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Help refine a taxonomy that lists vendors and products in categories including: * Services * Network Applications * Access & Transport
December 14, 2005
Welcome to another Light Reading project aimed at helping everybody get a better understanding of a rapidly evolving marketplace – in this case, test and measurement (T&M) gear for next-generation networks (NGNs). While NGNs can embrace almost anything that isn’t traditional circuit-switched TDM, they are understood here to be the packet-oriented (basically IP) broadband networks supporting converged multimedia applications, such as VOIP and IPTV.
As with previous Who Makes What reports, this article proposes a taxonomy, lists vendors, and invites readers to suggest improvements, point out omissions, and generally lend a hand in building a comprehensive view of what is going on in terms of products and vendors.
CALL TO ACTION: A questionnaire to enable vendors to categorize their products using the taxonomy of this Who Makes What can be downloaded by clicking on this link.
DEADLINE: Please submit your entry BEFORE Jan 31, 2006, to make sure your company’s products are included in the launch version of the directory.
Here’s a hyperlinked summary of the remainder of this report:
Page 2: Overview of NGN T&M
Provides a big picture of what testing and measurement are needed in NGNs, and how this Who Makes What classifies the main types of product.
Page 3: Consolidated Vendor List
Shows all the vendors so far included in the taxonomy pages, and invites readers to name vendors that should be included in this survey or comment on vendors already listed. This is intended to be a growing list, and we don’t claim to have included everybody from the start. So please let us know who’s missing.
Page 4: Service T&M
Page 5: Network Application T&M
Page 6: Network T&M
Page 7: Access and Transport T&M
Page 8: Lab Gear
To comment, simply post your suggestions on the message board linked to this article. This is the preferred input method, but you can also contribute by email, addressed to [email protected]. Please include T&M for NGN in the subject field to help us identify your comments.
We will update the report in response to reader input, so if your company has been left off any of the lists by mistake, or you have any suggestions for improvement of the taxonomy, please get in touch. The initial version of the report represents our best effort at producing a directory, but we need your feedback to make it comprehensive.
This report dovetails with a previous Who Makes What report covering VOIP Infrastructure Equipment, as well as Light Reading's IP Services Software Directory.
— Tim Hills is a freelance telecommunications writer and journalist. He's a regular author of Light Reading reports.
Previous Light Reading Who Makes What reports:
Electronic Chips
Equipment 2003
Infrastructure Equipment
IP DSLAMs
VOIP Infrastructure Equipment
MSAPs & IP DSLAMs
Optical Components
OSS
OSS Update
ROADMs
Security Appliances
Telco Video
VOIP Applications Software
CALLING ALL SUPPLIERS OF IP SERVICES SOFTWARE:
Make sure your company and products are listed free of charge in Light Reading's IP Services Software Directory, which already lists products from more than 100 companies, by completing this questionnaire.
CALLING ALL VOIP SERVICE PROVIDERS:
Make sure your company and services are listed free of charge in Light Reading's VOIP Services Directory, now being compiled, by completing this questionnaire.
Test and measurement are becoming big practical issues for carriers and service providers as NGN services such as VOIP and IPTV start to become mainstream, and there is growing demand for VOIP T&M equipment from all types of service providers and carriers.
One sign of NGN T&M’s increasing maturity is the emphasis now being given to carrier-class systems and products for assessing real-time service performance and quality, in contrast to established products and tools aimed at the lab or standard field-engineering metrics. Frost & Sullivan estimates, for example, that the market for VOIP call monitoring will increase nearly sixfold to about $300 million between 2004 and 2011. (See F&S Reports on VOIP Monitoring.)
NGNs and NGN services often give scope for different product classifications, and T&M is no exception. Some vendors (often those with extensive product lines covering all areas of telecom and even other industries) classify their products by key technology. Others classify by application (usually defined fairly generally), and others use a combination of the two. On top of all this, the dominance of software in NGNs makes functional integration in some form or another virtually universal, so the boundaries between functional categories are often blurred.
This report uses a different approach – perhaps drill-down would be a good name – to emphasize the shift in carrier and service-provider interest toward real NGN services, and therefore operations-oriented T&M. It is based on the idea of starting with the end result that the customer sees – the service – and then digging down further into the layers of software and infrastructure supporting it. So it looks like this, with four broad categories arranged from top to bottom as:
Service T&M: Covers (a) how users perceive the service (subjective quality, etc. – e.g., Is the VOIP call audio quality acceptable?); and (b) how the service is performing technically (QOS, objective performance characteristics, parameter measurements, etc. – e.g., Why does the audio quality sound awful? Are we meeting the SLAs?).
