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Using RFC-2544 for Traffic Generation and Analysis
- 09 Aug 2024
- 15 Minutes to read
- Contributors
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Using RFC-2544 for Traffic Generation and Analysis
- Updated on 09 Aug 2024
- 15 Minutes to read
- Contributors
- Print
- PDF
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Use the traffic generator and monitor to pinpoint devices or network problems, or to measure current throughput, frame delay, and frame delay variation on a specific network segment. This article describes how to set up your Carrier Ethernet network to perform end-to-end testing and monitoring.
With advanced traffic generation and monitoring capabilities, you can perform fully automated and documented turn-up tests. The test capabilities include both out-of-service and in-service tests.
For out-of-service tests, you must pair the traffic generator with another device that loops the traffic back. The Skylight element: LX contains pre-programmed loopbacks for certain types of layer-2 frames (LBM). When testing with layer-2 generic frames or layer-3/layer-3 generic packets (UDP), you must configure the peer unit with a loopback that matches the test traffic, and with a swapping action on the source/destination MAC addresses, IP addresses, and UDP port numbers. For IP multicast traffic you must use the RFC monitor in the remote unit.
This figure illustrates a typical network setup where the traffic generator is used on a Skylight element to execute a two-way throughput test:
You can use the traffic generator to generate one or two flows of test traffic and provide separate results for each flow. Each flow has specific characteristics, such as traffic type and bit rate. You have the following choices when setting up each flow:
- Layer-2 (three types), layer-3 (two types), and IP multicast traffic
- VLAN or VLAN-in-VLAN encapsulation of test traffic
- Different traffic types, frame/packet sizes, and payload patterns
Setting Up the Traffic Generator
You can set up the traffic generator to send one or two traffic flows, each having a different traffic type, VLAN, and patterns. To view the elements that can be configured for each traffic flow, refer to the table RFC-2544 generator configuration (SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Generator ▶ Configuration).
Note: The Skylight performance element: LX contains pre-programmed loopbacks for layer-2 or layer-2 Accedian frames (LBM-based). For layer-2 generic traffic or layer-3 testing with UDP segments, you need to program the peer unit to have a manual loopback to match the test traffic, with a swapping action on the MAC addresses, IP addresses, and port numbers. You can do this by using the OAM menu.
To set up the traffic generator:
Access the page SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Generator ▶ Configuration.
Complete the required fields, and then click Apply.
Note: The page content varies, depending on the traffic type you select.
For information on specific parameters, refer to the following table.
RFC-2544 generator configuration (SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Generator ▶ Configuration)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Outgoing port | Port on which to send the flow(s). |
| Enable flow(s) | Select to enable the flow(s) included in the test. |
| Exclude VLAN size | Select so that when excluding the VLAN size, the frame length increases by the size of the VLAN tag header(s) being added to the frame. |
First and Second packet header settings
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Type of test traffic:
|
| MAC destination | Peer MAC address. Applies to all layer-2 traffic types as well as layer-3 generic. |
| Y.1731 MEG level | Maintenance Entity Group level. Applies to layer-2 traffic only. For details, refer to ITU-T Y.1731. Range: 0–7 |
| Destination IP address | IP address of the remote unit interface. Applies to layer-3 and IP multicast traffic types only. |
| DSCP | DiffServ Code Point to set in the generated packets. Applies to layer-3, layer-3 generic and IP multicast traffic types only. |
| Source IP address | Source IP address used for the IP header. Applies to layer-3 generic and IP multicast traffic only. |
| Source port | Near-end UDP port number used to generate the test's PDU. Applies to layer-3, layer-3 generic and IP multicast traffic types only. |
| Destination port | Far-end UDP port number associated with the IP address of the unit that will receive the traffic. Applies to layer-3, layer-3 generic and IP multicast traffic types only. Note: You must set the port to a value in the range of 0–65535 but you cannot set the destination port value to 8793, since this is Accedian's proprietary port number. For information on destination ports default values, refer to "Network Requirements — TCP/UDP Ports". A port cannot be defined as the UDP port here if it is already in use for any of the following features:
