GL Introduces IPNetSim, Simulates IP Networks

April 16, 2007
Tool simulates an IP Network with latency, packet errors and network jitter for testing of software, network devices

April 2007 - GL's new product, IPNetSim simulates the various conditions of real-time IP networks such as network latency, network delay variation (jitter), packet errors, packet loss, bit errors and other network impairments.

It can be used to test IP end point devices such as Gateways, IADs, IP phones, Soft phones, etc. for voice, fax, data, or multimedia transmission over IP. It can also emulate a WAN (wide area network) link between two local networks. The application simulates WAN bandwidth, delay, congestion, bit errors, and other important link characteristics independently in both directions at speeds of up to 155 Mbps.

IPNetSim offers an efficient and economical way to emulate terrestrial, wireless, internet, satellite, or private network links to validate and troubleshoot networks and applications under a spectrum of real-world conditions.

Main Features

• Unique IPNetSim scheduler

IPNetSim Scheduler can emulate dynamically changing WAN conditions like link outages, variable bandwidths links, route flapping, satellite rain fade, and wireless interference with high-flexibility. Any combination of emulation parameters can vary over time, and the IPNetSim automatically adjusts the link conditions between specified end states.

• Traffic Monitor Provides a visual display of the current traffic conditions, including throughput graphs, and transmission and loss statistics. Up to 24 hours of statistics history can also be downloaded for analysis. • Unsurpassed precision

IPNetSim simulates link bandwidth with microseconds resolution and performs bit error rate calculations with 256-bit precision, ensuring accurate and reproducible results.

• Bridging/Routing

IPNetSim can be configured as a bridge or router, which makes it easy to install in a wide variety of network environment.

• Bandwidths up to 155 mbps

IPNetSim can emulate WAN bandwidths of up to 155 Mbps bi-directionally or 400 Mbps in a single direction. With a packet processing rate of 250,000 packets per second, the IPNetSim can easily handle 45 Mbps of 64-byte packets in each direction.

• Automated Testing

A series of tests can be run using IPNetSim scheduler or the command line interface, which makes IPNetSim ideal for automated product testing.

Applications

Some of the important applications of the product IPNetSim are listed below:

• Network Validations

Users can choose between terrestrial, wireless, satellite, and other WAN technologies to connect between offices across the globe. The cost trade-offs are easy to quantify, however the impairments like differing delay, jitter, and loss affect the performance of the critical applications. These imapirments along with the bandwidth required to keep applications running can be known by emulating the links in the lab and demonstrating performance to all decision makers before the choice is made.

• Equipment Testing

Use IPNetSim to find out if addition of equipments such as accelerator, compression device, traffic shaper, cache, or application proxy can improve the performance of the network before you actually purchase.

• Troubleshooting

Use IPNetSim to pinpoint the cause of the problem and validate solutions without disrupting the production network.

• Application Testing

Use IPNetSim to test if the client/server based applications work well on local network as well as from a remote place located across the town or on the other side of the world before your users complain.