Network test maker Ixia (Nasdaq: XXIA) today announced the first application layer test emulation solutions for Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE)'s Flash Media Streaming technology.

Created under a licensing agreement with Adobe that is the first of its kind, Ixia's IxLoad 5.0 incorporates Flash Player protocols into its multiplay testing platform, enabling content delivery network (CDN) providers and network equipment makers to accurately mimic network conditions as they face an increasing volume of video traffic.

Traffic emulation is an important part of the network testing process that enables service providers to prepare their networks for real-world traffic, and make certain those networks are also utilized in the optimum manner, says Dave Schneider, senior marketing evangelist for Ixia.

"Flash represents 85 percent to 90 percent of today's Internet video traffic, so it's important to be able to test the capacity and responsiveness of the network to different levels of that kind of traffic," Schneider says.

According to Adobe, Flash is installed on 98 percent of connected computers and more than 1 billion devices -- although it rather famously isn't supported by Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL)'s new iPad device. (See The iPad: a Threat to Flash's Video Dominance? )

IxLoad 5.0 enables service providers and equipment makers that have built the different components of a CDN to test the performance of their systems under heavy video traffic of multiple protocols.

Ixia also incorporates Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) into its system to enable CDN operators to prioritize different types of traffic. The goal there is to optimize the mix of voice, data, and video traffic while ensuring each type of traffic is protected from jitter, latency, and packet loss as required for that traffic type, Schneider says.

— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading