|
Xena ethernet traffic generator - stress and functional testing 10/100/GigE and 10Gig/40Gig/100GigE
Test, verify and characterize performance, functionality and behaviour of ethernet devices and network infrastructures from 10/100/GigE to 10Gig, 40G and 100G.
| |
Overview
Xena provides an extremely cost-effective and flexible professional Ethernet test infrastructure for load stress and functional testing
of Ethernet equipment and network infrastructure.
With the world's
highest density and lowest power consumption per test port, Xena helps developers and providers of ethernet products and services face the challenge of GigE, 10G, 40G and 100G ethernet.
Two chassis product series are available supporting a complete suite of copper and optical Gigabit Ethernet and 10-Gigabit Ethernet modules. The 10-GigE interfaces include optical XFP, SFP+, and copper CX4. The GigE interfaces include copper 10/100/1000M Ethernet and optical 100/1000M Ethernet. An open approach
The Xena test platform provides an open environment where traffic from any 3rd party software application or test suite can be fully transparently mixed with L2-3 traffic generated at wire speed.
A Vista/XP GUI client is provided for test execution, and remote management of test equipment located in multiple locations. In addition, an open text API accessed via TCP/IP allows users to script and automate testing from any software, tool environment, and test location. |
 
|
Stream oriented traffic generation
Users can define and generate multiple transmit and receive streams with their own unique traffic profile. Each stream can generate 100k's of unique traffic flows by using programmable packet field modifiers to increment or randomize field values such as IP addresses or VLAN identifiers, making it easy to scale your tests beyond the maximum performance parameters of your network or device. The stream rate can be defined as a percentage of line rate, frames per second, bit-rate, and the injection of packets can be controlled as a single-packet shot, number of packets, time duration, or in continuous mode. Traffic profiles can be defined as uniform or bursty, and custom packet editing is facilitated by a graphically driven field editor that allows the user to build any packet format, in addition to predefined packet templates for Ethernet, Ethernet II, VLAN, ARP, IPv4, IPv6, UDP, TCP, LLC, SNAP, GTP, ICMP, RTP, RTCP, STP, or fully specified by user.
Real time analysis and reporting
Packet flow statistics are tracked per stream, or per user defined filters which can include any combination of programmable field values. Incoming packet streams are automatically identified using optionally auto inserted Test Payload fields. Analysis of traffic throughput, latency, jitter, loss, sequence, and misorder errors is performed real-time per received stream with 16 ns resolution. Users can capture packets at wire speed on each port for detailed analysis, which in conjunction with event triggering and programmable filters provides a unique ability to identify and isolate performance issues.
API scripting from any tool environment
An open specification text based API allows the user to script for test automation purposes from any tool and scripting environment, only requiring that the scripting environment support text and line-based TCP/IP communication. Any changes made through the API are automatically reflected on the GUI. This unique and easy to use scripting-from-anywhere concept allows the user to access the Xena test platform from any proprietary or commercial scripting environment based on languages such as Tcl, Python, VBA, or Java development environments, using wrapper to convert from existing Tcl/Python/VB/Java APIs to the generic Xena API.
MS Excel program for test case execution, and reporting
As an alternative for GUI and script based test case execution, the user can configure, execute, and log statistics using a standard MS Excel program. The MS Excel templates provides by Xena use VBA to communicate with the test equipment using Xena's TCP/IP scripting language, and is a very powerful means for operating the equipment for anyone familiar with standard MS Excel usage.
XenaCompact 1U chassis
 |
The XenaCompact is a 1U chassis solution with an integrated Test Module card catering for a range of copper and optical Gigabit ethernet testing scenarios. 10GigE interfaces include XFP SR/LR, SFP+ SR/LR, and CX4. GigE interfaces include copper 10/100/1000 Ethernet and 100/1000M optical SFP. Note that the same Test Module cards and software are used in both XenaCompact and XenaBay chassis to ensure total compatibility. |
XenaCompact options
The part numbers in the table below relate to a 1U XenaCompact chassis with the appropriate card built-in.
|
Part Number |
Interfaces |
Ports |
|
C1-M6SFP |
GigE dual media SFP,
100/1000Mbps optical
or 10/100/1000 BASE-T |
6 |
|
C1-M2XFP |
10GigE XFP 10GBASE-LR/SR |
2 |
|
C1-M2SFP+ |
10GigE SFP+ 10GBASE-LR/SR |
2 |
|
C1-M2CX4 |
10GigE CX4 |
2 |
XenaBay 4U/12-slot chassis
 |
The XenaBay is a modular 12-slot chassis solution providing industry leading density and lowest power consumption per test port, supporting up to 24 10Gbps ports or 72 1Gbps ports in a 4U form factor. 10GigE interfaces include XFP SR/LR, SFP+ SR/LR, and CX4. GigE interfaces include copper 10/100/1000 Ethernet and 100/1000M optical SFP. Note that the same Test Module cards and software are used in both XenaCompact and XenaBay chassis to ensure total compatibility. |
XenaBay Test Modules
The part numbers in the table below relate to the individual test modules - any mix of up to 12 GigE or 10GigE Test Modules (or 6 M2CFP40/M1CFP100 modules) can be housed in a single XenaBay chassis.
|
Part Number |
Interfaces |
Ports |
|
M6SFP |
GigE dual media SFP,
100/1000Mbps optical or 10/100/1000 BASE-T |
6 |
|
M2XFP |
10GigE XFP 10GBASE-LR/SR |
2 |
|
M2SFP+ |
10GigE SFP+ 10GBASE-LR/SR |
2 |
|
M2CX4 |
10GigE CX4 |
2 |
 |
M2CFP40/
M1CFP100 |
10GigE 10GBASE-SR |
8 |
|
M2CFP40/
M1CFP100 |
40GigE 40GBASE-LR4/SR4 |
2 |
|
M1CFP100 |
100GigE 100GBASE-LR4/SR10 |
1 |
Software
The Xena Manager GUI controls the traffic generation and analysis features of the Xena test equipment. The Xena Manager supports an unlimited number of end users and multi-user environments, and is included free of charge with all Xena testers complete with standard IETF RFC test suites and a complete scripting command language for accessing all Xena tester features.
