Platform (USP). USP gives applications a direct interface to manipulate and read the broadband gateway that is running prplOS. The HL-API also enables downloadable applications and services from LCM to be made portable between RDK-B and prplOS deployments using USP 1.3 Broker and Service mechanism.
The prpl Foundation defines a profile that must be implemented by prplWare devices. This profile is validated during the certification process.
How prplWare self-certification works
The prpl HL-API certification program is a self-testing program. That means that rather than having a third-party entity perform the testing on your device, you can use an approved tool with approved test cases and test your device in your own environment. Once you have a set of passing results, you can export them and submit them to the prpl Foundation for certification.
QA Cafe’s CDRouter is the official test tool of the prplWare certification. A CDRouter system with the prplWare Certification and USP (or TR-069) test expansions is used to test your product and produce results you can submit for certification. This testing is fully automated and can be re-run as often as necessary to aid debugging and troubleshooting.
What is tested in the prplWare Certification
The prpl Foundation has worked to develop a set of test cases specific to achieving prplWare certification. This is comprised of two test plans that must be passed to achieve certification.
prpl HL-API Test Plan
This testing involves validating the device’s implementation of the TR-181 data model following the data model profiles defined for prplOS.
prplOS Test Plan
The prplOS Test Plan is a series of test cases focused on the core protocol features of a prplWare solution. This includes features such as bridging, IPv4, IPv6, DHCP, DNS, and Firewall.
How to get certified after you have passing results
When used with certification programs, CDRouter results can be exported and signed to ensure their integrity. These results are then submitted to the prpl Foundation certification committee.
The full details of the certification requirements are outlined in the prpl Foundation Program Guide for Certification but the most basic requirements include:
- Applicants must be members of the prpl Foundation.
- Testing must be conducted on prplWare components only.
- The device considered for certification must have passed all of the required test cases.
- The results cannot have been altered in any way. CDRouter can sign certification results to guarantee they are legitimate.
- The committee must review the results for validity.
Where to learn more
Are you considering certification? Contact us at QA Cafe to learn more about getting your device certified for prplWare or if you have any questions about the test plan or testing process. You can also learn more about the prpl Foundation and membership options at prplfoundation.org.
