The Xena test platform provides a flexible and high port count L2-3 test platform that easily interfaces to 3rd party applications and test software including XenaMation and Veryx ATTEST. Clients connect with standard Ethernet GigE interfaces to the test platform, with support for remote access using IP addressing. Xena’s wire speed test modules are provided in high-density 1U (XenaCompact) and 4U (XenaBay) chassis form factors, with full support for multi-user environments for both interactive GUI, MS Excel, and automated script based test sessions.

The Xena series of compact 1U chassis solutions provides a complete suite of copper and optical 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 10-Gigabit Ethernet, 40-Gigabit Ethernet, and 100-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces.

The XenaCompact and XenaBay functional feature set is identical, with the XenaCompact series integrating the XenaBay Test Modules inside the 1U chassis form factor of the XenaCompact series.

Stream oriented traffic generation

Users can define and generate hundreds of transmit and receive streams with their own unique traffic profile. Each stream can generate 100k’s of unique traffic flows by using programmable packet field modifiers to increment or randomize field values such as IP addresses or VLAN identifiers. This makes it easy to scale your tests beyond the maximum performance parameters of your network or device.

The stream rate can be defined as a percentage of line rate, frames per second, bit-rate, and the injection of packets can be controlled as a single-packet shot, number of packets, time duration, or in continuous mode. Traffic profiles can be defined as uniform or bursty, and custom packet editing is facilitated by a graphically driven field editor that lets users build any packet format, in addition to predefined packet templates for Ethernet, Ethernet II, VLAN, ARP, IPv4, IPv6, UDP, TCP, LLC, SNAP, GTP, ICMP, RTP, RTCP, STP, or fully specified by user.

Real time analysis and reporting

Packet flow statistics are tracked per stream, or per-user defined filters which can include any combination of programmable field values. Incoming packet streams are automatically identified using optionally auto inserted Test Payload fields. Analysis of traffic throughput, latency, jitter, loss, sequence, and misorder errors is performed real-time per received stream with 16/32 ns accuracy depending on the interface type (optical/electrical).

Users can capture packets at wire speed on each port for detailed analysis and export to 3rd party packet analysis tool WireShark, which in conjunction with event triggering and programmable filters provides a unique ability to identify and isolate performance issues.

API scripting from any tool environment

An open specification text based API allows the user to script for test automation purposes from any tool and scripting environment, only requiring that the scripting environment support text and line-based TCP/IP communication.

Any changes made through the API are automatically reflected on the GUI. This unique and easy to use scripting-from-anywhere concept lets the user access the Xena test platform from any proprietary or commercial scripting environment based on languages such as Tcl, Python, VBA, or Java development environments, using wrapper to convert from existing Tcl/Python/VB/Java APIs to the generic Xena API.

MS Excel program for test case execution, and reporting

As an alternative for GUI and script based test case execution, the user can configure, execute, and log statistics using a standard MS Excel program. The MS Excel templates provided by Xena use VBA to communicate with the test equipment using Xena’s TCP/ IP scripting language, and is a very powerful means for operating the equipment for anyone familiar with MS Excel.

Resources

Questions? Call  1-805-277-2400

For more information, pricing, demonstration or evaluation on Xena Compact, Xena Bay or any Xena Networks Products please contact us here.