Mysim9: Personal/customizable simulator

Download from Codeplex: http://middleware.codeplex.com/


Updated: 2012/Feb/24 - Added screenshots

Updated: 2015/May/27 - Added download link: https://middleware.codeplex.com/downloads/get/1458927


Motivation

While interacting with middleware, or other similar software, there comes a need of a highly customizable simulator that should work handy, for the developers as well as testers. Based upon ISO8583’s financial transaction messages.

Requirement

• Shall work as a client
• Multiple client-instances shall also be supported
  
• Shall work as a server
• Shall connect multiple client at a time
• Shall respond to each client accordingly
  
• Shall provide a user interface to configure the format.

User Interface

FIG 1: MySim9 Simulator

Options

• Generate Sample
• Edit
• Reload
• Help, this help.
• Browse data file button
• List of simulations available
• List of Transactions available for a simulation
• Start button
• Send button
  

Definitions

1. Generate Sample
   Generates sample simulator file, contains specific simulations.
   

FIG 1.1: Generate sample xml option

2. Edit

Edits the simulator file (xml) file, in the default edit(for instance, notepad.exe)

3. Reload

Reloads all the transactions from simulator file

4. Help

Provides this help file.

5. Browse data file button

Browse button provides a window to select the simulator file (.xml)

6. List of simulations available

Simulations list box provides list the of simulations available in the simulator file. By default top most simulator is selected, when you click the reload button

7. List of Transactions available for a simulation

Transactions list box provides the list of transactions in the selected simulator.

8. Start button

In case of client, it starts trying to connect to server; In case of server, it starts the listening process.

9. Send button
   

Sends the text to the selected displayed on the complete message text box.

1. In case of server, it sends the message to all of the clients
   
2. In case of client, it sends the message to server.
   

How to use – step wise

1. Double click to run the application
1. Prerequisites,

• MySim9.exe must be having the simulator file (.xml) with it in the same directory
• MySim9.exe must be having the Avanza.Networker.Dll in the same directory.
  

2. Choose the browse button to select the a valid simulator file (.xml)
3. Click reload button to load the contents of the xml file
4. Click on start button to run the process.
5. 
   

FIG2: MySim9, on the run

How to configure simulator file


Data Types
Type.Date
Works for 8(yyyyMMdd) and 14(yyyyMMddhhmmss) and the formatting defined as the field value. For instance, mmddyyyy

Type.Time
Works for 6(hhmmss)

Type.Number
Adds the number

Type.AutoNumber
Creates an auto number of the provided length

Type.String
Text based data


Simulator Attributes

1. Simulator name

Name of the simulator

2. Server

True means it’s a server.

3. IP

IP address

4. Port

Port

5. Meta length

Length of message that is padded on the top of message. For instance 4 bytes ascii or 2 bytes binary.

6. Meta Type

Type of coding, supports binary, ascii, and hexa

7. Separator

Separator to be defined in between the message

8. Delimited

If true, means concat message without separator.

9. Request code

Request code, ISO8583 financial transaction, 0200

10. Response code

Response code, ISO8583 financial transaction, 0210

Header Field Attributes

1. Name
1. Name of the transaction
   
2. Data type
1. Type of data being provided
   
3. Length
1. Length of field
   
4. AutoPad
1. Pads automatically depending upon the length of the field
   
5. PadRight
1. If false then pad left, otherwise pads right
   
6. PadChar
1. Char to be padded
   
7. Field value
1. Value of the field.

Transaction Attributes

1. Transaction name
2. Transaction code

Pre-requisites/Mandatory

1. The name of transaction code field in the header attribute, must be “Transaction Code”, otherwise system will not be able to work properly.

Known Issues & Workarounds

1. No schema validation upon selecting the xml file.
1. Workaround: Use specified format, for now.
   
2. Can’t handle linear talking sessions, for instance, IVR requests to Middleware requests to Core banking requests to HOST and then HOST responds to core banking responds to middleware responds to IVR.
1. Workaround: Future development, volunteer help.
3. Button text doesn’t change when in client mode, when the client is forcefully stopped.
1. Workaround: Restart app.

Enhancement Areas

1. Add complete ISO8583 message base (including network messages)
2. Support all versions, ISO 8583-1-1987, ISO 8583-2-1993, ISO 8583-3-2003
3. Support all origins, Aquirer, Aquirer Repeat, Issuer, Issuer Repeat, Other, Other Repeat.
4. Support all functions, Request, Response, Advice, Advice Response, Notification., Response Acknowledgement, Negative Acknowledgement.
5. And support all classes/types of messages, Authorization, Reserved by ISO, Fee Collection, Administrative, File Actions, Financial, Reversal, Reconciliation, Network Management.

Report bugs/ideas, if you have.