|
| TTL | Time To Live (TTL) value of the packets transmitted on the flow. Applies to layer-3, layer-3 generic and IP multicast traffic types only. |
| Enable VLAN 1 header | Select to encapsulate all frames with one VLAN header. |
| VLAN 1 ID | First VLAN ID. When enabled, all test frames are encapsulated with the specified VLAN ID. |
| VLAN 1 Ethernet type | First VLAN Ethernet type. Applies only when the VLAN 1 header is enabled. Possible values are:
|
| VLAN 1 priority | First VLAN priority bits. Applies only when the VLAN 1 header is enabled. |
| VLAN 1 CFI | First VLAN Canonical Format Indicator (CFI). Applies only when the VLAN 1 header is enabled. |
| Enable VLAN 2 header | Select to encapsulate all frames with two VLAN headers (as in QinQ). Note: VLAN 1 must be enabled to use two VLAN headers. |
| VLAN 2 ID | Second VLAN ID. Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. When enabled, all test frames are encapsulated with the second specified VLAN ID (inner VLAN). |
| VLAN 2 Ethernet type | Second VLAN Ethernet type. Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. Possible values are:
|
| VLAN 2 priority | Second VLAN priority bits. Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. |
| VLAN 2 CFI | Second VLAN Canonical Format Indicator (CFI). Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. |
First and Second flow profile settings
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Flow type | Type of flow testing being conducted:
Note: When the flow type is In-Service, you must select a Regulator. |
| Regulator | Regulator to use when the flow type is In-service. Note: For In-service flow type, ensure that the Regulator working rate and the Generator working rate are set to the same layer (Layer-1 or Layer-2) to have accurate tests. These settings are available in the Traffic ▶ Configuration ▶ Mode page. This field has no effect when the flow type is Out-of-Service. |
| Flow name | Name assigned to the flow for reference in the Results section. |
| Flow description | Description to identify the flow and its characteristics for reference in the Results section. |
| Traffic type | Type of traffic. May be one of the following:
|
| Bit rate (Kbps) | For constant traffic type, enter a bit rate that does not exceed the capacity of the outgoing port used for that test. Supported values vs. step size are:
|
| Packets per burst | For burst traffic type, specify the number of frames to send per period. |
| Inter-burst gap (ms) | For burst traffic type, specify the period, expressed in milliseconds, between the beginning of two successive bursts of frames. |
| Size type | Select whether frame sizes are fixed or random. |
| Size | For a fixed frame, specify the packet size. Acceptable values range from 64 bytes to 10240 bytes. Note: Modify the port MTU sizes as required to accommodate your selection. |
| Minimum size | For random frame sizes, specify the minimum value. The size of test frames will vary randomly between the minimum and maximum values you indicate. Acceptable values range from 64 bytes to 10240 bytes. Note: Modify the port MTU sizes as required to accommodate your selection. |
| Maximum size | For random frame sizes, specify the maximum value. The size of test frames will vary randomly between the minimum and maximum values you indicate. Acceptable values range from 64 bytes to 10240 bytes. Note: Modify your port MTU sizes to accommodate your selection. |
| Payload Pattern | Select whether to use fixed-data, incremental, or random pattern in the payload part of the transmitted frames. |
| Fixed pattern | For a fixed payload pattern, specify the 32-bit value, e.g. 0x12345678 |
| Incremental pattern | For an incremental payload pattern, select the increment factor of bytes for byte-by-byte increments or words (2 bytes) for word-by-word increments. |
| Random pattern | For a random payload pattern, select one of the preconfigured patterns. |
| Duration type | Duration type may be one of the following:
|
| Duration (s) | Specify the duration in seconds. Range: 1 to 604,800 seconds. |
| Duration (bytes) | Specify the duration in bytes. Range: 64 to 4,000,000,000 bytes. |
| Duration (packets) | Specify the duration in packets. Range: 1 to 4,000,000,000 packets. |
Starting the Traffic Generator and Viewing Test Results
To view a summary of the traffic generator results:
Access the page SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Generator ▶ Results.
