Agilent N2X

• Emulating real-world network conditions including simultaneous PPPoX, DHCP, and IGMP sessions and traffic
• Scaling to hundreds of TV channels and thousands of subscribers
• Simulating realistic channel zapping scenarios including thousands of IPTV viewers Channel ”Zapping” at the same time
• Providing hardware time stamping to ensure measurement repeatability and reliability
• Per subscriber measurement granularity not just the average or aggregate

Part of IPTV QoE is how quickly and reliably users can change channels -- often called channel zapping delay. A key measurement is Multicast leave/join latency, measured using the IGMP protocols (for IPv4) or MLD (for IPv6). N2X measures channel zapping time through individual DUTs, such as B-RASs, DSLAMs and switch/routers, as well as through subsystems.

The N2X IPTV Channel Zapping solution offers service providers and equipment manufacturers a powerful application to accurately validate the channel zapping performance of broadband access equipment under real-world conditions.

The end user experience of service quality is critical to the success of a service providers IPTV deployment program. A key element of IPTV quality of experience (QoE) is how quickly and reliably end users can change TV channels, often referred to as channel zapping. Using N2X, Network equipment manufacturers can thoroughly characterize channel zapping performance times of their B-RAS and IP-DSLAMs under the complexity and volatility of real world network conditions. Service providers can also validate channel zapping time across their networks end-to-end to have confidence that their service will meet the expected service levels.

Realism : Real-world network conditions

N2X provides unparalleled test realism to verify the ultimate performance of broadband aggregation devices used in Multiplay networks such as B-RAS and IP-DSLAMs. With the ability of simultaneously emulating PPPoX, IGMP and DHCP sessions, combined integrated traffic, N2X gives confidence to manufacturers and operators that devices will function in a multi-protocol environment.

Accuracy : Repeatable and Reliable Results

N2X offers the most accurate channel zapping performance test capability. Hardware timestamping of protocol emulation packets such as the IGMP join/leave messages and the generated traffic ensures the measurements are accurate, reproducible and representative of a real-world situation. Channel zapping time is also provided on a per subscriber basis, allowing visibility into a device's contribution to the zap time for each subscriber and not just the aggregate performance.

Scalability : Test ultimate performance limits

The scalable performance of an underlying edge aggregation device is critical in efficiently delivering IPTV services reliably. The N2X IPTV Channel Zapping solution simplifies scalability testing by enabling users to easily set up the most sophisticated test scenario in minutes. Powered by the industry’s most scalable multi-protocol emulation environment, N2X can validate the ultimate scalability of devices by emulating hundreds of channels and thousands of subscribers.

Along with industry leading emulation and hardware, the N2X IPTV Channel Zapping solution offers the most accurate and realistic capability for verifying the performance and scalability of next generation broadband access devices.

Please see the IPTV literature library for more information on the N2X IPTV solution.  

• Video Media Quality (Video packet loss and jitter measurements) Metric

Journal test case 134 - BNG IPTV Service Scalability

The test determines the maximum number of IPTV video channels and IPTV subscribers, which can be sustained by BNG (or BSA, BSR, B-RAS) under test while maintaining acceptable video quality of experience.

• View Test Plan (Registration is required). Register hereto view and download your FREE copy of the Journal of Internet Test Methodologies containing this and many other example test cases.