HP Introduces Solutions for Packet Over SONET/SDH Testing
Hewlett-Packard (HP; Palo Alto, CA) introduces solutions for Packet over SONET/SDH (POS) testing that support functional and interoperability testing for this emerging transmission technology at a complete complement of line rates, including 155Mb/s, 622Mb/s (OC-12c/STM-4c) and 2.4Gb/s (OC-48c/STM-16c). These solutions, available on the HP Broadband Series Test System (BSTS), will help users develop and certify next-generation POS-based gigabit/terabit switch routers for core network deployment.
The new POS options for carrier-class IP equipment testing complement the ATM test and measurement solutions already available on the BSTS. BSTS assists users in a range of tasks, including design debugging, system integration, conformance and interoperability verification, and performance benchmarking of broadband equipment and networks. HP POS protocol analysis tools work with existing BSTS high-speed line interface modules.
POS is an alternative to ATM for high-speed IP Layer 2 transport of traffic from key tributaries and across core network backbones. By mapping packet traffic directly within SONET/SDH frames, POS eliminates the overhead and protocol implementation complexity associated with ATM, and increases bandwidth usage efficiency up to 25%. Beyond eliminating the "cell tax" imposed by ATM, POS offers advantages for other high-volume, point-to-point applications, such as public carrier and ISP Web backbones and corporate intranets.
All BSTS POS test solutions provide features that support verification of Point-to-Point protocol (PPP) link-establishment procedures, including support for the two PPP sub-protocols, Link Control Protocol (LCP) and IP Control Protocol (IPCP). Once the point-to-point connection is established, the products' full-rate generation and analysis capabilities enable detection of implementation errors and performance problems. BSTS POS solutions support Cisco-HDLC, PPP, and MAPOS encapsulations of IP packets into SONET/SDH frames. They provide full line-rate transmission and capture of IP packet traffic as defined in IETF RFC 1619 and RFC 1662.
On the transmit side, users have complete control over the PPP header; Frame Checksum (FCS); and HDLC framing parameters, such as frame size, inter-frame gap, and payload pattern. This enables the testing of hardware-intensive functions, such as octet stuffing, FCS calculation, and SONET/SDH payload scrambling. Performance limitations are detected by subjecting equipment to various "corner case" traffic patterns that cause maximum stress to hardware designs.
On the receive side, the products' filters and triggers enable user-specified packet events to be captured and analyzed. This feature is used to detect implementation problems, such as encapsulation errors. BSTS POS test solutions also provide full-rate statistics related to packet throughput and packet errors, enabling measurement of packet-handling performance of the POS hardware.
The system incorporates SONET/SDH test functionality similar to BSTS' ATM solutions, including Layer 1 test features such as alarm generation and detection, BIP error injection and detection, and SONET/SDH payload pointer stressing.
HP BSTS POS testing solutions range from $71,800 for a solution including a 155Mb/s line interface module, software and rack unit, to $200,000 for a complete 2.4Gb/s solution.
Hewlett-Packard Company, Test and Measurement Organization, 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd., MS 54LAK, Santa Clara, Calif. 95052. Phone: 800-452-4844 ext. 6543