Tools for 10gigabit ethernet Development, Deployment, Operation and Maintenance

Overview

The introduction of 10Gig ethernet puts new strains on network infrastructures, the applications running over those infrastructures, and hardware and software devices such as routers, gateways, firewalls, IDS, IPS and servers. Realistic testing is essential at every stage from development in R & D labs to deployment and ongoing operation and maintenance - and that's where Phoenix Datacom can supply the appropriate tools, test equipment, traffic generators, user community simulation and network simulators.

Capturing and analysis of data from 10 gigabit networks is also a challenge - and here Phoenix Datacom can provide 10GbE network taps that can also filter, aggregate and, if necessary, rate change traffic onto analysers and security devices - and analysers that can directly capture, store and analyse 10 gig data.

IP network simulation with 10Gig interfaces

PacketStorm IP network simulators provide a complete "network-in-a-box" that can be used stand-alone or in-line with a real network to provide a controlled test environment to investigate application and network interaction and behaviour under real-world and worst case conditions.

The PacketStorm 4XG IP network emulator provides WAN emulation for multiple 1Gbps and 10Gbps ports. The PacketStorm 4XG has a throughput in excess of 64 million packets per second and can impair both IP and non-IP traffic at line speed for all packet sizes. .Up to four 10Gbps or thirty-two 1Gbps ports can be installed in one chassis. >>more on PacketStorm

Testing the performance of 10 Gigabit devices and services

Agilent Technologies N2X provides wire-speed traffic generation, routing protocol emulation and analysis for the development and deployment of routers and switches with 10 GbE or POS Packet over SONET/SDH interfaces.

A real-time traffic generator, with multi-profile traffic scheduler, thousands of streams, programmable field modifiers and payloads, combines with real-time layer 1 to 4 transmit and receive statistics to provide verification of the data-plane functionality, performance and scalability of devices and networks under test. Integrated capture analysis software is designed for effective analysis of multi-media data, voice and video applications such as IPTV. >>more on N2X

BreakingPoint Systems are designed to test content-aware networks and network equipment easily by generating defined realistic mixes of stateful converged application traffic with simultaneous security attacks on the same interface.

The systems architecture of the BPS range allows generation of exceptionally high volumes of test traffic with unprecedented control of the traffic mix from Layer 2 to Layer 7 to give the most realistic test of how systems perform under stress. The BreakingPoint architecture provides the accurate high performance needed for 10Gig testing at the application layer - a single appliance having the ability to generate and maintain up to 15 million simultaneous TCP sessions, 1.5 million new TCP sessions per second, 20 gigabits per second of Layer 4-7 traffic and 80 Gigabits per second of Layer 2-3 traffic. >>more on BreakingPoint Systems

Testing 10GbE transmission links

Sunrise Telecom's STT has become a standard tool used by many carriers for all kinds of transmission testing. The STT Ethernet Module is designed for the qualification, installation, maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Metropolitan ethernet networks operating at 10/100M, Gigabit and 10 Gigabit rates.

The STT ethernet module provides full line rate testing for both LAN and WAN 10GbE networks and includes advanced features for testing up to Layer 4 , including stacked VLAN (Q-in-Q) and MPLS. >>more on SunSet STT

VSS Monitoring provide a broad range of managed network access taps for a wide range of applications including monitoring 10GigE networks.

The top of the range Distributed Filter Tap is a uniquely flexible traffic capture tool that features 4 XFP ports, 16 UTP ports and 8 SFP ports. Each of the ports can be configured as either an "input port" (to capture network traffic) or as an "output port" (to provide a monitor tool with a copy of captured traffic).

In addition to port mapping, data aggregation and rate changing, output traffic can also be filtered on layers 2-4 based on where the traffic is input, where the traffic is output, or on complex filter mappings. >>more on VSS Monitoring taps

Niksun' NetVCR provides data capture, storage and deep-packet analysis for both network performance and security applications - and is now available with support for 10G and OC-48 interfaces.

NetVCR runs on NIKSUN Appliance 3.6, based on a 64-bit architecture designed to provide improved performance and a host of additional benefits. The combination of NetVCR and Appliance 3.6 provides faster processing capabilities, improved security and the scalability needed for 10Gbps networks. >>more on Niksun

IDS/IPS for 10gigabit networks

Based on Snort ® , the de facto standard for intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS), Sourcefire 3D™ Sensors are available with throughputs from 5Mbps up to the industry's first-shipping 10Gbps IPS appliance, the Sourcefire 3D9800 Sensor.

The Sourcefire 3D9800 is a purpose-built IPS appliance that can be deployed in inline or passive mode in many areas of the network—at the perimeter, in the DMZ, in the core, or at critical internal network segments. With up to 10Gbps of throughput, latency of less than 100 microseconds, and fully redundant configurations, the 3D9800 meets the demanding requirements of today's largest networks. >>more on Sourcefire

Terminology and standards

10G or 10Gig or 10GigE or 10gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet or 10GbE or 10 GigE or 10Gb/s ethernet or 10Gbits/s ethernet or 10 Gbps

802.3ae-2002 - 802.3ak-2004 - 802.3an-2006 - 802.3ap-2007 - 802.3aq-2006 - 802.3-2005 - 802.3-2008

To find out more about Phoenix Datacom products, call Phoenix Datacom in the UK on +44(0)1296 397711 , send an email or use the Request More Info form.

For a full list of Phoenix Datacom products and applications, click here.