Invitations have gone out for a Light Reading test of equipment supporting secure sockets layer (SSL) virtual private networks (VPNs) -- a product category that's garnering increased attention from both service providers and enterprise users (see Service Providers See Green in SSL).

The tests are being carried out by Network Test on behalf of Light Reading at the SmartLab facility of Spirent Communications in Calabasas, Calif.

The tests will benchmark the performance of SSL-based VPNs for both enterprise and service provider networks. In addition to basic measurements of device capacity, the tests will also explore how equipment deals with failover and what changes, if any, are required to user applications.

Light Reading is paying for the tests; vendors participate free of charge, although they have to pay their own shipping costs. The testing time slots begin on September 9 and are being allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Invitations have been sent to the following vendors:

• Array Networks Inc.
• Aspelle Ltd.
• Aventail Corp.
• Neoteris Inc.
• Netilla Networks Inc.
• NetScaler Inc.
• Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK)
• Nortel Networks Corp. (NYSE/Toronto: NT)
• Radware Ltd. (Nasdaq: RDWR)
• SafeWeb Inc.
• uRoam Inc. (being acquired by F5 Networks Inc. -- see F5 Buys Into SSL VPNs)
• Whale Communications Ltd.

The test is open to all. If other vendors have products in this field and would like to participate in the test, they should contact [email protected].

— Peter Heywood, Founding Editor, Light Reading