Agilent Technologies (News - Alert) Inc. announced that its N2X multi-services test solution has been used to validate IPTV (News - Alert) service delivery over Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) and hybrid optical test networks. A multi-vendor interoperability test was conducted at the Isocore Internetworking Lab.

 
The N2X was used to validate triple-play and IPTV service delivery for functional testing of network operations at all layers. These include GMPLS, MPLS up to IP and triple-play service delivery. The N2X multi-port solution emulates the optical control plane to establish the GMPLS network and also to verify MPLS-enables services like multicast VPN, VPLS and IPTV through a single platform.
 
Agilent worked with more than 15 vendors in the MPLS, GMPLS and optical networks spaces at the Isocore Lab. The company supported both MPLS/QoS/IPV6 triple-play services as well as hybrid optical test groups during the testing. Multi-service interworking of ATM-Ethernet with IPTV services across VPLS was demonstrated. The test equipment is designed to also enable vendors to troubleshoot a number of interoperability issues as well as increase confidence in the network’s ability to maintain quality of service.
 
The N2X successfully set up label-switched paths by signaling the optical control plane. Multicast traffic was then generated to measure Layer 1 VPN performance, while Layer 2+ service interworking between ATM and Ethernet was validated for MPLS-enabled services VPLS and Layer 3 VPN. The solution was also used to quantify IPTV service delivery performance over the VPLS network with measurements like channel zapping (latency), IGMP join/leave delay and media delivery index. By operating at multiple network layers within a single correlated test platform, service providers and network equipment manufacturers may validate a complete IPTV service deployment and measure IPTV service quality for thousands of individual subscribers.
 
“Agilent N2X was key to verifying the sustained performance of average joint latency of subscribers in an IPTV set up over a scaled multi-service network,” said Rajiv Papneja, manager of technology and product evaluation at Isocore. “Agilent’s multi-service N2X solution provided necessary tools across multiple layers to measure MDII and channel-zapping performance of test network capable of delivering triple-play services.”
 
“During this test event, Sycamore demonstrated dynamic end-to-end 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity in a hybrid IP/optical network using GMPLS control plane technology,” said Kevin Oye, vice president of systems and technology at Sycamore Networks (News - Alert). “Agilent’s N2X allowed Sycamore to verify the stability and scalability of the SN 16000 intelligent optical switch within the multi-vendor application.”
 
“The interoperability event highlighted the importance of validating IPTV service delivery under a range of network conditions and topologies,” said Rod Unverrich, business manager of Agilent’s Data Network Operation. “N2X provides the most scalable environment to allow NEMs and service providers to cost-effectively validate their network’s ability to deliver quality IPTV services, and quickly uncover and resolve issues in the underlying network.”
 
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Laura Stotler writes about IP Communications and related topics for TMCnet. She has covered VoIP and related technologies for seven years, contributing to Internet Telephony magazine and TMCnet, and as a freelance writer. To see more articles, please visit: Laura Stotler’s columnist page.


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