Xena Networks White Papers
Xena offers a range of informative, technical White Papers. Click on the thumbnails to be redirected to a page where you can read more & register to download each one.
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Ethernet Test Tools
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Automotive Ethernet |
| The automotive industry is finally going digital. Initiatives like the BroadR-Reach 100 Mbit/s Automotive Ethernet standard seek to minimize the weight and cost of electrical cabling – now the 3rd largest weight component.
Xena test solutions are ideal for verifying the effectiveness of these initiatives. Read more. |
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400GE Performance Testing |
| The latest generation of data center equipment are typically flexible solutions that support both the new 400GE and 200GE data rates as well as the slower speeds right down to 10GE – all via the same port.
This White Paper looks at the new 400GE & 200GE data rates and analyzes what is required for cost-effectively verifying the performance of network equipment capable of handling the new speeds. |
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TLS Performance Testing |
| For testing TLS performance, it is essential that the test equipment can send encrypted TLS traffic through the DUT while it is operating in the TLS middlebox/proxy mode.
This Xena Networks White Paper examines how Xena TLS reveals performance bottlenecks of TLS/HTTPS middleboxes/proxies, addresses security performance testing requirements, and optimizes security parameters. |
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TCP Testing |
| TCP turns the ‘best effort’ nature of IP networks into reliable communication services. Tests are however needed to ensure optimal performance.
This White Paper explains how RFC 6349 based TCP throughput tests and stress load tests give network operators valuable information on network TCP performance. |
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SD-WAN |
| Explore how impairment testing can be used to verify the integrity of data as it traverses the multiple different physical network technologies underlying SD-WANs. |
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Latency & Jitter |
| Understanding latency and jitter is essential for evaluating device and network performance.
This White Paper clarifies terms used in time measurement e.g. latency, jitter, inter-frame gap, latency resolution, speed mismatch, latency over time, and distribution and presents how Xena interprets and implements time measurements. |
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NGFW Performance |
| Different from deploying new NGFW into pre-production networks, when the firewalls are in fact up and running in the production networks, any upgrade should be handled carefully.
Xena offers effective and convincing test solutions for NGFW performance verification in a post-production environment for enterprises. The solutions cover from modelled traffic with extreme performance stress testing to rich library for application emulation and capture-replay. |
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GPON Certification with LAN |
| LAN – the Laboratoire des Applications Numériques – uses Xena test solutions for BBF.247 testing & GPON Certification.
This White Paper examines the background for BBF.247 testing and how LAN uses Xena’s solutions for their formal certification process. |
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G.fast |
| G.fast is a next-gen DSL technology designed to seriously boost signal speeds to customer premises. Many network operators are now looking to deploy G.fast equipment so they can be first to market with this valuable service.
This White Paper explains how Xena test solutions can be used to verify G.fast performance and conformance with Broadband Forum ID-337. |
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IP Multicast |
| IP multicast ensures efficient use of the network capacity. Benchmark testing of IP multicast is essential to ensure optimal performance.
This White Paper examines the background for IP multicast and then looks at how Xena’s test solutions can quickly and cost-effectively test and verify IP multicast and IGMP performance in accordance with RFC 3918, and perform multicast stress testing and IGMP snooping verification. Read more about Xena solutions for IP multicasting in this White Paper. |
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5G Fronthaul Network Testing |
| This White Paper explains why Ethernet impairment testing is crucial in deploying 5G fronthaul networks, and highlights the protocols that need particular attention when optimizing your equipment or application performance in 5G fronthaul networks.
Read more about Xena considerations for 5G Fronthaul Network Testing in this White Paper. |
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Firewall Performance Testing Use Cases |
| This whitepaper identifies the requirements and challenges of different firewall performance testing uses cases, and describes the solution offered by Xena Safire enterprise firewall performance tester.
Read more about firewall performance testing use cases in this White Paper. |
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Terabit Ethernet – Why? |
| 800GE has barely arrived but already plans for 1.6 Terabit Ethernet are being made.