Network Application T&M: Covers how the network application is performing technically (what’s going on with the technology immediately supporting the service – e.g., all the VOIP components, protocols, etc., that provide IP telephony).
IP Network T&M: Covers how the IP network is performing technically (as a whole, in terms of getting packets from A to B – e.g., packet jitter and loss).
Access and Transport T&M: Covers how the underlying specific access and transport technologies are performing technically.
Obviously there is a connection with standard network layering, but it’s by no means an exact correspondence, and there is a lot of crossover. Typically, some vendors are beginning to build what might be called vertical T&M stacks – systems and products that aim to cover all the bases by providing tailored metrics across all these categories, either for specific areas of carrier operations, such as triple play or VOIP, or for all converged services as a whole. Figure 1 illustrates this idea. Generally, this report anchors such products in the Service or Network Application categories, because this is where the most service-specific technology is located, but their functions can go both up and down through the other categories. Some products are listed under several categories.
Such vertical stacks, especially the larger ones, usually integrate with existing operational support systems (OSSs) and back-office applications, such as fault management, provisioning, and trouble-ticketing systems. This leads into the wider area of service and performance management systems.
Equally obviously, further categories could be added below Access and Transport T&M to get further into the detail of the various network Physical Layers (such as Sonet, GigE, WiMax, raw optics, and so on), but this would broaden the coverage so much that the NGN service focus would be lost, even though T&M at this level remains crucial to NGN functioning. However, a certain amount of coverage of these Physical Layers inevitably creeps into products classified here as Access and Transport T&M because of the crucial role of the Physical Layer.
Another broad category, aimed more at equipment development and evaluation than network operations, is Lab Gear. This covers such activities as equipment design and feature verification, conformance testing, interoperability testing, load and stress testing, and installation and acceptance testing. Inevitably there is some crossover between T&M equipment used as lab gear and that used in network operations and maintenance. For simplicity of presentation, this report lists T&M products intended mainly as lab gear in a single list.
This page lists all the vendors so far included in the various categories of the taxonomy. It is an initial list only, and we know that it cannot be complete. So please alert Light Reading to any missing names (and don’t be upset if your company has been omitted inadvertently!).CALL TO ACTION: A questionnaire to enable vendors to categorize their products using the taxonomy of this Who Makes What can be downloaded by clicking on this link.
DEADLINE: Please submit your entry BEFORE Jan 31, 2006, to make sure your company’s products are included in the launch version of the directory.
To comment, simply post your suggestions on the message board linked to this article. This is the preferred input method, but you can also contribute by email, addressed to [email protected]. Please include T&M for NGN in the subject field to help us identify your comments.
When a sufficient number of companies have sent in completed questionnaires, Light Reading will launch an interactive directory based on them. Vendor names will be followed by a live link to their entry in the directory.
Mergers and acquisitions are a continuing and complicating feature of telecom. Recent acquisitions are indicated in parentheses.
Adaptif Photonics
Agilent Technologies
Anritsu (NetTest)
Anue Systems
Apparent Networks
Apposite Technologies
Arca Technologies
Brix Networks
Catapult Communications
C-COR
Centellax
Computer Associates International (Concord Communications)
Consultronics
Digital Lightwave
Dilithium Networks
Ellacoya Networks
Empirix
EXFO
Fluke Networks
GL Communications
HCL Technologies
IneoQuest
InfoVista
Innocor
Interworking Labs
Ixia
JDSU (Acterna)
Minacom
mPhase
Navtel
NetHawk
netIQ
Net-O2 Technologies
Network Instruments
Nexus Telecom
Niksun
Opticom
Packet Data Systems
PacketStorm
Pivetal
Pixelmetrix
Prosilient Technologies
Psytechnics
QoSmetrics
QoVox
Radcom
Sage Instruments
Shenick Network Systems
Solinet
Spirent Communications
Sunrise Telecom
SyncVoice Communications
TDsoft (VocalTec)
Telchemy
Tektronix
Tollgrade
Touchstone Technologies
Trilithic
Vierling
Viola Networks
Visual Networks
WildPackets
As some vendors have a very large number of individual products for specific purposes over the whole domain of next-generation test and measurement, only a selection can be given in the following lists, and many related products have been subsumed under a generic family heading.
Strictly, Service T&M handles two different (but related) types of service assessment:
Subjective service performance and quality
Objective service performance and quality
However, many T&M products in this category are tightly integrated with functions for Network Application and IP Network T&M.
Live monitoring of VOIP traffic becomes very important as the volume of traffic grows, because carriers need to be aware of quality problems before they become significant. Quantitative measures (such as MOS) can be monitored automatically and used to trigger alarms if preset thresholds are crossed.
Voice-quality testing can be active or passive – test signals can be injected into the network and monitored (active), or characteristics of existing traffic can be monitored (passive).
Web applications now involve dynamic multimedia content, and IP devices (such as switches, firewalls, and load balancers) have to be increasingly content aware. Web T&M therefore has to extend across Layers 4 to 7.
Subjective service performance and quality measures and assesses how users perceive service output, such as speech, audio/music, and video. The crucial issue is to relate objective measures of service performance and quality to users’ subjective experiences of service quality. This is done usually by software scoring algorithms based on international standards (for example, from the ITU) and extensive databases of the results of human tests. The aim is to keep any objectively measured signal degradation introduced by the NGN to within acceptable subjective limits.
These T&M products have two main modes of use:
Real-time service monitoring (for example, monitoring VOIP call quality)
Pre-deployment testing for network and service dimensioning and troubleshooting
Typical products comprise controlling hardware and software, and distributed probes and device monitors (which may be pure software or firmware, and fully integrated into end devices or network components). Probes and monitors can be active (using special generated test signals) or passive (using natural traffic only).
Products in this category frequently integrate test and measurement of objective service quality, together with network application and network IP performance, to give a comprehensive real-time monitor of user QOS and SLAs, and to aid network diagnostics. Such products frequently merge with service and network management systems.
Objective service performance and quality covers how the service is performing in terms of various engineering metrics, some of which will be specified in SLAs and QOS guarantees. Products in this category are concerned with fundamental service characteristics – for example, VOIP call setup times, numbers of blocked or dropped calls, and conformance to voice-signal specifications.
As with subjective service quality, products can be integrated with network application and network IP performance, to give a comprehensive real-time monitor of service QOS and SLAs, and to aid network and service diagnostics. Such products frequently merge with service management systems.
The presentation of VOIP quality results is important within a carrier and service provider organization if they are to be used most effectively. Different departments (e.g., customer services and field engineering) have different requirements. Modern testing systems increasingly allow results to be presented and used in different ways.
Table 1: Service T&M Gear
Vendor | Product(s) |
Agilent Technologies | J1981C Agilent Voice Quality Tester (VQT) |
J5479A Voice Quality Tester (VQT) | |
NgN Analysis System � network monitoring system for next-generation telephony networks | |
Anritsu | InterQuest Analyzer Network & Service Performance Analysis for GSM, CDMA, GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, SS7, and VoIP Networks |
MasterQuest Network and Service Assurance System | |
MasterQuest Service Performance Monitoring | |
Advanced VoIP Test Suites | |
Advanced Video Test Suite | |
Anue Systems | SONET/SDH Network Emulator |
SONET/SDH Path Layer Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Layer 2+ Network Emulator | |
Fibre Channel Network Emulator | |
Bridge Technologies | IPTV monitoring systems |
Brix Networks | BrixMon Software � testing, analysis, and reporting capabilities for VoIP management |
BrixWorx Software � testing, analysis, and reporting capabilities for VoIP management | |
Centellax | 10-Gbit/s BERT TG1B1-A |
40-Gbit/s PRBS TG1P4-A | |
C-COR | CableEdge VoiceAssure |
Computer Associates International | eHealth Voice Quality Monitor |
Consultronics | Network Quality Monitoring Systems |
Digital Lightwave | NIC 2.5G |
NIC 10G | |
NIC EP / NIC RT | |
NIC Ethernet | |
NIC Plus | |
OWN / SpanView System for DWDM | |
Ellacoya Networks | IP Service Control System � measurement, analysis and control of traffic by application, activity, and subscriber |
