Xgig® Fibre Channel/FCoE Load Tester
Traditional network analysis tools fall short of being able
to easily detect errors such as out-of-order frames, FCoE CRC corruption, and
hash discontinuities because they only observe traffic and cannot participate
in data exchanges. Specifically, these
tools cannot monitor individual sequence_IDs, calculate encapsulated CRCs, or
cycle through various _ID values to thoroughly stress test hashing algorithms.
The Finisar Xgig Load Tester offers unique capabilities to
comprehensively measure key performance metrics in even the most complex
network configurations. With its ability
to generate deterministic/known traffic, the Load Tester can pass streams
through a switch and monitor both sides of links to ensure that frames both
arrive and arrive in the correct sequence.
The Load Tester is used in conjunction with the Xgig
Analyzer to accelerate troubleshooting and enable error identification and
resolution. With this combination,
developers can quickly distinguish between dropped, out of order, and
misdirected frames, as well as locate the source of any errors in just minutes.
- Generate any traffic pattern: Complete
control over test patterns makes it easy to cycle through all traffic
combinations to test "corner cases" as well as comprehensively stress a
switch’s protocol processing and forwarding capabilities to guarantee that
a switch will be able to handle any network traffic it encounters.
- Automatic triggering: The Load
Tester is based on proprietary technology that enables you to trigger
trace capture when an error is detected. Other test systems require you to manually capture traffic and then
perform time-consuming searches through large trace buffers that may not
even contain the necessary frames required to detect and resolve errors.
- Eliminate tedious guesswork: The
Load Tester highlights the exact frame that caused an error, enabling you
to automatically filter through the trace buffer and locate the relevant
frame using Xgig's unique and powerful Quick Search capabilities. With the "post trigger" feature, you can
capture additional traffic to even determine to which port misdirected
frames were actually sent.
- Flexibility: Make testing as comprehensive or
as complicated as you need, from simple point-to-point connections to even
the most complex configurations that map every switch port to every other
switch port, each running different traffic. Port grouping features allow you to quickly
define, manage, and execute similar triggers across multiple ports.
- Simplified
Test Management: Control
multiple Load Tester and Analyzer ports, even across several Xgig chasses,
from a single PC running Maestro, Finisar's integrated GUI-based control
application. Maestro also uniquely
enables you to utilize the same GUI to manage other Xgig functions, thus
eliminating the need to switch between different GUIs when using multiple
tools.
Finisar's Xgig Testing and Analysis platform is the
industry's leading Fibre Channel troubleshooting and debugging tool. Xgig's unique cross-triggering capabilities
between the Load Tester and the Analyzer enable the test and capture of
sophisticated network problems that would be otherwise too difficult to pursue
with an analyzer alone and guarantees the accurate measurement of events such
as missing frames to accelerate the troubleshooting process. With the powerful combination of the Load
Tester and the Analyzer, backed by Finisar's intuitive Maestro GUI control
application, you can guarantee switch robustness with the greatest speed and
highest confidence.
The Load Tester is only one of the multi-functional
capabilities that can be licensed and enabled on Fibre Channel Xgig Protocol
Blades. For more information
on other Xgig capabilities, see
Xgig Testing and Analysis Platform.
Case Study: Simplifying Detection and Resolution of Missing Frame Errors with the Xgig Load Tester
Data Sheet: Xgig Fibre Channel Load Tester
Data Sheet: Xgig 10G FCoE Load Tester
