Ixia Offers High-Speed GigE

CALABASAS, Calif. -- Ixia (Nasdaq:XXIA), a leading, global provider of IP performance test systems, announces two unique developments in high-speed Ethernet testing: 40 GE and 100 GE testing technology, resulting in a 40 GE proof-of-concept demonstration and a 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) Development Accelerator System. Ixia features both high-speed Ethernet systems at Broadband World Forum Europe in Brussels.

With Internet backbone bandwidth growing at an estimated rate of 75-125% per year and the increase in broadband users and bandwidth-hungry applications, it has become essential that carriers and their suppliers plan for the next major increase in bandwidth and data transmission rate. The growth of converged, multi play network services and rapid advances in computer technology and network architecture are causing bandwidth bottlenecks and has convinced network operators, large Internet service providers and data center managers of the urgent need for higher throughput at faster data speeds: 100 GE for aggregation and core networking applications, and 40 GE for server and storage applications.

The Ixia 40 GE proof-of-concept demonstration includes an implementation of and testing facility for the 40/100 GE physical coding sublayer (PCS) layer approved as the baseline proposal by the IEEE P802.3ba task force, with its underlying multilane distribution (MLD) architecture. MLD enables network providers to bond multiple 10 GE or higher-speed lanes into a single logical 40/100 GE link. MLD provides a means of “striping” a 40 Gbps flow into multiple “virtual” lanes.

Ixia will begin shipping the industry’s first 100 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) Development Accelerator System in mid November. This world’s first-to-market 100 GE test system provides network equipment and communications chip manufacturers the capabilities that they urgently need for layer-2 traffic generation and analysis.

The 100 GE Development Accelerator System a unique implementation for and testing of the 100 GE physical coding sublayer (PCS) layer approved as the baseline proposal in May 2008 by the IEEE 802.3ba task force, with the underlying multilane distribution (MLD) architecture.

Ixia’s 100 GE Development Accelerator System provides engineers working on next generation high-speed components with the test capability necessary to prove that their products are rock-solid for 100 GE traffic generation, reception and error handling. The development system includes an Ixia XM2 chassis, a one-port bi-directional 100 GE interface module, and test application software. Traffic generation capabilities include the generation of Ethernet streams of any size, pattern and rate, with internal or external clocking. Valid and error statistics are provided real-time at line rate.

Ixia is continuing rapid development of its IEEE 802.3ba complaint 40 GE and 100 GE test products, which will offer full layer 2-7 testing for both speeds in 2009. Ixia’s 100 GE Development Accelerator System is the first technology innovation developed by the newly formed Ixia Labs.

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