Fluke changes tune on carrier Ethernet testing

In a few weeks, Fluke Networks will begin shipping a new carrier Ethernet analyzer that breaks from traditional Ethernet testing methods for an approach specifically suited to carriers offering Ethernet as a service.

Fluke Network’s MetroScope Carrier Ethernet Analyzer was announced in late October but will be generally available later this month. It comes with a new version of its ProVision test suite that focuses on testing Ethernet as a service rather than focusing on device or network-level testing, said Mark Mullins, Fluke Networks’ carrier Ethernet marketing manager.

In particular, the test suite moves away from using the IETF’s RFC 2544 as the basis for carrier Ethernet testing, an approach that’s long been used to test Ethernet circuits but that fails to test service characteristics in a way that service providers require, Mullins said. While enterprises can best test Ethernet at the device level, service providers need to see into the service characteristics of their offering, he said.

“RFC 2544 is the way everybody does it, but what we’re saying [to service providers] is, ‘It’s not doing the job for you,’” Mullins said, admitting that, for some customers, moving away from traditional Ethernet test methodologies requires some education. “Ethernet has evolved as a service, but field-test technologies have not kept up with it.”

Mullins noted a handful of key ways that Fluke Network’s ProVision test suite differs from typical RFC 2544 testing, including its ability to run four key tests (throughput, loss, latency and jitter) in parallel; the ability to test asymmetric service links (with different upstream and downstream available bandwidth); and the ability to compare service trend data for up to 24 hours, enabling a service technician to get a better picture of the Ethernet service and how it is changing over time.

When testing carrier Ethernet, “service providers need to measure things other than pure throughput,” Mullins said. For instance, when it comes to delay problems, “it’s not just a matter of throwing more bandwidth at a problem; in fact, in some cases, that can make it worse.”

Fluke Networks also offers a lower-cost IP loopback test solution, dubbed LinkReflector, that can be paired with MetroScope to enable affordable end-to-end carrier Ethernet testing, Mullins said.

Fluke also recently announced the addition of VoIP phone functionalities to the MetroScope analyzer, enabling service providers to test real-time results from actual VoIP calls made over a carrier Ethernet line, making VoIP troubleshooting faster and more efficient.