Empirix introduces Hammer XMS for VoIP testing

With four consecutive market leadership awards for voice-over-IP testing from Frost & Sullivan under its belt, Empirix released the Hammer XMS monitoring system for VoIP service providers at VON last week in Boston.

Empirix was founded in September 2000 and descends from the marriage of Hammer Technologies, a voice system and network testing provider founded in 1990, and RSW Software, a provider of Web testing and monitoring founded in 1997. Since the current network convergence of voice and IP mirrors these test companies’ capabilities, Empirix is capitalizing on its involvement with equipment vendors in the pre-deployment test phases of VoIP technology.

"We’ve been testing VoIP since its inception," said Steve Gladstone, vice president and general manager of Empirix’ communications infrastructure group and founder of Hammer Technologies. "And we are the only company to address the full lifecycle from the labs to trials to deployment."

The Hammer XMS uses software probes, a diagnostics engine, comprehensive call control and media metrics to provide real-time, call-by-call, wire-rate signaling and media stream analysis that service providers can use to evaluate voice quality and VoIP service performance. The system correlates and centralizes data from all remote probes, making reports and real time diagnostic data accessible through a Web interface.

"We’re concerned with the quality of the experience," said Duane Sword, vice president of marketing at Empirix. "Voice quality is great but if it takes three seconds to get there, it’s no good."

The XMS, utilizing the Hammer Call Analyzer, has been in trials at carriers for the last six months. Its ability to provide an application-level view of delivered customer services was demonstrated at the conference. The system tracks all VoIP and TDM protocol activity as well as media quality in real time for every call.

Other features include R-Factor, MOS and jitter measurement capabilities in real time; full Web-based access to the central Hammer XMS SQL database; IP and TDM end-to-end call analysis across multiple paths; and an open architecture designed for integration with existing network and fault management systems. The system supports all major VoIP and TDM gateway protocols.

"We support and test all protocols, but we always put the emphasis on applications," Sword said.

Empirix also demonstrated new functionality and IP signaling analysis tools in the latest release (version 2.0) of its Hammer FX-IP system and its IP.DSP, Hammer's patent-pending VoIP media analysis DSP technology.

Release 2.0 of the Hammer FX-IP now features SigStudio, an enhanced VoIP state-based signaling emulation engine, and new IP protocol scripting flexibility that gives users control over signaling call flows. The system allows expanded control over IP signaling message content and sequences for testing VoIP applications and enhanced services including conferencing, messaging, IVRs, IP Centrex and IP PBXs.

Empirix added Hammer RealStreamer media detection to its IP.DSP, a patent-pending VoIP media analysis technology and methodology.