Tektronix delivers new test suite for IP networks

Tektronix today delivered a new family of test platforms focused on helping service providers manage the boom in IP traffic, particularly on mobile data networks.

The vendor’s new Iris suite of products includes the GeoProbe G10, a new high-speed 10GE probe; three new analyzer applications operating at the traffic, session and protocol layers; and a common platform for managing the system and in the future adding additional test applications.

The need for new, more IP-savvy test gear is obvious. IP is making its way into the network core and transport networks and exploding in the access network thanks to mobile devices like the iPhone and emerging data network technologies like long-term evolution, said Mark Driedger, vice president for Tektronix, network management, in an interview.

While service providers are deploying deep packet inspection (DPI) and policy boxes, for instance, to help manage congestion and shape network IP traffic, they need more traditional test and measurement tools “to actually figure out where that network congestion is happening — and what to do about it,” said Driedger.

Today’s network operators not only need to understand the impact of today’s more bandwidth-consuming apps and services on their network, “they need to understand the impact on the customer,” Driedger said. “The big change with IP is to get operators to understand what it means to look at the performance of the network from the customer experience perspective.”

Such an orientation moves test and measurement from solely the province of engineers to something that touches and affects other layers of the organization as well, including product management, sales and customer care groups, Driedger said.

Tektronix’s Iris suite lets providers collect, correlate and analyze media and signaling data from a variety of points in today’s IP-based next-generation networks. The new GeoProbe G10 is a high-density, 10GigE probe featuring a distributed architecture for monitoring high-volume IP traffic. The new Iris Analyzer Toolset provides Layer 2 to Layer 7 troubleshooting of IP traffic by links, applications and servers. And the new IrisView framework brings the platform together and interfaces with other operations/business support systems.

The entire Iris platform is designed to be able to grow to support the expected exponential growth in IP traffic across carrier networks, Driedger said