Spirent Communications SmartBits software

However, the hardware is solid and reliable, and provides a means to generate high volumes of layer 2/3 traffic up to multi-Gigabit speeds.

In general, the Spirent software is not particularly easy to use, lacking a consistent look-and-feel across the range making it difficult to switch from one product to another. Not all of the software packages run across all of the SmartModules either, making it difficult to select the exact combination of hardware and software required to perform a range of tests. 

SmartWindow and SmartFlow are used to generate background traffic for the UDP tests in this report. WebSuite is one of the tools used to generate high-volume DoS attacks. 

Figure 3 - Spirent: WebSuite

TeraVPN Designed to measure the network performance of IP Virtual Private Networks. Determines IP-VPN tunnel creation capacity using IPSec protocols. Also generates UDP or HTTP traffic over each tunnel and measures data performance characteristics like packet loss, latency, and response time.  

WebSuite/Firewall Designed to simulate real-world traffic loads in order to support the testing of content delivery and network equipment. Gauges the performance of firewall's performing NAT (Network Address Translation). Determines maximum application transaction capacity. Measures application throughput with TCP acting as the transport agent. Evaluates an in-line devices ability to deal with DoS (Denial of Service) attacks.

SmartTCP Tests load balancer performance. Tests measure the TCP session performance of server load balancer devices that make forwarding decisions based on Layer 4-7 information. SmartTCP benchmarks both the rate and connection capacities of the device under test to establish, maintain, and tear down TCP sessions.

SmartFlow Tests line rate QoS. Enables both forwarding and policy tests. Analyses each incoming stream to test a device's (or network's) ability to forward very large numbers of flows. Analyses the device's ability to correctly handle policies implemented in the network or device under test.

Figure 2 - Spirent: SmartFlow results screen

SmartApplications Provides automated performance analysis for bridges, switches, and routers per RFC 1242 (Benchmarking Terminology for Network Interconnection Devices) and RFC 2544 (Benchmarking Methodology for Network Interconnect Devices). Tests are available for Ethernet, ATM, and Frame Relay. 

SmartWindow SmartBits virtual front panel. Within SmartWindow, the test engineer simply needs to select a protocol, set class of service parameters, and then test any of the following: NIC cards, servers, bridges, cable modems, xDSL modems, switches, routers, VLANs, firewalls, live networks, or multimedia scenarios.

Those used extensively within NSS include: 

The range of SmartBits products also includes a set of software tools that allow SmartBits systems to be used for a variety of applications, ranging from industry standard tests to specific applications for new and emerging Internet and data technologies.

SmartBits Applications

Spirent has recently introduced a new generation of SmartBits network and Internet test systems called TeraMetrics. The TeraMetrics open architecture is a foundation for a new family of SmartBits test systems to meet the accelerating demands, complexity, increased speeds and scalability of terabit (up to 10 gigabits per second) switching.  

Spirents SmartBits SMB-600 chassis is a portable and compact version of the SMB-6000, providing all the same features and holding up to two modules. It can support up to 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 16 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, 4 POS (Packet over SONET) ports, 4 SmartMetrics Gigabit ports, or a mixture of these port types. 

The SmartBits 6000 is controlled from a Windows-based PC or a UNIX workstation through a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connection. Control is via a soft front panel SmartWindow application, and the system also includes SmartApplications software, which automates industry standard performance tests as defined in RFC 1242 and RFC 2544.  

The SmartBits 6000 is a high port density network performance analysis test system. Each chassis can hold up to 12 SmartModules in various combinations to support up to 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 96 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports, 24 POS (Packet over SONET) ports, 24 SmartMetrics Gigabit ports, or a mixture of these port types. Multiple SmartBits 6000 chassis can also can be daisy-chained together to achieve even higher port densities.  

Figure 1 - Spirent: SmartBits SMB-6000

The SmartBits 6000 (and its smaller sibling the SmartBits 600) are multi-port network performance analysis systems designed to measure the performance limits of complex network configurations and network devices.  

Spirent Communications provides network and communications testing solutions for developers, manufacturers, evaluators and operators of communications equipment, networks and services.  

The SmartBits 6000 (and its smaller sibling the SmartBits 600) are multi-port network performance analysis systems