Agilent Technologies has announced that its Network Tester integrates real-world application traffic generation with comprehensive passive analysis and distributed test capabilities.
The Agilent Network Tester now allows service providers and network operators to quickly and cost-effectively validate performance and quality of experience (QoE) of triple play services in network infrastructures that span wide geographic areas.
As part of triple play service infrastructure deployment, network operators test complex multivendor network systems that deliver value-added services. Equipment manufacturers mirror these test scenarios in customer Proof of Concept labs.
The traditional approach to active system testing generates traffic via the network infrastructure, with measurements being performed on the test instrument interfaces. This approach, while sufficient for validation of a complete system performance or QoE, provides little insight into bottlenecks imposed by individual system components.
To analyse and eliminate the degrading effects of individual components, operators must run additional tests for each network element.
Agilent Technologies' N5557A Network Tester, with its ability to combine intrusive testing with passive analysis, decouples traffic generation from performance and QoE measurements.
Network Tester, while generating realistic mixes of triple play traffic, uses the integrated Agilent J6900A Triple Play Analyzer for independent data collection, performance and QoE analysis around critical system components.
This approach delivers instant and holistic insight into performance and QoE of the complete network system, as well as into its critical elements, all from a single test tool, in one test scenario.
This allows network operators to troubleshoot, optimise and bring triple play service delivery systems on line and to market in minimal time.
"Agilent Technologies' integrated Network Tester and Triple Play Analyzer combines application traffic generation with good-in-class traffic analysis and troubleshooting capabilities that can be used with equal ease in the lab and over large network infrastructures," said Rick Pearson, general manager of Agilent IP network convergence.
"Network Tester will enable our customers to deploy triple play services more rapidly, reduce debugging and troubleshooting costs and help guarantee the highest levels of end-user experience."
The new Network Tester software release includes:
- Real-time MOS and MDI measurements on a per stream, per call basis for comprehensive triple play QoE analysis
- Industry-first ability to decode, view and listen to any voice and video stream in test traffic for instant service-quality assessment
- Integrated end-to-end (E2E) test capability for comprehensive performance and QoE analysis of distributed network infrastructures
- Broadest-in-industry range of natively supported triple play applications, including multiple flavors of VoIP, VoD, IPTV and Internet data, as well as integrated network access protocols for unique subscriber realism