When you first enter this page, the results of the last test performed dipslay.
To start a new test, click Start.
Tip: You can stop the test manually at any time by clicking Stop.
Click details of the first or second flow to view the detailed results for this flow.
For more information on these results, refer to the following table.
RFC-2544 Generator Results (SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Generator ▶ Results)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Flow name | Name assigned to a flow. |
Transmit statistics
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Transmitted packets | Total packets transmitted by this flow for this test. |
| Transmitted bytes | Total bytes transmitted by this flow for this test. |
| L1 Rate (Mbps) | Transmitting bit rate of Layer-1 traffic, expressed in Mbps. |
| L2 Rate (Mbps) | Transmitting bit rate of Layer-2 traffic, expressed in Mbps. |
| State | The flow's current state may be one of the following:
|
| Working rate | The flow's working rate may be Layer-1 or Layer-2. |
Receive statistics
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Received packets | Total packets received by the generator’s analysis component for this test after being looped back by the peer device. |
| Received bytes | Total bytes received by this generator (analysis component) for this test. |
| L1 Rate (Mbps) | Receiving bit rate of Layer-1 traffic, expressed in Mbps. |
| L2 Rate (Mbps) | Receiving bit rate of Layer-2 traffic, expressed in Mbps. |
| OOO or duplicates | Out-of-order or duplicate frames received by this generator (analysis component). |
| Number of gaps | Number of gaps contained in the numbered sequence. Each frame contains a sequence number allowing to identify the gap. |
| Maximum gap | Maximum size, expressed in frames, of the received gaps. |
Two-way delay
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Instantaneous (μs) | Two-way instantaneous delay, expressed in microseconds. The delay is measured for each frame from the generator to the loopback device and back to the generator. |
| Average (μs) | Average two-way packet delay, expressed in microseconds. The delay is measured for each packet from the generator to the loopback device and back to the generator (analysis). |
| Minimum (μs) | Minimum two-way delay, expressed in microseconds. |
| Maximum (μs) | Maximum two-way delay, expressed in microseconds. |
Two-way delay variation
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Instantaneous (μs) | Two-way instantaneous delay variation value, expressed in microseconds. The delay variation is measured for each frame from the generator to the loopback device and back to the generator. |
| Average (μs) | The average two-way delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
| Minimum (μs) | Minimum two-way delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
| Maximum (μs) | Maximum two-way delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
Test times
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Test started at | Time when the test was started. |
| Test stopped at | Time when the test was completed or halted. |
Setting Up the Traffic Monitor
Set up the traffic monitor to receive and analyze one or two traffic flows, which can vary in traffic type, VLAN, and patterns. The traffic monitor is used in conjunction with the generator to perform in-service non-intrusive throughput tests, while end-user traffic continues flowing without interruption. It is also used to analyze the test traffic when executing out-of-service IP multicast tests (one-way). You configure the traffic monitor from the remote unit.
Note:
In-service throughput tests and out-of-service IP multicast tests are unidirectional, which means that they do not require a loopback.
To set up the traffic monitor:
Access the page SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Monitor ▶ Configuration.
Complete the required fields, then click Apply.
Note: The page varies depending on which traffic type you select. When using a VLAN, the VLAN settings may have been changed throughout the network. These settings will need to reflect the current state of the test traffic as it enters the unit.
For information on specific parameters, refer to the following table.
