Guidelines for Setting Up Performance Sessions

  • Updated on Oct 29, 2024
  • Published on Jul 8, 2021
  • 3 minute(s) read
  • Jonathan Poole
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This section contains information intended to help you when you are setting up a performance session.

Uses and Applicability of Session Types

The following table provides guidelines on when to use each type of session.

Session Type Uses and Applicability
Echo Use Echo sessions as an alternative to TWAMP, if TWAMP reflectors are not available:
  • Use Echo UDP if you have reflectors that can reflect UDP packets.
  • Use Echo ICMP if your reflector does not reflect UDP but can reflect ICMP pings.
  • Echo UDP and Echo ICMP sessions only provide two-way statistics.
  • IPv4 and IPv6 for sessions on Provider Connectivity Assurance Sensor Control
  • IPv4 and IPv6 for NFV sessions on Assurance Sensor Control
  • Supported by Provider Connectivity Assurance.
  • Supported by SLA portal.
Ethernet OAM
  • Use Ethernet OAM sessions for Layer-2 measurements.
  • Use ETH-DM with third-party responders that can reflect DMM messages:
    • ETH-DM has advantage over ETH-LB in that it provides one-way latency measurements.
    • Also provides round-trip packet loss metrics.
    • Supported by Provider Connectivity Assurance.
    • Supported by SLA portal.
  • Use ETH-LB with third-party responders that can reflect LBM messages:
    • Provides two-way measures for latency and packet loss.
    • Supported by SLA portal.
  • Use ETH-VS with Assurance Sensors:
    • Provides one-way latency and packet loss values.
    • Supported by Provider Connectivity Assurance.
    • Supported by SLA portal.
TWAMP
  • Use TWAMP to obtain one-way statistics when the reflector is capable of Layer-3 TWAMP reflection.
  • IP addressing support:
    • IPv4 and IPv6 for sessions on sensor: control
    • IPv4 and IPv6 for NFV sessions on sensor: control
    • State-full TWAMP is preferred over stateless because it can give one-way packet loss statistics.
    • Supported by Provider Connectivity Assurance.
    • Supported by SLA portal.
      • Supported two UDP ports for each IPv4 and IPv6.
2xOneWay
  • Use for Assurance Sensor Control to Assurance Sensor Control sessions to obtain one-way statistics on Layer 3.
  • IPv4 addressing only.
  • Advantages over TWAMP:
    • Supports one-way reporting of DSCP changes
    • Supports UDP, TCP, GRE and SCTP encapsulation (TWAMP only supports UDP)
  • Supported by SLA portal.

Ports and Protocols per Session Type

The following table indicates the encapsulation supported for each session type and the ports that are typically used for each.

Session Type Protocol / Encapsulation Sender Port Reflector Port
Echo ICMP Not applicable Not applicable
Echo UDP 13000 7
Ethernet OAM Not applicable (Layer 2) Not applicable (Layer 2) Not applicable (Layer 2)
TWAMP TWAMP-Test / UDP

TWAMP-Control / TCP

 14000

862

 4000

862
2xOneWay GRE

ICMP

RTP

SCTP / TCP / UDP

 Not applicable

Not applicable

3000

5000

 Not applicable

Not applicable

3000

5000

Note: If multiple TWAMP sessions are set up between the same sender and the same reflector, a separate connection must be set up for each session. This can be done by selecting a different interface or a different port number on the sender or reflector.

Sender and Reflector Capabilities of Accedian Devices

The following tables summarize the send and reflect capabilities of various Accedian devices. You can use these tables to help you select appropriate devices as the sender and reflector when you are setting up sessions.

Session Types Supported for Accedian Devices
Legend: YES = supported; no = not supported

Provider Connectivity Assurance Sensor Control

Session Type Send Reflect
2xOneWay YES YES
ICMP Echo YES YES
UDP Echo YES YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-DM

 YES YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-LB

 YES YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-VS

 YES YES
TWAMP YES YES

Note: TWAMP state-full reflection only.

Provider Connectivity Assurance Sensors LT, LX, and GT

Session Type Send Reflect
2xOneWay NO NO
ICMP Echo NO YES
UDP Echo NO YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-DM

 NO YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-LB

 NO YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-VS

 NO YES
TWAMP NO YES

Provider Connectivity Assurance Sensors F100 and F25

Session Type Send Reflect
2xOneWay NO NO
ICMP Echo NO NO
UDP Echo NO NO
Ethernet OAM

ETH-DM

 NO NO
Ethernet OAM

ETH-LB

 NO NO
Ethernet OAM

ETH-VS

 NO NO
TWAMP NO NO

Provider Connectivity Assurance Sensor Modules

Session Type Send Reflect
2xOneWay NO NO
2xOneWay NFV NO NO
ICMP Echo NO YES

Note: Reflection is limited to 1 PPS total.
UDP Echo NO YES

Note: Reflection requires setting a loopback on the UDP echo port.
ICMP Echo

(NFV)

 YES YES
UDP Echo

(NFV)

 YES YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-DM

 NO YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-LB

 NO YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-VS

 NO NO
Ethernet OAM

ETH-DM (NFV)

 YES YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-LB (NFV)

 YES YES
Ethernet OAM

ETH-VS (NFV)

 YES NO
TWAMP NO YES
TWAMP (NFV) YES YES

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