Ixia Launches Application Intelligence Capabilities

Ixia  introduced its ".. new ATI Processor for the NTO 7300 brings a new level of intelligence to the network packet broker. Distinct Application Fingerprints and a patent pending dynamic identification capability for unknown applications give network managers a complete view of their networks, including application success and failure tracking. By combining rich contextual information such as geo-location of application usage, handset or device type, operating system and browser type, the ATI Processor helps to identify suspicious activity such as unauthorized BYOD usage or business connections from untrusted locations.

ATI Processor features include:

• Dynamic application intelligence capabilities to identify known, proprietary, and even unknown network applications.
• Enhanced insight including geo-location, handset type, operating system, browser and other key user data.
• Empirical data generation to identify bandwidth usage, trends and growth needs delivered via API or Ixia’s IxFlow extensions to NetFlow.

Application intelligence delivers real-time application data to monitoring tools so that users have more accurate application data in order to make better decisions. It does this by providing rich data on behavior and location of users and applications, in any format needed – raw packets, filtered packets, or metadata. This allows IT teams to identify hidden network applications, mitigate network security threats from rogue applications and user types, and reduce network outages and/or improve network performance due to application data information.

Source: A Paradigm Shift for Network Visibility, Ixia, May 2014

See "Ixia Advances Network Visibility with Real-Time Network and Application Intelligence" - here.

WildPackets and Ixia Joint Solution - Visibility & Troubleshooting

  WildPackets announced its "partnership with Ixia .. The new WildPackets and Ixia partnership offer a complete solution for network monitoring and troubleshooting [see "Survey: Needs and Challenges of 10G Networks" - here]. Ixia's Visibility Architecture enables clear and complete visibility into network traffic performance and applications, while WildPackets' recording and analysis solutions deliver comprehensive statistics and scalable deep packet inspection .. including: 

• Complete network visibility
• Accelerated root-cause analysis
• Simplified deployment, eliminating manual-error prone steps
• Maximum efficiency for fast-network troubleshooting
• Scalability to 10G, 40G [see "WildPackets Enhances Analysis Platform with 40GE Support" - here] and 100G environments

See "WildPackets and Ixia Partner to Offer End-To-End Network Visibility and Troubleshooting Solution" - here.

Product Announcements: Ixia, Ulticom, RADCOM, NSN, SAP, DigitalRoute, Avvasi, Centri. Smith Micro

With MWC starting today, the number of product announcements made in the last few days does not allow a separate post for each .. so here is a short digest:

• Ixia Provides Three Times More Network Visibility In Half The Rack Space (here) : Ixia ".. introduced, as part of its Visibility Architecture, its most advanced, highest capacity platform that is designed to provide three times the visibility in half the rack space for enterprise and service provider applications .. Ixia’s newest network packet broker, the Net Tool Optimizer 7300, .. helps service providers and enterprises to improve real-time insights into the data traversing the network".

• Ulticom Diameter Signaling Controller is Virtualization Ready (here): Ulticom announced that "more than half of their Diameter Signaling Controller (DSC) deployments are in Virtualization environments. The Ulticom DSC is being deployed using both traditional dedicated server solutions and in Virtualized environments. As a software solution, Ulticom’s DSC is architected and ideally suited for deployment using virtualization. The product is hypervisor independent and can be scaled dynamically during operation. It has a proven track-record in operational deployments using virtualization and cloud technologies. Compatible hypervisor technologies include VMware, KVM, and Virtual Box.

