Linkedin facebook Twitter Blog Sales 1..877.367.4942 INTL 1..818.871.1800

IxN2X IGMP Emulation

The IxN2X IGMP Emulation software integrates the industry's most scalable IGMPv2 and IGMPv3 testing into the IxN2X multiprotocol test solution for verifying the functionality, performance and scalability of IPv4 multicast replication and snooping devices and Multiplay services.

Key Features

  • Powerful IGMP Emulation
  • Full emulation of IGMPv2 and IGMPv3
  • Highly scalable solution scales to thousands of clients per test port
  • Supported on all IxIxN2X routing cards, including POS, ATM and Ethernet interfaces
  • Operates over VLANs and stacked VLANs
  • Integrated Multiplay Solution
  • Emulation can run simultaneously with other protocol emulations (e.g., DHCP, PPPoX), on the same port
  • Can be used as part of IPTV test scenarios
  • Can operate over PPP sessions or using DHCP-assigned addresses
  • Partial emulation of IGMP querier to test IGMP snooping devices

Product Overview

The Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is used by clients to join and leave IPv4 multicast groups and by multicast routers to learn group membership information from clients. IPTV is one of the most important applications of multicast. With IPTV and other types of multicast deployments becoming more prevalent, it is important for service providers and network equipment manufacturers to validate the performance of devices participating in multicast distribution to ensure that they provide the required service quality. Such tests must be performed at scale and in the presence of a realistic traffic and protocol mix.

The IxN2X IGMP emulation enables the testing of IPv4 multicast replication devices such as BNG, BSA, BSR, and B-RAS. Using the client emulation with the provided IGMP querier emulation, multicast snooping mechanisms can be exercised and tested on devices such as OLT, DSLAM, and Ethernet switch. These tests can be conducted in isolation or as part of an integrated Multiplay services test including IPTV, simulated VoIP traffic, data and additional access protocols such as DHCP, PPPoX or MLD.

Product Features

Powerful IGMP Emulation

IxN2X supports IGMPv2 and IGMPv3 emulation for thousands of simulated subscribers per port. Some of the key considerations when testing the IGMP performance of a multicast device include the forwarding of traffic within a specific latency budget, the integrity of the traffic and the effect of IGMP control plane activity on forwarding behavior. IxN2X provides the ability to easily test these characteristics. With the free companion QuickTest or the more sophisticated IPTV Quality of Experience solution, IGMP join and leave latency can be measured. The IGMP emulation can run over PPP sessions (Access Protocol Emulation Software license required) and VLANs (or stacked VLANs).

Integrated Multiplay Solution

Devices in the access network encounter many types of traffic and, for this reason a realistic test environment must be based on a holistic approach that simulates a variety of traffic and protocol activity. IxN2X enables realistic testing of access networks by simultaneously emulating multiple protocols and traffic types on each single test port. IGMP, DHCPv6, MLD, DHCP, PIM, PIMv6, and PPPoX, among others, can run concurrently with IPTV and VoIP traffic (additional licenses required), creating the industry's most comprehensive Multiplay test tool.

IGMP Querier Emulation

It is common in access networks to employ aggregation devices that perform IGMP snooping. Such devices (e.g., DSLAMs, OLTs) inspect group membership queries sent by the multicast router (the querier) and the corresponding IGMP group membership reports from the subscribers. IxN2X makes it easy to test such devices by providing a partial IGMP querier emulation. Although it is not a complete emulation of a multicast router, it is sufficient to generate the queries necessary to exercise IGMP snooping functions. On the other side of the device, IxN2X-simulated IGMP clients respond to queries by sending membership reports.

Emulate both Queriers and clients to verify IGMP snooping
Figure 1: Emulate both Queriers and clients to verify IGMP snooping

Powerful IGMP emulation enables full control of parameters and display of protocol state
Figure 2: Powerful IGMP emulation enables full control of parameters and display of protocol state

Flexible emulation of both IGMPv2 and IGMPv3
Figure 3: Flexible emulation of both IGMPv2 and IGMPv3

Technical Specifications

This section contains the protocol-specific parameters that are configurable through the GUI or the Tcl scripting environment.

IGMPv2 Client Configurable Parameters
IGMP
  • Interval between messages
  • Unsolicited report interval
  • Older version present timeout
  • Custom maximum response time
  • IPv4 router alert option
  • Ignore IGMP query
  • Enable proxy reporting
IGMPv3 Client Configurable Parameters
IGMP
  • Interval between messages
  • Unsolicited report interval
  • Robustness variable
  • Custom max groups per packet
  • Custom maximum response time
  • IPv4 router alert option
  • Ignore IGMP query
  • Enable proxy reporting
IGMPv2 Querier Configurable Parameters
IGMP
  • Robustness variable
  • Maximum response time
  • IPv4 router alert option
  • Enable proxy reporting
IGMP Statistics
IGMP
  • Groups (count)
  • Sources (count)
  • (S, G) pairs
  • Group join latency
  • Group leave latency
  • Group leave-join latency (channel zapping latency) - only through QoE PA
Group latency (through QuickTest or IPTV QoE PA)
Data Plane Statistics

All standard IxN2X multicast statistics are supported. Refer to the Packets and Protocols datasheet for more details.
Applicable Standards
  • RFC 2236 Internet Group Management Protocol, Version 2
  • RFC 3376 Internet Group Management Protocol, Version 3
  • RFC 4604 Using Internet Group Management Protocol Version 3 (IGMPv3) and Multicast Listener Discovery Protocol Version 2 (MLDv2) for Source-Specific Multicast
  • RFC 4605 Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) / Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD)-Based Multicast Forwarding (IGMP/MLD Proxying)
  • RFC 4541 Considerations for Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) and Multicast Listener Discovery (MLD) Snooping Switches

Configuration and Ordering Details

Software

973-0108, IxN2X, Optional Software, IGMP Emulation (E7828A).

REQUIRES:

  • 970-0002 Packets and Protocols Application

Recommended Software

973-0200, IxN2X, Optional Software, DHCP Emulation (E7887A).

REQUIRES:

  • 970-0002 Packets and Protocols Application

973-0201, IxN2X, Optional Software, PPPoX and L2TPv2 Emulation (E7888A).

REQUIRES:

  • 970-0002 Packets and Protocols Application

Bundle Software

973-0205, IxN2X, Software Bundle, IPv4 Access Protocol Emulation (E7829A).

INCLUDES:

  • 973-0108 IGMP Emulation,
  • 973-0200 DHCP Emulation,
  • 973-0201 PPPoX and L2TPv2 Emulation.

REQUIRES:

  • 970-0002 Packets and Protocols Application.

Hardware

An IxN2X test system is composed of the following hardware components:

  • System controller
  • Chassis
  • Test cards or load modules

973-0108 is supported on all:

  • IxN2X XR/XR-2 test cards
  • IxN2X XS/XS-2 test cards
  • Ixia XM-based FUSION-enabled Ethernet Load Modules

973-0108 is not supported on IxN2X XP/XP-2 cards.

Your local Ixia Sales representative can provide more details on how to order and configure a test system.

This material is for informational purposes only and subject to change without notice. It describes Ixia's present plans to develop and make available to its customers certain products, features and capabilities. Ixia is only obligated to provide those deliverables specifically included in a written agreement between Ixia and the customer.

[ back | top of page | back to products ]