Agilent N2X platform provides EPON performance analysis

October 27, 2005 Las Vegas, NV -- Agilent Technologies has introduced what it calls a complete performance-analysis platform for testing Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs). The company says its N2X EPON Performance Analysis System is designed to validate and debug EPON implementations and to quickly bring EPON services into operation. The multi-port traffic platform includes native, EPON-specific test capabilities.

According to the company, incorporating the N2X N5604A Tri-rate Ethernet EPON Test Card and dedicated software, the system generates realistic, end-to-end traffic through an EPON, and can monitor both data and control protocol traffic directly on the EPON. The company says the test system isolates the source of EPON performance issues to either the optical network unit (ONU) or the optical line terminal (OLT). Engineers can then use the system's trigger, filter, capture, and decode capabilities to analyze and isolate the specific causes of performance or protocol conformance issues. The system also inspects Ethernet OAM flows in order to debug vendor-specific settings. According to the company, this provides fast time-to-insight, as engineers don't have to waste time trying to find the source of performance problems.

"The addition of native EPON test capability to the industry-leading N2X solution provides customers with the only complete multi-port solution to validate EPON implementations," contends Dave Bass, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Data Networks division. "The N2X's new capabilities provide the most comprehensive multi-services test coverage across the entire telecommunications network. This solution delivers rapid time-to-insight into EPON performance issues, thereby accelerating EPON and triple-play service deployment."

According the company, the N2X system's key functions include:

* Simulating realistic triple-play services by generating subscriber and network traffic from end to end.

* Verifying dynamic bandwidth algorithm behavior across the EPON by monitoring the MPCP and Ethernet OAM flows in each direction.

* Isolating performance problems to the ONU or OLT, providing faster time to insight.

* Debugging vendor-specific settings of subscriber box capability settings by examining the Ethernet OAM flows directly with "on-EPON" monitor capability, a key enabler for interoperability testing.

* Exercising EPON OLT features using the company's N2X IPTV channel zapping and DHCP protocol emulation software.

* Measuring control protocol and message timing to ensure compliance to the IEEE 802.3ah specification.

The N2X EPON Performance Analysis System is available at a starting price of $59,995.