Voice Quality Reporter | |
Empirix | Hammer Call Analyzer |
Hammer FX | |
Hammer NetEm | |
Hammer NXT | |
Hammer Voice Quality Test Suite | |
Hammer XMS Services Monitoring | |
EXFO | IQS/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer 10 Gigabit Ethernet Test Module |
IQS/FTB-8520 Packet Blazer SAN Fibre Channel Test Module | |
Network Protocol Analyzer���EXpertNPA | |
InfoVista | VistaFoundation |
Ixia | IXIA 1600T/400T |
IXIA 250 | |
IxANVL | |
IxChariot � Traffic Predeployment and Decision Support Tool | |
IxLoad � Traffic Generation and Analysis Application | |
IxNetwork | |
IxScriptMate | |
IxVoice | |
IxVPN | |
IxWLAN | |
Optixia X16 | |
Optixia XL10 | |
Minacom | DirectQuality QoS Management Platform |
PowerProbe 6000 Service Level Testing Probe | |
PowerProbe 2108 ROTL Trunk Testing Probes | |
PowerProbe 6000 ROTL - NEBS | |
Navtel | Voice Quality Tester |
netIQ | AppManager VOIP Management Solution |
Nexus Telecom | Nexus8610 |
Nexus8620 | |
NexusHorizon | |
NexusNetview | |
NexusTrace | |
Niksun | NetVoice 2005 VoIP Network Monitoring and Troubleshooting Solution |
Opticom | OPERA � Objective Perceptual Signal Quality Analyzer |
Pivetal | VoIProbe |
QspeeQ Voice Quality Monitoring network appliance | |
Prosilient Technologies | PTAnalyzer � Distributed production network data, VOIP, IPTV, multicast supervision system with built-in tool support for installation and verification such as RFC2544 and load test. 50us accuracy without external sync source (e.g., GPS) |
Psytechnics | IP Director � Portable Software Probe Manager |
Perceptual Service Assessment Modules (SAMs) � IP Speech and Video | |
QosMetrics | Net Advisor |
QoVox | NAS-6131 Network Assurance System |
Radcom | Omni-Q Voice Quality Management System |
Solinet | A8619 VQA Voice Quality Analysis |
SOLINET Call Monitoring | |
SOLINET Network Analysis | |
SyncVoice Communications | VXTracker VoIPToolBox |
TDsoft | Essentra TMS Traffic Management System |
Tektronix | K1297-G20 |
K15 | |
K18 | |
NetTek | |
NSA | |
Spectra2 | |
Spectra/SE | |
Spectra2/VQM | |
Telchemy | P.862 � Perceptual Estimation of Speech Quality |
SQmediator OEM VoIP QoS report collection, aggregation and analysis product | |
SQprobe OEM Gigabit Ethernet VoIP probe | |
VQattest � Active VoIP Call Generation | |
VQmon/EP � Call Quality Monitoring for IP Phones and Gateways | |
VQmon/SA � Call Quality Analysis for Probes, Analyzers and Routers | |
VQmon/SA-VM � Video Quality Analysis for Videoconferencing and IPTV | |
Tektronix | K1297-G20 |
K15 | |
K18 | |
NetTek | |
NSA | |
Spectra2 | |
Spectra/SE | |
Spectra2/VQM | |
Tollgrade | Cheetah CMD-E |
Cheetah CMD-P and CMD-P-Euro | |
CheetahXD | |
DigiTest EDGE | |
DigiTest HUB | |
LoopCare Test OSS | |
Vierling | TiQoS.VoIP Speech Quality and Net Performance in IP Networks |
Network Application T&M covers specific network technologies (or technology combinations) used to deliver specific NGN services – for example, VOIP to deliver voice telephony and IPTV to deliver TV. This category of T&M is thus heavily concerned with the application protocols and other technology specifics.
Triple Play
Triple-play converged voice, video, and data services involve several technologies and many different metrics for performance. Ixia, for example, characterizes these as including:
Transport Network – Data Plane: Jitter; latency; throughput; Mean Opinion Score (MOS – measure of voice quality); Media Delivery Index (MDI – measure of video quality)
Transport Network – Control Plane: routing capacity; convergence times; failover times; multicast performance
Subscriber Edge Services: Subscriber scaleability (PPP); channel-change latency (IGMP/MLD; join/leave); IP address management (DHCP scaleability); QOS policy marking; authentication scaleability; VOIP signaling scaleability
Content Network Testing: Video stream capacity; video server response; VOIP call server handling capacity; VOIP call setup rate; data concurrent session capacity; data connection setup rate
VOIP
VOIP testing is complex because so many protocols are (or can be) used in a VOIP network (vendors report instances of around 50 protocols being specified in some RTTs, for example). And it is necessary to test a lot of the protocols used to get a good view of the user experience.
