Scenario

VoIP, unicast and multicast video, multicast streaming media, peer-to-peer applications, application-based QoS policies, enterprise application traffic – all of these uses and elements of today’s enterprise networks are constantly evolving, making it difficult to anticipate network behavior.

As networks and applications grow in size and complexity, maintaining network performance becomes mission-critical. New applications introduce potential network bottlenecks that must be quickly identified and corrected. With the frequency of network changes, the flexibility and availability of network assessment tools is essential.

Ixia Solutions

With IxChariotTM, Ixia provides high-precision analysis of application performance across network backbones. Thin endpoint clients that run on most computer operating systems are deployed at key nodes within a network. A mixture of real-world traffic profiles, including multiplay services, is used to characterize network behavior.

When problems are reported, tests are run from central management points, such as the network operations center, and results analyzed to identify network bottlenecks and degraded services.

WAN links can be tested to verify key metrics such as latency, failover time, packet loss, and throughput. Network devices can be put to the test so that new services are deployed with confidence.

IxChariot can be used for any size network, and is capable of simulating hundreds of supplied protocols across thousands of network endpoints. IxChariot assesses the performance characteristics of any application running in a wired or wireless network. Using sophisticated traffic patterns with optional QoS, IxChariot measures throughput, jitter, packet loss, end-to-end delay, MOS, and MDI.

IxChariot’s Endpoint Discovery feature and Test Factory component easily manage large-scale, dynamic network tests. Discovery Server finds and catalogs endpoints by working closely with VMwareTM and XenServerTM in virtualized environments. Test Factory quickly creates complex test scenarios from the endpoint catalog.

IxProfileTM is a dedicated application that automatically creates traffic generation scripts based on captured data traffic. It provides a comprehensive solution for networks with proprietary protocols.

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