• RADCOM Rolls-out Enhanced End-to-End VoLTE Monitoring Capabilities (here): RADCOM announced that it has ".. added new Voice over LTE (VoLTE) monitoring capabilities to MaveriQ, RADCOM’s NFV-based network analytics probe. The enhanced VoLTE capabilities allow service providers to monitor the VoLTE service end-to-end across the LTE and IMS domains. MaveriQ continuously monitors VoLTE calls in multiple network areas, including eNodeB, EPC, policy and charging, and in the IMS network itself. With real-time and historical end-to-end call tracing, proactive alarming and KPIs that constantly monitor service QoE, RADCOM’s MaveriQ gives operators clear visibility into all quality aspects of high-speed 4G LTE, VoLTE and LTE-Advanced networks. Providing advanced troubleshooting tools for VoLTE service degradation, MaveriQ assists in achieving VoLTE accessibility, retainability, integrity and availability. The MaveriQ solution has already been deployed in four Tier 1 service provider networks in APAC and LATAM"

• Enhanced Flexi Zone controller powers up indoor, outdoor capacity and coverage, brings Liquid Applications to small cells (here): Nokia Solutions and Networks is "extending its award-winning Flexi Zone architecture, making it the most versatile small cell solution able to cover all deployment scenarios. A Flexi Zone controller application can be added to existing macro-cellular base stations to run a large number of nearby small cells. Flexi Zone’s cluster approach can now be used for indoor deployments. In addition, Flexi Zone controller supports the integration of NSN Liquid Applications to deliver locally-relevant, fast services directly from small cell base station clusters
  The third major development enables the Flexi Zone controller to support the integration of NSN Radio Application Cloud Server functionality to enable Liquid Applications on a cluster of small cells. Radio Application Cloud Server provides processing and storage, together with the ability to collect real-time network data. These features can be exploited by applications to offer context-relevant services that transform the mobile broadband experience. Liquid Applications offers caching and local offload for street level deployments, as well as enabling operators to provide value added services indoors to enterprises and public indoor locations".

• SAP and DigitalRoute Join Forces to Enrich Customer Experience for Telcos (here): SAP AG  today announced a "..significant expansion of its relationship with DigitalRoute .. The targeted result is an enhanced solution that shall bring together data from both operational and business support systems (OSS and BSS), providing unique insights that are expected to help communications service providers (CSPs) navigate toward monetizing their Big Data in today’s stormy market conditions".

• Avvasi Launches “Xperium Video Minutes” (here) Avvasi announced the launch of its “Xperium Video Minutes solution .. Xperium Video Minutes allow networks, for the first time, to measure and manage a video’s quality in real time and to charge for video traffic on a duration basis, rather than by volume (megabytes). This innovation has the double benefit of simplifying the usage, consumption and purchase of video services, while providing a new revenue stream for network operators".

• CENTRI Technology’s BitSmartCX Solution Ready for Wireless Operator Integration (here): ".. On the heels of completing successful trials in Latin America of its BitSmartCX solution, CENTRI Technology announced that its flagship product is now ready for wireless operator integration. Designed to help mobile network operators intelligently optimize and manage the flow of data across their networks in real-time, CENTRI’s BitSmartCX reduces the need for operators to invest in additional network infrastructure while lowering backhaul, spectrum and transport costs".

• Smith Micro and Amdocs Validate ANDSF Interoperability for Seamless Wi-Fi Access and Traffic Optimization (here): Smith Micro Software announced the "successful completion of interoperability tests between the Amdocs Smart Net intelligent offload solution and the Smith Micro NetWise® traffic management client. Amdocs used Smith Micro’s NetWise I/O toolkit to validate ANDSF interoperability that would enable seamless Wi-Fi offload and traffic optimization over heterogeneous networks".

Ixia Adds Support for OpenFlow Controllers Performance

Ixia announced the " .. expansion of its IxNetwork application portfolio. The solution validates the scale and performance of OpenFlow controllers by emulating OpenFlow v1.3 switches and is the first to help enterprises and service providers ensure that their networks are carrier grade – enabling faster service delivery: 

• IxNetwork now validates the controller, which must communicate with all the switches in the network and as such, is critical to ensuring reliability of the entire network.
   
• With IxNetwork 7.20, customers have the advanced functionality required to deliver an always-connected experience within SDN environments. Until now, network and test engineers have had limited options for scale testing a controller.

IxNetwork 7.20 allows enterprises and service providers to better validate OpenFlow networks through the following capabilities: 

• Emulates thousands of OpenFlow switches in various topologies to stress test their OpenFlow controller without the need of real OpenFlow switches in a customer’s lab.
   
• Performs realistic functions such as establishing the OF-Channel, supporting statistic replies, LLDP based topology discovery, port status messages and generate packet-ins from these emulated switches"

See "Ixia Enables Carrier-Grade OpenFlow Network Validation" - here.

Ixia Scales-up Testing with New Load Module

 

Xcellon-Multis 

100/40/10GE module

Ixia announced a "new family of products designed to enable enterprises and service providers to handle more traffic and increasingly sophisticated services. The XcellonTM-Multis solution delivers enterprises and service providers the flexibility to test complex scenarios involving high-capacity 10GE, 40GE or 100GE networking products at higher speeds and with a higher return on investment ..  Ixia customers can now do more with less by using the Xcellon-Multis family, which scales up to hundreds of 40GE and 100GE ports".

" Ixia's Xcellon-Multis load module family comprises the industry's highest density 40G and 100G higher speed Ethernet (HSE) test equipment, providing more flexible test coverage and 4x100GE, 12x40GE, or dualrate 40GE/100GE, all in a single-slot load module".

 

See "Ixia Innovation Enables Customers to Deliver Sophisticated Network Services With Less Investment" - here.

Ixia Enhances Visibility Tool with 100 GbE Interfaces

 

Ixia announced that it " has further advanced its award-winning Ixia Anue Net Tool Optimizer® (NTO) solutions .. the release of the Network Visibility Operating System (NVOS) v3.8 and the 100GbE Interface Module [pictured] supports new capabilities that improve forensic analysis capabilities, advance application performance monitoring and simplify security monitoring of 100GbE networks".

 

"The new 100GbE Interface Module and NVOS update protect monitoring tool investments by enabling users to perform packet-level monitoring of 100GbE networks at full line rate, utilizing existing 1, 10 and 40GbE monitoring tools. Up to four 100GbE interface modules can be supported on one high-density Anue NTO device, or may be combined with 1, 10 or 40GbE ports in a single 2RU chassis"

Ixia's Anue Net Tool Optimizer® (NTO) 5293 carrier grade

See "Ixia Delivers Advanced 100GbE Visibility Solution for Service Providers and Large Enterprises" - here.

News [Part-2]: Aptilo, Stoke, Ixia, Ulticom, BTI Systems, Broadcom

MWC news report continues..

• Aptilo Networks and Stoke have "partnered to deliver an end-to-end solution allowing cellular operators to provide a carrier-class Wi-Fi interworking service for subscribers .. The Aptilo Service Management Platform (SMP), through Web portal or automatic SIM- based authentication, can identify a subscriber and assign traffic policies according to highly specific customer or network attributes. The Aptilo SMP can also mediate charging functions for these subscribers so that the user experience and billing are similar to that of the cellular network .. The Stoke Wi-Fi eXchange can link tens of thousands of Wi-Fi access points from different manufacturers to the operator core network, and can identify traffic at a high level of granularity to allow selective routing of user session traffic. This level of control enables operators to deliver different service classes, provide mobile network services to Wi-Fi users, and balance core network element and Internet backhaul resources".
  
  See "Aptilo and Stoke Collaborate in Seamless Wi-Fi Access for Mobile Broadband Carriers" - here. 


• Ixia promotes the "IxLoad solution, to provide greater insight and visibility into the performance of rapidly growing LTE networks .. The growth of smartphone use and the support of differentiated services, such as high-quality video, also mean a growth of difficult-to-predict signaling traffic. Signaling traffic involves the underlying communications that enable user authentication, mobility, monetization, billing, policy management and Quality of Service mechanisms .. Going beyond product data sheets to understand the true capabilities of any mobile infrastructure device including Home Subscriber Systems, Policy Servers, Billing Systems, Diameter Routing Agents, and Mobility Management Entities.".
   
See "Ixia Enables Mobile Application and Service Monetization Growth" - here.


• Ulticom announced "Release 3.3 of the Ulticom DSC – a software product that optimizes Diameter Signaling in 4G and IMS networks .. Release 3.3 extends the DSC product with additional advanced routing capabilities. It provides enhanced network routing resilience and even greater flexibility for multi-AVP-based routing. Release 3.3 also provides advanced White Labeling support. This feature empowers OEM customers to rebrand the DSC product and supporting documentation, tailoring it to their own product portfolio".
  
  See "Ulticom DSC Release 3.3 – Diameter Signaling. Solved." - here.
    
• BTI Systems announced an ".. industry-first cloud networking solution designed to significantly improve inter-data center connectivity. Intelligent Cloud Connect is an open software-rich platform that combines network intelligence and application awareness with significantly expanded capacity and scale. By doing so, it increases cloud connectivity performance - quadrupling capacity and scale, reducing latency by half, and increasing network applications performance by as much as 10 times - while significantly improving operational efficiencies, network control and service innovation compared to legacy solutions".
  
  See "BTI Systems Announces Intelligent Cloud Connect to Unblock the Performance Bottleneck of Inter-Data Center Connectivity" - here.
   
• Broadcom announced a "scalable small cell development platform for multiple radio access technology (RAT). The platform integrates all the hardware and software components required to accelerate the development and deployment time of small cell base stations .. The platform is the first to combine the state-of-the-art XLP-208 multicore processor, which was engineered by NetLogic, acquired by Broadcom in February 2012 .. The advanced software included in the platform enables important new features such as content caching, interference monitoring, self-organizing networks (SON), DPI-based services and security to be quickly deployed while maintaining line speed performance as operators and content service providers add new network services. Other solutions available on the development platform include Broadcom's complete portfolio of backhaul devices for optimized traffic management, including x-DSL, x-PON and wireless.
     
  See "Broadcom Announces Advanced Development Platform for Small Cell Base Stations" - here.

Sprint, ALU and IXIA to Support LTE Acceleration Lab in Israel

Sprint announced "..its plan to support an LTE acceleration lab in Tel Aviv, Israel, later in 2013. In collaboration with the Israel Mobile & Media Association (IMA), the LTE lab will add significant momentum to the Israeli-based ecosystem of startups and developers. Well-known for its prowess in the high-tech industry, Israel is ranked second behind Silicon Valley among top startup ecosystems"

" .. At the LTE lab, startups will be welcome to work on their ideas, collaborate with other companies, and see what evolves, with minimal carrier direction. Although Sprint will benefit from having an early look at the technology that may result from this collaborative effort, Sprint has an open approach to development and support for the environment .. the equipment will be provided by Alcatel-Lucent, and the lab will collaborate with their ng Connect Program, an Alcatel-Lucent-founded multi-industry ecosystem dedicated to the creation of the next-generation user experience for connected consumers".

LTE acceleration LAB founders -  Sprint, IMA, Alcatel-Lucent and IXIA

IXIA is also supporting the lab and announced that "Acceleration Lab will employ IxLoad and IxNetwork to enable secure and reliable application delivery for participating startups .. The lab is equipped with high-end testing gear for load, conformance, quality of service, and interoperability and LTE network testing, and is facilitated with Orange Israel and Telefonica network APIs. In addition, it contains a pool of more than 2,000 handsets and other technical services and capabilities. Now, with IxLoad and IxNetwork, startups and developers have the data needed to eliminate guesswork about the performance and security of their applications" (here).

Stephen Bye, announcing Sprint support for the LTE acceleration Lab

Stephen Bye, CTO, Sprint said at the  4GIsrael (organized by IMA)  “As a complement to our efforts to unlock innovation in the United States, this Sprint-sponsored LTE acceleration lab will allow startups and developers in Israel valuable access to dramatically speed up their time to market .. We are committed to an open developer environment, creating opportunities for innovative services, products and technologies to be developed and launched on the Sprint LTE network”.


See "Sprint to Support Launch of IMA LTE Acceleration Lab for Startups in Israel" - here.