Table 2: Network Application T&M Gear
Vendor | Product(s) |
Triple Play | |
Agilent Technologies | Agilent N2X Solution |
Anue Systems | SONET/SDH Network Emulator |
Ethernet Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Layer 2+ Network Emulator | |
Brix Networks | TestYourVideo.com Video Over IP Self Testing Site |
C-COR | CableEdge Network Optimizer |
Consultronics | CoLT-450 Voice, Video and Data Test Set |
Empirix | Hammer Call Analyzer |
Hammer DEX | |
Hammer FX | |
Hammer NetEm | |
Hammer NXT | |
Hammer Voice Quality Test Suite | |
EXFO | IQS/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer 10 Gigabit Ethernet Test Module |
IQS/FTB-8520 Packet Blazer SAN Fibre Channel Test Module | |
Network Protocol Analyzer � EXpertNPA | |
IneoQuest | IQMediaMonitor Remote Video Over IP Monitoring System |
IQMediaMonitor100 Real-Time Video Over IP Monitoring Probe | |
IQMediaMonitor Application For Remote Monitoring Video Over IP Networks | |
Ixia | Ixia |
IXIA 250 | |
IxTriplePlay Toolset | |
IxChariot � Traffic Predeployment and Decision Support Tool | |
IxLoad � Traffic Generation and Analysis Application | |
IxNetwork | |
IxScriptMate | |
IxVoice | |
Optixia X16 | |
Optixia XL10 | |
JDSU | HST-3000 IP Video Test Suite |
Navtel | InterWatch |
Nexus Telecom | Nexus8610 |
NexusNetview | |
NexusTrace | |
PacketStorm | Hurricane |
Hurricane II | |
PacketStorm1800E | |
PacketStorm2600E | |
PacketStorm4XG | |
PScapture | |
Tornado | |
Pixelmetrix | DVShift |
DVShift-HD | |
DVStation | |
DVStation-IP | |
DVStation-IP Portable | |
DVStation-Pod | |
DVStation-Remote | |
DVStor | |
Prosilient Technologies | PTAnalyzer |
QosMetrics | Net Advisor |
Tektronix | K1297-G20 |
K15 | |
K18 | |
NetTek | |
NSA | |
Spectra2 | |
Spectra/SE | |
Spectra2/VQM | |
Telchemy | SQmediator OEM VoIP QoS report collection, aggregation and analysis product |
SQprobe OEM Gigabit Ethernet VoIP probe | |
VQattest | |
VQmon/EP | |
VQmon/SA | |
VQmon/SA-VM | |
Tollgrade | Cheetah CMD-E |
Cheetah CMD-P and CMD-P-Euro | |
CheetahXD | |
DigiTest EDGE | |
DigiTest HUB | |
LoopCare Test OSS | |
VOIP | |
Agilent Technologies | J4618C Agilent IP Telephony Analyzer |
J6844A Telephony Network Analyzer | |
Anue Systems | SONET/SDH Network Emulator |
Ethernet Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Layer 2+ Network Emulator | |
Apparent Networks | AppareNet Professional Voice � network diagnostic, assessment and measurement solution |
Apposite Technologies | Linktropy 4500 link emulator |
Brix Networks | Advanced VoIP Test Suites |
Advanced Video Test Suite | |
TestYourVoIP.com VOIP Self Testing Site | |
Consultronics | CoVALT - VoIP, DSL and POTS Test Set |
Empirix | Hammer Call Analyzer |
Hammer DEX | |
Hammer Enterprise | |
Hammer FX | |
Hammer NetEm | |
Hammer NXT | |
Hammer Voice Quality Test Suite | |
Hammer XMS Services Monitoring | |
EXFO | IQS/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer 10 Gigabit Ethernet Test Module |
IQS/FTB-8520 Packet Blazer SAN Fibre Channel Test Module | |
Network Protocol Analyzer � EXpertNPA | |
Fluke Networks | NetTool Inline VOIP Tester |
Ixia | Ixia |
IXIA 250 | |
IxTriplePlay Toolset | |
IxChariot | |
IxLoad | |
IxNetwork | |
IxScriptMate | |
IxVoice | |
Optixia X16 | |
Optixia XL10 | |
JDSU | (Acterna) PVA-1000 VoIP Network Analysis Suite |
CPO - Ameritec ALG/NLG Call Generators/QoS Analyzer | |
Navtel | ISUP Performance Test Suite |
Megaco/H.248.1 - Conformance Test Suites | |
Megaco/H.248.1 Media Gateway Functional & Performance Test Tool | |
Megaco/H.248.1 Media Gateway Controller Functional & Performance Test Tool | |
MGCP (Media Gateway Control Protocol) - Conformance Test Suites | |
MGCP Media Gateway - Functional & Performance Test Tool | |
MGCP Media Gateway Controller - Functional & Performance Test Tool | |
PacketCable� CMS Performance Test Suite | |
SIP Discovery | |
SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) - Conformance Testing | |
SIP/SIP-T User Agent - Functional & Performance Test Tool | |
Nexus Telecom | Nexus8610 |
NexusHorizon | |
NexusInsight | |
NexusNetview | |
NexusTrace | |
PacketStorm | Hurricane |
Hurricane II | |
PacketStorm1800E | |
PacketStorm2600E | |
PacketStorm4XG | |
PScapture | |
Tornado | |
Prosilient Technologies | PTAnalyzer |
Radcom | Prism UltraLite VoIP/Cellular/Traditional DataCom Testing |
SAGE Instruments | 925VST Handheld VoIP Service Tester |
Solinet | SOLINET Network Analysis |
Spirent Communications | SmartSight Diagnostic Solution |