In this, the first of two White Papers exploring Terabit Ethernet, we look at the commercial factors driving the development of Terabit Ethernet. |
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AN-LT White Paper |
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Autonegotiation is a tried and tested process where a device is connected to a network through an Ethernet interface, and the end points of a link share information on various capabilities relevant for the communication. This White Paper looks at Autonegotiation and Link Training and explains how Thor-400G-7S-1P supports these functions for the new PAM4 based 400GE 200GE, 100GE and 50GE data rates. |
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The Case for 25GE & 50GE |
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Data centers are hungry for bandwidth but strapped for cash. Adding more 10GE equipment is a short-term solution but upgrading to 40/100GE is expensive. The solution seems to be the newly approved 25GE and 50GE rates. Xena offers test solutions for all these Gigabit Ethernet speeds – in a single test module – the Loki-100G-5S-1P. |
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Testing VNF |
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Virtual Networks Functions (VNF) are being used for increasingly complex network scenarios, involving multi-vendor products and platforms. This White Paper demonstrates how the goals listed above can be achieved using Xena’s L4-7 traffic generator on configurations orchestrated by CNLabs NFV Test Framework. The open source firewall pfSense is used as the Virtual Network Function. |
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Time Synchronization |
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Time synchronization of test instruments far apart is required to make one-way latency measurements and multi-site protocol analysis. This White Paper explains how synchronization of time in test instruments can be achieved with GPS, PTP and NTP. ValkyrieTimeSynch can use all 3 to synchronize time for Xena Layer 2-3 testers. |
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DDoS |
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Xena offers a complete test solution for DDoS mitigation and network security with high-performance products and ample features. Going beyond generating DDoS traffic, Xena’s solutions can help companies test their security products and operators test networks and detect flaws, thereby ensuring business continuity and preserve business integrity. |
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QoS |
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Some applications can tolerate traffic delays, jitter and a degree of traffic loss – others cannot. Xena offers QoS validation solutions in accordance with RFC 2544 and Y.1564, as well as advanced statistics functions that help users track, analyze and troubleshoot QoS to maintain a high service quality guarantee. |
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Testing NGFWs |
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To rigorously test the performance of next generation firewalls (NGFWs), it is no longer enough to bombard them with dummy traffic. That’s why Xena developed an advanced L4-7 traffic generation solution for emulating highly realistic traffic streams that can be scaled to millions of users – including a free library of up-to-date application traffic in pcap format. |
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Advanced Layer 4 Replay |
| Xena Advanced Layer 4 Replay (XAR) solution provides stateful Layer 4 replay based on payload data from pcap files, high scalability for performance verification, and preserve correlation information across TCP connections for true emulation. |
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100G PON |
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100G PON is an emerging access network technology promises very fast network access to business and private users. During their Innovation 2017 exhibition, BT recently demonstrated a prototype 100G PON system using Xena Networks test equipment. Read more about Xena Networks 100G PON Test Solutions in our new White Paper. |
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OpenFlow® |
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SDN with OpenFlow® switches promises flexibility and fast configuration of communication networks. Learn more about essential OpenFlow performance tests and how Xena Networks L2-3 test platforms provide the features needed to quickly and cost-effectively test and verify the OpenFlow® performance of switches in the SDN. |
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Performance Characterization of Virtual NGFWs |
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Virtualization is rapidly transforming data centers into agile and cost-effective private clouds. Unlike public clouds however, organizations are responsible for managing all aspects of the virtualization, networking, and security. Many enterprises use virtual NGFWs to achieve agile service deployments of complex networks made up of components from multiple vendors. |
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Realistic Application Simulation |
| This white paper looks at the challenges that enterprises face when using 100% realistic test traffic to performance test their firewalls, especially in production networks. Modern firewalls with advanced feature sets are aware of the application layer content and can execute various security functions to permit or deny network traffic based on rules set up by network administrators. |
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Terabit Ethernet – How? |
| Enabling 400Gbps, 800Gbps and 1.6 Terabit Ethernet solutions also requires changes to the Ethernet physical layer – something which has critical implications for engineers tasked with testing solutions using these speeeds.
