Agilent Technologies Introduces IPv6 test solutions for next-generation InternetPalo Alto 26 March 2001 Agilent has new test solutions for ipv6 (internet protocol version 6), including a system for testing the performance of tunnelled ipv6 traffic. The new ipv6 testing solutions allow equipment manufacturers and service providers to verify the performance and interoperability of next-generation ipv6 equipment and services, as well as their compatibility with earlier-generation equipment, helping to speed the transition to the new industry standard.
Today, Internet traffic is transported using IPv4 (Internet
Protocol version 4), which is limited to 32-bit addresses. With the
dramatic growth of the Internet, the predicted demand for wireless
Internet addresses, and expanding interest in integrating Internet
connectivity into other devices (such as automobiles and appliances),
the demand for IPv4 addresses will exceed supply.
IPv6 overcomes this, as well as other IPv4 limitations, by
expanding addresses to 128 bits. Service providers, such as NTT
Communications, are already beginning preliminary global trials of
IPv6-based services. Equipment manufacturers are developing new
software to efficiently route IPv6 packets and ensure interoperability
between IPv4 and IPv6 communications during the transition.
Agilent Broadband Series Test System, RouterTester and QA Robot
currently allow customers to capture and analyze IPv6 traffic. The new
software now allows users, for the first time, to test tunneled IPv6
traffic. Tunneling is an essential transitional technique used to
carry both IPv4 packet streams within IPv6 networks and IPv6 traffic
in IPv4 networks. The new solution supports performance testing of
both variations. Because tunneling requires additional encapsulation
and address translation, which introduce additional potential latency,
tunneling testing is a key part in assessing overall network
performance.
The IPv6 solution enables users to generate IPv6 packet traffic
and test equipment performance in real-time. Users can create
correctly and incorrectly formatted IPv6 packets, generate multiple
streams of prioritized traffic, and test the forwarding performance of
each stream.
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