Sunrise Telecom | NeTracker |
STT-MSA | |
Tektronix | Spectra2 |
Spectra/SE | |
Telchemy | SQmediator OEM VoIP QoS report collection, aggregation and analysis product |
SQprobe OEM Gigabit Ethernet VoIP probe | |
VQattest | |
VQmon/EP | |
VQmon/SA | |
VQmon/SA-VM | |
Tollgrade | Cheetah CMD-E |
Cheetah CMD-P and CMD-P-Euro | |
CheetahXD | |
DigiTest EDGE | |
DigiTest HUB | |
LoopCare Test OSS | |
Touchstone Technologies | WinEyeQ - Voice and Video Monitoring, Analysis and QoS |
WinSIP - SIP Call Generation | |
Win323 - H.323 Call Generation | |
Trilithic | 860 DSPi |
Guardian System II | |
Visual Networks | Visual UpTime Select |
The characteristics of the underlying IP network are crucial to the performance of NGN applications and services. While IP Network T&M is long established, the high-bandwidth, real-time, multimedia nature of many NGN applications and services emphasizes different aspects than do traditional data communications. QOS metrics are particularly important, and these have to be made and related at, not only at Layers 2 and 3, but also at higher layers.
IP network T&M issues include:
IP Packet Loss: This clearly affects VOIP quality. But it is much more audible if the traffic is bursty. Packet latency, as it grows, leads to increased echo. Excessive packet jitter will cause packets to be dropped from equipment buffers, and therefore packet loss will increase.
Echo: It is very difficult to detect echo by just looking at the IP signal; telcos really have to look at the (reconstructed) analog voice signal.
Audio Volume: This is not normally an IP network issue (the voice audio volume is encoded in the packet data). But RTP used in VOIP can be monitored as a way of handling network issues (and a new extension to RTP is being developed to handle this better).
Multicasting is important in applications such as video conferencing, distance learning, streaming media, and video over IP, but places big demands on routers and switches.
Table 3: IP Network T&M Gear
Vendor | Product(s) |
Anritsu | Ethernet/IP Network Data Analyzers |
MasterQuest Network Performance Monitoring | |
Anue Systems | SONET/SDH Network Emulator |
SONET/SDH Path Layer Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Layer 2+ Network Emulator | |
Fibre Channel Network Emulator | |
Apposite Technologies | Linktropy 4500 link emulator |
Digital Lightwave | NIC 2.5G |
NIC 10G | |
NIC EP / NIC RT | |
NIC Ethernet | |
NIC Plus | |
Dilithium Networks | Dilithium Networks Analyzer (DNA) |
Empirix | Hammer Call Analyzer |
Hammer DEX | |
Hammer NetEm | |
Hammer Voice Quality Test Suite | |
EXFO | IQS/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer 10 Gigabit Ethernet Test Module |
IQS/FTB-8520 Packet Blazer SAN Fibre Channel Test Module | |
Network Protocol Analyzer � EXpertNPA | |
GL Communications | GL PacketGen |
GL PacketScan | |
GL RTP Toolbox | |
Interworking Labs | Maxwell Network, Protocol and Packet Impairment System |
Ixia | |
IxExplorer | |
IxLoad � Traffic Generation and Analysis Application | |
IxNetwork | |
IxScriptMate | |
IxVPN | |
Navtel | InterWatch |
RTP [Real-Time Transport Protocol] - Generation & Analysis | |
Net O2 Technologies | Net-O2 Attest Test Suites |
Network Instruments | Observer |
Nexus Telecom | Nexus8610 |
Nexus8620 | |
NexusHorizon | |
NexusInsight | |
NexusNetview | |
NexusTrace | |
Packet Data Systems | Clarinet protocol analyser & simulator |
PacketStorm | Hurricane |
Hurricane II | |
PacketStorm1800E | |
PacketStorm2600E | |
PacketStorm4XG | |
PScapture | |
Tornado | |
Pixelmetrix | DVShift |
DVShift-HD | |
DVStation | |
DVStation-IP | |
DVStation-IP Portable | |
DVStation-Pod | |
DVStation-Remote | |
DVStor | |
Prosilient Technologies | PTAnalyzer |
Shenick Network Systems | diversifEye network, application and security attack QoS performance test system |
Solinet | SOLINET Network Analysis |
Spirent Communications | IP Service Assurance � IP QOS |
SmartSight Diagnostic Solution | |
Tektronix | Spectra2 |
Spectra/SE | |
Spectra2/VQM | |
Tollgrade | Cheetah CMD-E |
Cheetah CMD-P and CMD-P-Euro | |
CheetahXD | |
DigiTest EDGE | |
DigiTest HUB | |
LoopCare Test OSS | |
Viola Networks | NetAlly VoIP |
DSL and cable modems currently form the backbone of the broadband access networks needed for NGN applications and services. These are large, high-density installations, and need to be tested efficiently for Layer 2–3 performance, PPPOx performance, and user QOS under real traffic conditions generated by higher-layer protocols.