RFC-2544 monitor configuration (SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Monitor ▶ Configuration)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable | Select to enable the monitor. |
| Monitor name | Name assigned to the monitor. |
| Monitor description | Description set up to identify the monitor and its characteristics. |
| Monitor mode | Select the monitor mode:
|
| Incoming port | Incoming port of the monitor. |
Packet header settings
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Type | Type of test traffic being monitored:
|
| MAC destination | MAC address of the terminating Monitor port (i.e. if this monitor is set in terminal mode type, the MAC destination will be equal to the incoming port's MAC address). Applies to layer-2, layer-2 Accedian, layer-2 generic, and layer-3 generic traffic types only. |
| Y.1731 MEG level | Maintenance Entity Group level. Applies to layer-2 traffic only. For details, refer to ITU-T Y.1731. Range: 0–7 |
| Destination IP address | IP address of the remote unit interface, as configured in the Traffic Generator device. Applies to layer-3 and layer-3 generic traffic types only. |
| DSCP | DiffServ Code Point used in the packets to be monitored. Applies to layer-3 and layer-3 generic traffic types only. |
| Source Port | Source UDP port number, as configured in the Traffic Generator device. Applies to layer-3 and layer-3 generic traffic types only. |
| Destination Port | Destination UDP port number, as configured in the Traffic Generator device. Applies to layer-3 and layer-3 generic traffic types only. Note: The port value can be in the range of 0–65535, but you cannot use port number 8793 (Accedian's proprietary port number). For information on destination ports default values, refer to "Network Requirements — TCP/UDP Ports". |
| Enable VLAN 1 header | Select to enable VLAN 1 header if the test traffic to monitor is VLAN tagged. |
| VLAN 1 ID | First VLAN ID |
| VLAN 1 Ethernet type | First VLAN Ethernet type. Possible values are:
|
| VLAN 1 priority | First VLAN priority bits. Applies only when the VLAN 1 header is enabled. |
| VLAN 1 CFI | First VLAN Canonical Format Indicator (CFI). Applies only when the VLAN 1 header is enabled. |
| Enable VLAN 2 header | Select to enable the VLAN 2 header if the test traffic to monitor is dual tagged (QinQ). To use two VLAN headers, both VLAN 1 and VLAN 2 headers must be enabled. |
| VLAN 2 ID | Second VLAN ID. Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. When enabled, all test frames are encapsulated with the second specified VLAN ID (inner VLAN). |
| VLAN 2 Ethernet Type | Second VLAN Ethernet type. Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. Possible values are:
|
| VLAN 2 Priority | Second VLAN priority bits. Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. |
| VLAN 2 CFI | Second VLAN Canonical Format Indicator (CFI). Applies only when the VLAN 2 header is enabled. |
Viewing Traffic Monitor Test Results
To view a summary of the traffic monitor test results for each flow:
Access the page SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Monitor ▶ Results.
All test results display.
For detailed traffic monitor test results, click the flow details.
Note: When using In-Service Throughput Testing mode, the Generator and Monitor need time syncing before examining "One-way delay" and "One-way delay Variation" parameters to get the proper results.
For information on specific parameters, refer to the following tables.
RFC-2544 monitor results (SAT ▶ RFC-2544 ▶ Monitor ▶ Results)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Name assigned to the monitor. |
| State | State of the monitor (Enabled or Disabled). |
| Average delay (μs) | One-way average delay, expressed in microseconds. |
| Average DV (μs) | One-way average delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
Receive statistics
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Received packets | Total packets received by this monitor. |
| Received bytes | Total bytes received by this monitor. |
| L1 Rate (Mbps) | Reception bit rate of Layer-1 traffic, expressed in Mbps. |
| L2 Rate (Mbps) | Reception bit rate of Layer-2 traffic, expressed in Mbps. |
| OOO or duplicates | Out-Of-Order or duplicate frames/packets received by this monitor. Out-Of-Order frames/packets are frames or packets that were received in a different order from that in which they were sent. |
| Number of gaps | Number of gaps in the sequence. Each frame contains a sequence number allowing to identify gaps. |
| Maximum gap | Maximum size, expressed in frames, of the gaps. |
One-way delay
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Instantaneous (μs) | One-way instantaneous delay, expressed in microseconds. |
| Minimum (μs) | Minimum delay, expressed in microseconds. |
| Maximum (μs) | Maximum delay, expressed in microseconds. |
| Average (μs) | Average delay, expressed in microseconds. |
One-way delay variation
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Instantaneous (μs) | One-way instantaneous delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
| Minimum (μs) | Minimum delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
| Maximum (μs) | Maximum delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
| Average (μs) | Average delay variation, expressed in microseconds. |
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