This White Paper dives into the details of 112Gbps SerDes and 800Gbps Ethernet work in practice. |
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Putting 2.5GE & 5GE to the test |
| The new 2.5 & 5.0 Gigabit Ethernet standards promise up to 500% performance boosts over existing cabling. But how do you qualify and verify that windfall?
This Xena Networks White Paper examines the technical details of the new 2.5 & 5.0GE speeds and then presents Xena’s new Odin-10G-5S-6P-CU test module which can test both the new speeds plus 100Mbit/s, 1GE and 10GE. |
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Shared Lab Challenge |
| A software based LaaS approach to manage lab resources including an L1 Matrix connecting Ethernet devices under test with an Ethernet tester will reduce CapEx and OpEx for an organization.Learn more about how a Lab-as-a-Service solution will give users of shared labs an efficient and seamless way to utilize shared lab resources improving both CapEx and OpEx. |
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Traffic Generator Upgrade |
| Expanding the capabilities of a Xena traffic generator typically requires investing in extra test modules to access more ports, different speeds and so on. However, in some instances, a L1 Matrix can be used to defer such investments.
This White Paper examines the various options for upgrading your Xena traffic generator. |
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Application Emulation |
| Testing with realistic network traffic places the device under test (DUT) in a realistic network environment and delivers authentic results.
Xena Networks provides an application emulation function and an up-to-date library of selected traffic captured in pcap file format so users can emulate live traffic and test products in a realistic network environment. |
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VSPerf |
| Explains how Xena is working with the Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV) community on the vSwitch Performance (VSPerf) project towards a generic architecture-agnostic vSwitch performance benchmarking and test framework.
This will serve as a basis for validating the suitability of different vSwitch implementations in a telco NFV deployment environment. |
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Microburst |
| Microbursts – where data packets are transmitted in rapid bursts – can lead to periods of full line-rate transmission that overflow packet buffers of the network stack.
This can seriously impact network performance but the problem is difficult to detect. Xena provides advanced microburst test solutions for Layer 2-7. |
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GPON Testing |
| Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Networks (GPON) support digital communication to end customers at rates up to 2.4 Gbps downstream and 1.2 Gbps (optionally 2.4 Gbps) upstream. A GPON requires active transmission equipment at its borders, and this equipment will of course need to be tested.
Verification of interoperability and conformance of the equipment is essential. |
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Emulation vs. Simulation |
| Testing with realistic application emulation is about emulating network traffic that contains realistic traffic patterns and content.
This generates results that are far more accurate than using simulation or stateless Layer 2-3 blasting. Being able to analyze the results generated by “real” network testing is essential for providing guaranteed Quality-of-Service (QoS), and high degrees of Quality-of-Experience (QoE). |
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Evaluate Data Center Network Performance |
| Data center network topology is crucial to latency in the network. Therefore, it is important to know the impact of new topologies before they are deployed.
Read our new case study in how to measure the latency of data center network topologies with an SDN-based control framework and Xena test equipment. |
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Quality Assurance Testing |
| Manufacturers rely on Quality Assurance (QA) testing to maximize customer satisfaction and minimize costly after-sales troubleshooting and support.
One of the best known drivers behind QA testing is the ISO 9000 standard, but there are many others. This White Paper describes examples of how Xena’s Valkyrie platform can be used for QA testing of Ethernet products e.g. stress testing under diverse environmental conditions, as well as functionality testing. |
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Production Line Testing |
| Any organization that produces Ethernet networking components will perform a variety of performance, functionality, and quality of service tests.
In this White Paper, we’ll look at the challenges facing the Ethernet component production line, explore the diverse needs of test engineers and managers, and examine how solutions from Xena Networks can optimize Ethernet production line testing. |
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Realistic Traffic Profile Generation for Enterprise Firewalls |
| Any organization that produces Ethernet networking components will perform a variety of performance, functionality, and quality of service tests.
Xena Safire has created an automated solution to reconstruct traffic profiles that realistically represent the traffic characteristics in the enterprise production network for a successful firewall deployment and services. |
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