DSL testing covers a wide range of DSL flavors, such as ADSL2+/ADSL2/ADSL, G.SHDSL, HDSL2, IDSL, SDSL, VDSL.
Broadband access is beginning to move to various flavors of FTTx and Ethernet.
Table 4: Access and Transport T&M Gear
Vendor | Product(s) |
Anritsu | Ethernet/IP Network Data Analyzers |
Anue Systems | SONET/SDH Network Emulator |
SONET/SDH Path Layer Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Layer 2+ Network Emulator | |
Fibre Channel Network Emulator | |
Centellax | 10-Gbit/s BERT TG1B1-A |
40-Gbit/s PRBS TG1P4-A | |
Consultronics | CoLT-250+ ADSL, ADSL2, RE-ADSL & ADSL2+ Test Set |
CoLT-150 ADSL Testing | |
Digital Lightwave | NIC 2.5G |
NIC 10G | |
NIC EP / NIC RT | |
NIC Ethernet | |
NIC Plus | |
Empirix | Hammer Call Analyzer |
EXFO | IQS/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer 10 Gigabit Ethernet Test Module |
IQS/FTB-8520 Packet Blazer SAN Fibre Channel Test Module | |
Network Protocol Analyzer � EXpertNPA | |
Ixia | 1 Gig Ethernet Load Modules |
10 Gig Ethernet Load Modules | |
ATM Load Module | |
IXIA 1600T/400T | |
IXIA 250 | |
IxAccess � Performance and Scalability Analysis of Edge Aggregation Equipment | |
IxANVL | |
IxChariot � Traffic Predeployment and Decision Support Tool | |
IxExplorer | |
IxLoad � Traffic Generation and Analysis Application | |
IxScriptMate | |
Optixia X16 | |
Optixia XL10 | |
SONET Load Modules | |
JDSU | CPO - ELektronika ELQ2-DT xDSL Line Qualifier |
mPhase | Broadband Loop Watch System for Automating Maintenance of Broadband Networks |
DSL Test Access Shelf | |
IxLoad � Traffic Generation and Analysis Application | |
Navtel | InterWatch |
Net O2 Technologies | Net-O2 Attest Test Suites |
Nexus Telecom | Nexus8610 |
Nexus8620 | |
NexusHorizon | |
NexusNetview | |
NexusTrace | |
PacketStorm | Hurricane |
Hurricane II | |
PacketStorm1800E | |
PacketStorm2600E | |
PacketStorm4XG | |
PScapture | |
Prosilient Technologies | PTAnalyzer |
Spirent Communications | DSL Service Assurance |
Sunrise Telecom | SunSet MTT |
Tektronix | K1297-G20 |
K15 | |
K18 | |
NetTek | |
NSA | |
Spectra2 | |
Spectra/SE | |
Spectra2/VQM | |
Tollgrade | Cheetah CMD-E |
Cheetah CMD-P and CMD-P-Euro | |
CheetahXD | |
DigiTest EDGE | |
DigiTest HUB | |
LoopCare Test OSS | |
Vierling | VIT-A1 ADSL Handheld Tester for Service Personnel |
VIT-A2 ADSL2/ADSL2+ Handheld Tester for Service Personnel | |
Maestro MTDU Qualification, Monitoring and Maintenance of XDSL Copper Lines | |
Maestro VSA Analysis of Signals and Interference on Copper Lines | |
Fibercare Maintenance and Supervision of Optical Fibers | |
WildPackets | EtherPeek NX Ethernet Protocol Analyzer |
EtherPeek SE Ethernet Network Traffic and Protocol Analyzer |
Products in this category are intended largely for equipment design and feature verification, conformance testing, interoperability testing, load and stress testing, robustness and stability testing, or installation and acceptance testing. Major systems offer considerable functional and feature integration, with large protocol libraries and network-simulation capabilities.