Every Xena chassis has a standard 1Gig Ethernet management port connecting the chassis to the Xena Manager software via an IPv4 network.
Hardware resources can be reserved down to test port level granularity from multiple simultaneous Xena Manager sessions. The Xena Manager also offers the ability to perform software and firmware upgrades, removing the need to directly upgrade each chassis independently.
All features of the Xena equipment can be enabled and controlled from the Xena Manager. That includes configuring chassis and test port properties, defining advanced traffic streams for traffic generation, specifying filters for incoming traffic, performing real-time capture of packets, and displaying and analyzing traffic statistics. The Manager's packet editor function supports both standard protocols and byte-level packet definitions.
|
-
Multi-user sharing of chassis resources down to port level
-
Central management of multi-chassis testbed environments
-
Explorer-based and front-panel layout view of testbed configurations
-
Import/export of test case configurations
-
Chassis software and firmware upgrades without needing to interface directly with the equipment
-
Packet editor with support for both protocol and byte-level packet definitions
-
Automatic protocol decoding of incoming packets
-
RFC 2544 test suite with automatic report and chart generation in standard formats
-
Interchangeable operation between GUI and scripting environment
|
Applications
| Research & Development The Xena Networks test platform is well suited for validation of hardware performance and functional testing in development labs. The open multi-user product architecture and high port density can provide large port count test beds at a much lower cost than previous solutions.
Manufacturing
Xena's manufacturing and quality assurance (QA) test applications provide repeatable functional testing. The speed, accuracy, reliability, scaleability, and scripting capability make Xena testers ideally suited for this application.
The Xena testers can help NEM's improve production quality to reduce their post-shipment failure rates. Automated tests based on IETF RFCs, such as RFC 2544, quickly deliver pass/fail results for easy fault identification. The RFC tests provide an industry-standard methodology for testing advanced switches.
If an automated RFC test fails, the user can debug the device with an interactive GUI in real time to quickly isolate the problem. In addition, the user can switch between automated tests and interactive control without changing applications.
Installation & Maintenance
Ethernet based access, aggregation and regional transport network infrastructures are on the increase, with many operators already implementing GigE and 10Gbps Ethernet transmission services between locations and aggregation points, and preparing high-speed mobile backhaul links for future mobile technologies such as LTE.
To remain competitive, network service providers must verify network performance according to SLA, under periods of network congestion, to determine what the real end user can be guaranteed to experience in boundary network scenarios.
The pre-deployment testing applications of Xena also include functional and compliance testing of Ethernet OAM and emerging MEF standards for Carrier Ethernet.
Research & Educational Networks The Xena testers are ideally suited for accurate characterization of the performance of 10GbE and higher speed research and educational networks, and for the implementation of WAN research testbeds for advanced technologies such as IPv6, Carrier Ethernet OAM, MPLS, and 40/100G WAN links.
Because of the high cost of traditional ethernet test equipment, many in the Research and Educational community have compromised by using commodity PC systems and open source tools. The Xena testers are a very good alternative to using commodity hardware and software, in terms of performance, consistency, features, and cost.
|
-
A multi-user GUI interface and scripting language.
-
Characterizing stress performance of devices in terms of throughput, latency, loss and sequence errors.
-
Randomize packet fields and lengths for truly
randomized packet generation and measurement.
-
Emulation of bursty or uniform traffic distributions
- Generate millions of flows using powerful field modifiers.
-
Wire-speed and high precision traffic generation and analysis allows for accurate and repeatable tests.
-
Built in wire-speed capture and advanced triggering.
-
High-precision latency measurements and real-time histograms for detailed analysis of latency distributions.
-
Support for a broad range of protocols including Ethernet, Ethernet II, VLAN, ARP, IPv4, IPv6, UDP, TCP, LLC, SNAP, GTP, ICMP, RTP, RTCP, STP, or user specified
-
Scripting control from any scripting language such as TCL, Python, VBA, Java.
-
Automated testing via RFC 2544, and interleaved debugging between GUI and scripting based environment.
-
Compact 1U chassis option for quick placement and setup in a remote network exchange
-
High port density rack test equipment, 72 ports of GE or 24 ports of XE in 4U rackmount XenaBay tester.
-
Industry leading cost per test port
-
Forward compatible with 40G and 100G Xena
test modules scheduled for release in 2010.
|
*************************
The Xena Networks range is just one of many Phoenix Datacom network simulation and traffic generation products that can save time and money in the development and pre-deployment testing of new products, technologies and applications.
To find out more about the Xena range, call Phoenix Datacom on 01296 397711, send an email to info@phoenixdatacom.com or use the Request More Info form.
For a full list of Phoenix Datacom products and applications, click here.
|
