Ixia, a leading, global provider of IP performance test systems, today unveiled its virtualized data center testing initiative at Interop, Las Vegas which runs through May 21. The company will feature testing solutions for data center networks with demonstrations with major networking NEMS at booth #1813 and multiple other locations on the show floor. Ixia will also unveil the TestTalk social media web site for the test and measurement industry.

Ixia’s data center test solutions featured at Interop include:

• IxNetwork and IxLoad solutions for network scalability testing and realistic application traffic generation and scale testing.
• Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) – Testing of FCoE network components used to support merged fibre channel and Ethernet networks and applications, using IxExplorer and IxNetwork™ test applications and IxYukon™ 10 GE test interfaces.
• Storage Area Networks (SANs) – Large-scale simulation of SCSI initiators and targets such as disk arrays to test SAN components, using IxSAN™.
• Virtualization – Testing of virtualized infrastructures with IxVM™, finalist for Best of Show at Interop. IxChariot VM, a component of IxVM, uses software endpoints – small software components that run on each virtual machine – that send and receive test traffic, while measuring performance. This makes it possible to source traffic from virtual servers in the same manner as the supported applications. IxExplorer VM uses software endpoints to generate layer 2/3 traffic to test features such as VLAN and QoS.
• Higher Speed Ethernet – Industry’s first 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps layer 2-7 test interfaces, with test application support.
• Green Testing – Measuring energy consumption for networking devices under varying loads for realistic power measurements, using IxGreen™.
• Security – Security and robustness testing of network components and information servers, using IxDefend™.

“Ixia is strongly committed to supporting the next-generation data center, hosting converged voice, video and data in a virtualized architecture. The breadth and depth of our service offerings in this space is evident by our conformance, interoperability, performance and monitoring solutions,” said Atul Bhatnagar, President and CEO of Ixia. “The six large-scale demonstrations occurring at Ixia are proof that our products meet the scalability and performance needs of our customers’ data center products.”

Ixia will also debut the TestTalk Community – a social media platform for the test and measurement industry, featuring discussion forums, blogs, news and an idea exchange. Interop attendees may sign up and post to the TestTalk community. The TestTalk Community is available at testtalk.net.

“Data centers have their own unique testing requirements above and beyond those of their individual components,” said Zeus Keravala, Senior Analyst at Yankee Group. “Virtualization by itself replicates and complicates performance testing issues by a significant factor. Ixia has demonstrated strong leadership and claimed first mover advantage with their virtualization test initiative.”

Four major network equipment manufacturers (NEMs) will demonstrate testing of their next-generation products at the Ixia booth which involve different aspects of layer 2-7 and date center testing:

• Juniper Networks SRX 5800 Firewall – In the largest public firewall demonstration, Ixia’s new Acceleron-NP load modules generate over 120 Gbps of stateful application traffic. IxLoad is used to prepare and execute stateful application tests.
• Arista Networks 7148T 10 GBase-T Switch – The industry’s first high-density switching test with 10 GBase-T interfaces – 48 ports worth, using Ixia’s IxYukon 10 GBase-T interfaces and IxNetwork test application.
• Force10 Networks ExaScale Data Center Optimized Switch – The world’s largest public switch test, with 280 10 GE ports and 5.6 Tbps of aggregate traffic. Ixia IxYukon 10 GE ports and IxNetwork are used in this very large scale test.
• Juniper Networks MX Ethernet Service Router – Testing of multi-dimensional VPN services, including mVPN, VPLS and IP MPLS VPN using IxYukon interfaces and IxNetwork.

Ixia’s test platforms and applications will also be powering test demonstrations at other vendors’ booths throughout Interop:

• Brocade ServerIron 850 Application Delivery Controller (booth #1127) – testing the performance of an ultra-large-scale ADC with Ixia’s Acceleron-NP interfaces and IxLoad test application.
• Ethernet Alliance (booth #527) – Ixia will demonstrate the operation of its IxYukon 10 GBase-T and SFP+ interfaces.
• Sonicwall NSA 240 Unified Threat Management (UTM) platform (booth #1515) – Ixia is used to measure the performance of a Sonicwall and generate malicious traffic.
• Aquantia (booth #2103) - Ixia’s IxYukon 10 GBase-T load module is featured as a user of Aquantia’s AQ1002 10GBASE-T PHY.

For those who are unable to attend Interop this year, Ixia will feature a virtual trade show and live and recorded presentations from Interop on a special Ixia@Interop 2009 web site. Visit Ixia’s booth (#1813) at Interop, Las Vegas May 19-21 for a map of Ixia demonstrations throughout Interop.