There is inevitably some crossover between this and the other categories.
Table 5: Lab T&M Gear
Vendor | Product(s) |
Anritsu | Optical Test Solutions � WDM Testers, Optical Power Meters, Optical Attenuators, Optical Light Sources, E/O, O/E Converters (Optical), Optical Time Domain Reflectometers, Optical Test Sets, Optical Spectrum Analyzers |
Anue Systems | SONET/SDH Network Emulator |
SONET/SDH Path Layer Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Network Emulator | |
Ethernet Layer 2+ Network Emulator | |
Fibre Channel Network Emulator | |
Apposite Technologies | Linktropy 4500 link emulator |
Arca Technologies | emutel|Harmony VOIP Performance Tester � development, performance verification and pre-deployment testing |
Catapult Communications | DCT2000 & MGTS � multi-user, multi-protocol, programmable test systems |
Centellax | 10-Gbit/s BERT TG1B1-A |
40-Gbit/s PRBS TG1P4-A | |
Digital Lightwave | NIC 2.5G |
NIC 10G | |
NIC EP / NIC RT | |
NIC Ethernet | |
NIC Plus | |
OWN / SpanView System for DWDM | |
Empirix | Hammer Call Analyzer |
Hammer FX | |
Hammer NetEm | |
Hammer NXT | |
Hammer Voice Quality Test Suite | |
EXFO | IQS/FTB-8510G Packet Blazer 10 Gigabit Ethernet Test Module |
IQS/FTB-8520 Packet Blazer SAN Fibre Channel Test Module | |
Network Protocol Analyzer � EXpertNPA | |
HCL Technologies | VOIP Conformance Test Suite / SIP & MGCP Test Tools |
Innocor | PHY(PHYsical) Master for Physical Bus Implementations |
TestPoint Family of Test Instruments for 10GbE LAN/WAN with or without FEC, 10G Fibre Channel, GbE, SONET/SDH, VCAT/GFP for Ethernet over SONET/SDH, OTN G.709, and ATM | |
Interworking Labs | Maxwell Network, Protocol and Packet Impairment System |
Ixia | 1 Gig Ethernet Load Modules |
10 Gig Ethernet Load Modules | |
ATM Load Module | |
IxAccess | |
IxANVL | |
IxChariot � Traffic Predeployment and Decision Support Tool | |
IxExplorer | |
IXIA 1600T/400T | |
IXIA 250 | |
IxLoad � Traffic Generation and Analysis Application | |
IxNetwork | |
IxScriptMate | |
SONET Load Modules | |
IxVoice | |
IxVPN | |
IxWLAN | |
Optixia X16 | |
Optixia XL10 | |
JDSU | Multiple Application Platform for Optical or Electro-Optical Test and Measurement Applications |
Swept Wavelength System (SWS) | |
Luna Technologies | Optical Vector Analyzer (OVA) � integrated loss, dispersion, and PMD analyzer for high bit-rate fiber optic components and modules |
Navtel | InterWatch |
NetHawk | NetHawk EAST � heavy-duty load testing system |
Nexus Telecom | Nexus8610 |
Nexus8620 | |
NexusHorizon | |
PacketStorm | Hurricane |
Hurricane II | |
PacketStorm1800E | |
PacketStorm2600E | |
PacketStorm4XG | |
PScapture | |
Tornado | |
Prosilient Technologies | PTAnalyzer |
Radcom | Performer VoIP Testing System � predeployment and recurring testing of VoIP system performance |
Solinet | H.323 Conformance Tester |
MEGACO Conformance Tester | |
MGCP Conformance Tester | |
SIGTRAN M2UA Conformance Tester | |
SIGTRAN M3UA Conformance Tester | |
SIGTRAN IUA Conformance Tester | |
SIGTRAN SCTP Conformance Tester | |
SIGTRAN M2PA Conformance Tester | |
SIGTRAN V5UA Conformance Tester | |
SIP Conformance Tester | |
SIP-T Conformance TesterTektronix | |
Spectra/SE | |
Spirent Communications | Triple Play Solutions -- Avalanche, Abacus 5000, AX/4000, Spirent Converged Network Impairment Emulator, mAXSLAM, TestCenter |
Tektronix | K1297-G20 |
K15 | |
K18 | |
NetTek | |
NSA | |
Spectra2 | |
Spectra/SE | |
Spectra2/VQM | |
Telchemy | SQmediator OEM VoIP QoS report collection, aggregation and analysis product |
SQprobe OEM Gigabit Ethernet VoIP probe | |
VQattest | |
VQmon/EP | |
VQmon/SA |
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