Test equipment is playing a critical part in the functional, interoperability, and performance validation of MPLS-TP. Ixia has been working with network equipment manufacturers (NEMs), service providers, and test labs to validate MPLS-TP features and functionality, troubleshoot and resolve implementation issues, and satisfy the milestones that will precede deployment.
Most recently, Ixia took its IxNetwork test solution for a spin at Isocore’s four-day annual Fall MPLS interop live test event. This is the 6th MPLS-TP interoperability test that Ixia has participated in since releasing its MPLS-TP test solution over a year ago. The results of this event are published in Isocore's white paper. Public interoperability tests verify MPLS-TP functionality, interoperability and MPLS-TP and MPLS interworking, which is necessary to prove MPLS-TP as a viable transport technology. With 19 IETF RFC published; 4 in RFC-Editors queue; and many WG documents in late development stage toward RFC, there is a considerable list of features and functionality that must be tested to ensure proper implementation. Ixia’s MPLS-TP test solution provides comprehensive coverage for MPLS-TP functions including:
- LSPs and PW encapsulation and establishment
- OAM continuity check and connectivity verification
- On-demand alarm generation and fault notification
- Automatic Protection Switching (APS)
- MPLS-TP and MPLS interworking
One of the most significant areas that requires validation is APS and the ability to demonstrate <50 ms convergence time, which is required to provide carrier-grade network reliability. Service providers want to see this performance from MPLS-TP before they will replace their legacy TDM and SONET transport networks with Ethernet or OTN. Ixia is the only test vendor to support these critical metrics, and was able to demonstrate sub 50ms failover in a live service provider demonstration earlier this year. Ixia will discuss these test results, and share its experience working with different MPLS-TP vendor implementations at two upcoming industry conferences:
Isocore’s annual MPLS 2011 conference in Washington, DC, October 16 to 19
Along with Verizon and Cisco, Ixia will present at the event on Tuesday, Oct 18th from 11am to 12:30pm in the panel discussion MPLS-TP Reality Check: Pre-Deployment Milestones and Best Practices.
Light Reading’s Ethernet Expo Americas 2011 in New York, November 8 & 9
Ixia will participate as a panelist on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 from 10:05am to 11:05am in the MPLS in Transport Networks session.
More information:
Ixia MPLS 2011 press release
MPLS Learning Resources blog article
Ixia MPLS-TP test solutions
Light Reading MPLS-TP Resource Center
