Comment (79)Light Reading is hoping to shed some light on this issue by sponsoring the first ever independent test of edge routers. Invitations to participate went out on Friday (April 12) to more than 20 vendors. The testing will be conducted by Network Test Inc. using test equipment from Spirent Communications.
The test will focus on the following issues:
- IP baseline performance
- Resiliency/failover handling
- IP Exterior Gateway Protocol scaleability
- IP Interior Gateway Protocol scaleability
- Quality of Service enforcement
- MPLS VPN scaleability (optional)
- MPLS Martini tunnel scaleability (optional)
For more background on edge routers, check out Light Reading's archived Webinar on the topic, which will be available soon. And watch out for the associated report, scheduled for publication this week.
As it happens, Light Reading's April Research Poll is on the topic of testing -- and guess what? So far, edge routers and multiservice switches are winning the most votes for the type of equipment respondents would like to see tested.
The poll also illustrates the importance of ensuring that vendors don't pay to participate in tests. So far, 56 percent of respondents say this is "vital to ensure the independence of tests," while another 27 percent consider it "important but not essential." In none of the tests sponsored by Light Reading do vendors pay to play.
Light Reading is planning a major program of equipment and component tests this year. One on IPSec VPNs is now under way, and a test of sub-wavelength grooming switches has already been announced (see Light Reading Announces Switch Test). There are more to come.
— Peter Heywood, Founding Editor, Light Reading
http://www.lightreading.com
