04/10/2013
Critical Component of End-to-End Service Testing
The BV-110 Verifier is a critical component of the BrixWorx end-to-end service testing approach. It delivers the essential end-user QoE monitoring as well as the visibility and detail network administrators need to easily troubleshoot performance problems and identify their root causes.
The BV-110 enables simultaneous end-user-to-end-user as well as end-user-to-core testing for effective SLA verification and QoE monitoring. By deploying the BV-110 Verifier at key locations in the network (i.e., customer premises and cell sites), network administrators can effectively segment and obtain the visibility they need of the enterprise, access, core and backhaul networks.
Tests can be performed on any other Brix Verifier or on third-party equipment (e.g., aggregation or core routers) using industry standards, such as 802.1ag, Y.1731 or TWAMP for transport monitoring. With this vendor-agnostic approach, the BV-110 works seamlessly in heterogeneous network environments. It also leverages operators’ existing equipment to reduce CAPEX and maximize operational efficiency.
Positioned at the very edge of the network, the BV-110 monitors quality of not only transport, but also applications and infrastructure services, such as HTTP, FTP, DNS, DHCP and e-mail. This provides carriers with the tools and data they need to quickly resolve problems and reduce mean-time-to-repair, thus ensuring customer satisfaction and reducing customer churn.
Customer Premises Monitoring
The BV-110 Verifier offers an extensive range of capabilities designed to monitor business services–whether for point-to-point services, managed triple-play services or direct Internet access. Regardless of the type or class of service, the BV-110 can precisely measure all relevant KPIs to ensure SLA compliance. It also measures the critical metrics that determine the quality of a subscriber’s experience with respect to numerous applications and infrastructure services.
As a multipurpose device, the BV-110 allows service providers to perform direct end-to-end monitoring of SLAs and services as well as serve as a reflector and responder for centrally initiated monitoring and troubleshooting tests. This capability can provide full segmentation of the circuit path for quick troubleshooting as well as network performance tracking.
Best-of-Breed Service Monitoring for Mobile Operators
The BV-110 Verifier is the ultimate tool for wireless operators to monitor QoS and QoE. It supports the monitoring of critical backhaul transport KPIs from the mobile switching center using a variety of industry-standard protocols, such as Y.1731, 802.1ag and TWAMP. It is also able to initiate monitoring tests at all layers (2 to 7), which allows operators to effectively monitor the quality of voice, video, data and infrastructure services that they offer to subscribers. They can also monitor the quality of service between cell towers directly–a requirement that is becoming increasingly critical as LTE deployments continue their exponential growth.
In addition to verifying the quality of end-user experience over the wireline segment of the mobile operators’ networks, the BV-110 also supports dual USB interfaces for 4G and 3G wireless cards. Operators can now measure the true end-user QoE over both wireline and wireless segments simultaneously. Comprehensive BrixWorx reporting capabilities will correlate both sets of results in the same report for the ultimate in traffic-path segmentation. The dual wireless testing ports also enable operators to compare the end-user QoE of their network against that of their competitors–from the same location at the same time. Finally, the compact BV-110 form factor, which is also available in a temperature-hardened version, makes it ideally suited for cell-site installation, where space is at a premium and environmental controls may be limited.
Advanced Reflector
In addition to its wide variety of monitoring tests, the BV-110 Verifier comes with advanced stand-alone reflector capabilities. Operating as an advanced reflector, the BV-110 is able to respond to a variety of industry-standard protocols, such as 802.1ag, Y.1731, TWAMP, UDP Echo and Ping. It can also be deployed at customer premises or at cell sites as an advanced reflector, but without the ability to initiate monitoring tests. This enables operators to perform precise SLA monitoring up to the very edge of their network at layers 2 to 4, while minimizing their up-front CAPEX investment. If site-to-site testing or the ability to monitor application and infrastructure services up to layer 7 is ever required in the future, the BV-110 Verifier can be easily upgraded through BrixWorx software–no technician required.
Operational Simplicity
The BV-110 Verifier combines the ease of complete lights-out operation with the reliability and management features required in carrier environments. To install, simply connect the Ethernet cables and the power source—the verifier does the rest. At power-up, the BV-110 Verifier performs system integrity checks, automatically discovers its BrixWorx server and then downloads all system configurations, test modules and test schedules using a secure, encrypted connection with the server.
Transport-to-Application Layer Performance Management
The BV-110 Verifier supports a comprehensive suite of more than 70 active tests provided by the Brix System. These tests support a wide range of network transport protocols and IP services, including Carrier Ethernet, IP, VoIP, video, VPN, wireless and web-based applications, as well as a number of infrastructure performance tests. The BV-110 calculates a deep set of performance statistics by measuring the transport quality and performance of transport- and application-specific protocols. These proactive tests accurately simulate network and user-level activity. Furthermore, the BV-110 Verifier has the unique capability of performing layer-4-to-7 performance monitoring tests on up to two 3G or 4G wireless interfaces simultaneously to enable carriers to monitor true end-user quality of experience on their networks, as well as on those of their competitors.
Carrier-Class Design for In-Network Deployment
The BV-110 Verifier is carrier-class equipment, offering features such as AC and redundant DC power options. The BV-110 is also available in a–40 °C to +70 °C extended temperature range (ETR) version, allowing this versatile verifier to be deployed in remote locations where climate controls may be limited, such as remote cabinets and cell towers.
All Brix Verifiers, including the BV-110, are centrally managed and provisioned using BrixWorx, and all communications between the verifier and BrixWorx are encrypted and secure. Since the BV-110 Verifier is designed to be deployed in remote locations, traffic management between the verifier and BrixWorx can be handled in-band on the same interface as the test traffic. Alternatively, the second test interface can be dedicated to management, if test and management traffic separation is desired.
Patented Timing Accuracy for Real-Time Services
In addition to industry-leading performance, the BV-110 offers an extremely accurate timing feature to support the sub-millisecond precision required for today’s performance-sensitive services. All time measurements take advantage of the BV-110’s patented hardware packet timestamp engine, eliminating the variations caused by user or kernel-level software-based timing schemes.
Simple, Intuitive Reporting
The BV-110 supports a wide array of monitoring and troubleshooting tests that provide operators with valuable network status data. BrixWorx provides a number of customizable reports and dashboards that turn this data into accessible and actionable information. These web-based reporting tools make it easy for operators to quickly and intuitively understand the test results and therefore, eliminate the need for expensive training. Moreover, since the reports are all web-based, they can be easily presented to subscribers as proof that SLAs are being met.
