Press Releases
VeriWave Adds Test Solution for New Generation of Multi-Gigabit WLAN Controllers
New WaveBlade Shortens Test Cycles up to 6 Months
PORTLAND, OR, December 9, 2008 – VeriWave, leading provider of test systems for WiFi and Ethernet networks, is introducing new 802.11n capabilities that speed the development and delivery of next-generation Wireless LAN controllers. Using VeriWave’s new 4-port 802.11n SISO (Single Input / Single Output) WaveBlade, Network Equipment Manufacturers can avoid costly and incomplete manual testing, shorten test cycles by up to 6 months, and save tens of thousands of dollars by performing comprehensive control-plane and data-plane testing of WLAN controllers scaling beyond 30 Gbps of traffic.
The new 4-port 802.11n SISO WaveBlade combines 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n SISO traffic generation and analysis. As 802.11n takes hold, most laptop NICs and mobile devices will operate in Single Input/Single Output (SISO) mode enabling high data rates not attainable with 802.11a/b/g. VeriWave’s WaveTest system with the new SISO WaveBlade offers the most cost-effective test solution for 802.11n, with large-scale client/traffic generation suited to testing multi-gigabit WLAN controllers.
“With the evolution of 802.11n, the ‘all-wireless’ office is now becoming a reality with WLAN controllers designed to support upwards of 30 Gbps and thousands of users expecting to extend their mobility with bandwidth-intensive applications such as video,” says Eran Karoly, VP Marketing at VeriWave. “The new generation of controllers needs to deal with a tenfold capacity increase over early WLANs, offer extremely high availability and resiliency, perform seamless and rapid roaming of mobile clients, and deliver complex Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms to shape traffic. This represents a whole new set of challenges to designers, developers, and testers.”
Delivering this new generation of WLAN controllers means developers and testers need to be able to fully load a controller while simultaneously stressing its control-plane in order to verify client mobility, load balancing and service differentiation. Before the introduction of VeriWave’s 802.11n SISO WaveBlade, developers and testers had to use dozens of high-end servers to emulate stateless traffic load and testing the control-plane was not possible.
VeriWave’s WaveTest system with the new 4-port 802.11n SISO WaveBlade offers simultaneous testing of the data and control planes, while creating the entire range of effects that wireless users will subject the controller to. Each of the four WaveBlade ports can create up to 500 independent clients and, utilizing the high speed capabilities offered by 802.11n in the SISO configuration, can support a wireless traffic load of up to 140 Mbps. Thus, a single VeriWave WT90 chassis offers real-client traffic generation and analysis from up to 16,000 clients with a combined traffic load of 4.5 Gbps. Multiple WT90 chassis can be combined to achieve loads in excess of 30 Gbps.
The VeriWave solution is already helping developers of next-generation WLAN controllers identify and address early challenges such as:
- Controller instability as the number of APs exceeds 25, causing more than 1,000 clients to not be served
- Large variations in numbers of clients supported based on when clients begin communicating with APs
- High upstream data rates causing APs to de-authenticate clients
- Low data forwarding rates for small packet traffic such as Voice over IP
The introduction of the new 802.11n SISO WaveBlade is accompanied by the introduction of a new “WLAN Controller Master Test Plan." The Master Test Plan, available at http://www.veriwave.com/gurus/white_papers.asp, includes dozens of functional, benchmarking and system resiliency tests that address all aspects of WLAN controller behavior. Utilizing the Master Test Plan and the new 4-port 802.11n SISO WaveBlade, VeriWave reduces test cycles by up to 6 months, with a typical ROI period of 6-9 months.
Availability
The 4-port 802.11n SISO WaveBlade is available now and is supported by all of VeriWave’s traffic generation and analysis software applications.
About VeriWave
Testing with VeriWave ensures maximum performance for mobile networks, devices and applications in the real world. From development through deployment and beyond, VeriWave helps leading manufacturers, service providers and users measure, analyze and improve speed, quality, interoperability, compliance and other pivotal aspects of mobile performance. For more information about VeriWave, call (503) 473-8350, or go to www.veriwave.com.