High-Speed Multi-port Testing for Ethernet Networks

Welcome to GL’s newsletter! In this edition, we focus on our multi-port testing for high-speed network environments. As networks continue to grow in speed and complexity, the ability to test multiple ports simultaneously becomes essential. GL’s PacketExpert™ 100G enables testing across several high-speed Ethernet ports in parallel. This allows network engineers to verify performance and reliability more efficiently, while also saving space and reducing equipment needs in lab, and production setups.

Overview

GL's PacketExpert™ 100G is a scalable, multi-functional network testing appliance for comprehensive Ethernet and IP testing at speeds up to 100 Gbps. It integrates a high-performance PC with specialized NICs, GL’s PacketExpert™ software, and optimized hardware for processing, storage, and cooling. The system supports 1 Gbps, 10 Gbps, 25 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 50 Gbps, and 100 Gbps Ethernet ports, with up to eight ports capable of simultaneous wirespeed traffic generation and reception.

A web-based user interface enables multiple users to remotely access and control devices, supporting centralized management of large multi-port test setups. In addition, automation through Python scripting enhances the efficiency of complex multi-port test scenarios by enabling repeatable, scalable, and fully remote test execution.

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Advanced Multi-Port Testing

Multi-port testing is essential for validating that network devices with multiple high-speed ports can simultaneously handle diverse traffic streams at full line rate without errors or performance degradation. This ensures reliable, high-density operation in real-world network environments.

The PacketExpert™ 100G offers versatile multi-port configurations by using its dual 100G ports combined with breakout cables and adapters. This flexibility allows a single 100G port to be split into multiple lower-speed ports, enabling simultaneous multi-rate testing without additional hardware.

For example:

In 4 x 25G or 4 x 10G modes, PacketExpert™ enables four independent ports (Port 1 to Port 4), allowing concurrent testing across multiple Ethernet interfaces. This high-density setup reduces the number of devices and cables required, saves rack space, and maximizes efficiency in lab and production environments.

PacketExpert™ 100G supports up to eight 100 Gbps ports in a 4U rack-mount chassis by adding multiple network interface cards, enabling extensive multi-port scalability. It performs Bit Error Rate Testing and RFC 2544 throughput and latency measurements on up to 8 ports for 100 Gbps, 50 Gbps, 40 Gbps, and 1 Gbps speeds, and up to 16 ports for 10 Gbps and 25 Gbps speeds. The platform supports up to 128 unique streams (16 streams per port), scalable to 256 streams for 10 Gbps and 25 Gbps, facilitating comprehensive ITU-T Y.1564 (ExpertSAM™) service activation testing across multiple ports simultaneously.

PacketExpert™ 100G’s multi-port testing capabilities—including flexible multi-rate port breakout, high-density scalability, extensive simultaneous stream support, and advanced test applications—make it an indispensable tool for validating the performance and reliability of multi-port Ethernet networks in demanding environments.

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Supported Applications

The PacketExpert™ 100G supports a full range of test applications for validating network performance from the physical to the transport layer. These include:

• Bit Error Rate Testing: Verifies physical link integrity
• Smart Loopback Testing: Enables quick link verification
• RFC 2544: Provides standardized benchmarking (throughput, packet loss, latency, and burst tests)
• ExpertSAM™ (ITU-T Y.1564): Validates Service Level Agreements across multiple traffic streams
• Multi-Stream Traffic Generator and Analyzer (MTGA): Simulates and monitors real-world traffic across multiple ports

These applications support testing across Layer 2 (Ethernet), Layer 2.5 (VLAN or MPLS), Layer 3 (IPv4 or IPv6), and Layer 4 (UDP) ensuring networks are fully prepared for high-speed, multi-service deployment.

Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE) Monitoring

PacketExpert™ 100G offers advanced support for SyncE, enabling precise validation of clock synchronization in high-speed Ethernet networks. It continuously monitors the Quality Level of the incoming clock using background heartbeat messages. Any variation or degradation in synchronization is instantly detected, triggering an event notification. This feature is essential for testing time-sensitive applications such as mobile backhaul, data centers, and industrial networks that rely on accurate and stable timing.

Precision Time Protocol (PTP) Support

PacketExpert™ 100G synchronizes precisely with the master clock on the network using PTP, ensuring accurate time alignment across multiple devices. This synchronization is critical for timing-sensitive tests like RFC 2544 latency measurements and ExpertSAM™ service-level agreement validation. By maintaining tight time coordination, PacketExpert™ 100G delivers reliable and repeatable delay and jitter test results in complex Ethernet and IP environments.

Automation and Regression Testing with Python APIs

PacketExpert™ 100G offers powerful Python APIs for automation and regression testing, making it ideal for continuous integration environments. Users can remotely configure ports, execute tests such as BERT, RFC 2544, and Y.1564, and programmatically collect results. This streamlines test workflows, reduces manual effort, and ensures consistent validation of high-speed Ethernet networks.

It also supports the initialization of multiple ports in parallel across chassis, enabling 100 Gbps, 50 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 25 Gbps, 10 Gbps, and 1 Gbps bit error rate tests to run simultaneously on user-selected ports. Results can be collected in real time, with alerts triggered on threshold violations all fully controlled via Python scripts for complete automation and remote operation.

Multi-port Python Script

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Key Features

• PCIe based hardware supports up to 8 x 100G ports in either portable or rack-mount form factors
• A single rack-mount system can accommodate four network interface cards in a 4U chassis, supporting up to 8 × 100G/50G/40G/25G/10G/1G ports
• Offers a web-based user interface for multi-user remote access and centralized management of multiple devices and ports
• The multi-port support for 25 Gbps and 10 Gbps rates allows splitting a single physical port into 4 × 25G or 4 × 10G ports, enabling high-density test configurations within the same physical dimensions
• Supports 100 Gbps, 50 Gbps, 40 Gbps, 25 Gbps, 10 Gbps, and 1 Gbps rates, with IEEE 802.3-compliant Forward Error Correction (FEC), including Fire Code, RS-FEC (528, 514) and RS-FEC (544, 514)
• Supports scripting of tasks such as breakout selection, test sequencing (e.g., BERT, RFC 2544, Y.1564), parallel workflows, and automated result generation including graphs and CSV/PDF reports
• Enables integration with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment and test management frameworks, making PacketExpert™ 100G an ideal choice for regression testing and automated certification environments
• Multiple PacketExpert™ 100G units can be controlled remotely from a single client application via the PacketExpert™ 100G server

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