Ethernet Testing Procedure Using FST-2802

Posted By: technopediasite

Ethernet Turn-up Tests

Test Purpose: To verify point to point Ethernet Link before provisioning to the customer (At the time of Commissioning). A commonly accepted turn-up test for 10Mbps, 100Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet is the RFC2544 test. The RFC2544 test offers the benefit of identifying circuit throughput, latency, and frame loss characteristics of a circuit in an automated test.

NOTE: You MUST have a far end loop for the RFC2544 test to work.

Test Setup

Ethernet Turn-up Tests

STEP 1 – Setup Test Set for Traffic Generation
The first step to setting up the RFC2544 test is getting the link up and defining any frame addressing. For both 10/100Mbps and GIGE you will need to get the link up and running by setting the LINK INIT portion of the SETUP button. Make sure that AUTO NEGOTIATION and FLOW CONTROL are set to match the network element and card you are testing against.

All the Network Elements must have same settings including the configuration of FST-2802. If auto negotiation is OFF / Disable on NE than on FST-2802 it must be off. In Auto negotiation off condition, the speed (10 / 100 Mbps), the Duplex Mode ( full / half duplex) and Flow control (ON / Enable and Off / Disable) settings must match with FST-2802 and NE.
These are the basic settings of Link initialization only which must be done accurately on NE and FST-2802.

basic setting

basic settings of Link

NOTE:

➤It is HIGLY recommended that flow control be disabled in the element and card prior to performing an RFC2544 test. Flow control, by its nature, masks the actual throughput by buffering the Ethernet frames. This can provide incorrect or inconsistent test results.

➤If you have a dual port FST-2802 you will need to select PORT 1 or PORT 2 for each of the above tests. On the top right side of the test set you will see either icon that states either PORT 1 or PORT 2 is selected.

PORT 1 or PORT 2

www.technopediasite.com

Make sure you set up the correct PORT that you wish to test from. The ports are independent and may be started and stopped individually.

The link will be available for 10/100Mbps (green LED on right side of test set) after the link initiation has been properly set. For GIGE circuits, the user will have to set the link initiation and enable the LASER to make the link available.
After the link is up, go back to the SETUP button and select the TX PROFILE button.

This will bring up the screen allowing the overall traffic setup:

screen allowing the overall traffic setup

traffic setup

For RFC2544 testing: ➤TX PROFILE – Set this to LP 
➤TX PAYLOAD – Set this to ACTERNA 
➤DA TYPE – Set this to UNICAST 
➤DA ADDRESS – This is grayed out – test set will detect it 
➤FRAME – Check the element and card to see the frame type the card will accept. If in doubt try the 802.3 setting first. 
➤VLAN TAG – If the circuit requires a VLAN ID, set it here. If no VLAN ID is required, turn the VLAN TAG setting to NON-TAGGED 
➤FRAME LENGTH – This setting is not used by RFC2544. Frame sizes will be
Set later in this section.

STEP 2 – Loading Application
On the top of the screen when terminating a 10/100 Ethernet – Layer 2 TRAFFIC or
1GIG Ethernet – Layer 2 TRAFFIC, the RFC2544 button will be available:

Select the RFC2544 test – the FST-2802 will load the test.

STEP 3 – RFC2544 Test Configuration
The RFC2544 test configuration screen will come up. If this is the first time using the
RFC2544 test, the following window will be shown:

Tesr Configuration

RFC2544 Test Configuration

Select the NEW button to move forward. NOTE: There may be other test set ups that have been saved in the SELECT TEST CONFIGURATION window. You may select an existing test and chose MODIFY instead of NEW.

STEP 4 – Naming Test
Name the RFC2544 test. This name will appear in the test configuration screen for future reference.

Naming Test

RFC2544 test

STEP 5 – Direction Screen
This screen gives basic instructions on how to navigate through the RFC2544 set up.

Through the RFC2544 set up

Direction Screen

STEP 6 – Frame Sizes
The RFC2544 test makes the throughput, latency, and frame loss measurements using a range of frame sizes. The user can select as little as one frame or as many as all of the frames listed.

NOTE: It is recommended that the user minimally pick the 64, 128, 512, and 1518 byte frames

frame loss measurements 

Frame Sizes

STEP 7 – Test Options

This step allows the user to select the individual results that the RFC2544 test will Calculate. There are 4 options – Throughput, Latency, Frame Loss, and Back to Back Frames tests.

RFC2544 test will Calculate

Test Options

Throughput Test – This test will determine the maximum rate of the circuit without errors. Many Ethernet circuits will be purchases at a rate that is less than the interface rate (e.g. 600meg out of 1 GIG interface). This test will determine what the circuit is provisioned for.

Latency Test – This test will determine the round trip delay for the circuit. The one way latency can be approximated by dividing this result by 2

Frame Loss Rate Test – This test will determine the frame loss at the rate determined by the throughput test. If lost frames are detected the test will continue to reduce the speed of traffic until it identifies that rate which zero frames are lost.

Back to Back Frames Test – This test will determine the number of frames the local Ethernet card can buffer. The test set will generate frames at full line rate and see how many get dropped. This test is designed more for manufacturers than for circuit turn-up. We do not recommend this test for circuit turn-up. NOTE: If flow control is turned on, back to back frames will not give relevant results.

STEP 8 – Maximum Bandwidth
This screen allows the user to pre set the maximum bandwidth for the throughput, latency, and frame loss test. By setting this value close to and slightly above the provisioned rate, the time of the overall test can be reduced.

STEP 8 – Maximum Bandwidth

Maximum Bandwidth

NOTE: If the provisioned rate is not known, leave this value at 100%

STEP 9 – Throughput Time

The test set will run the throughput test for the each frame size defined in the frame sizes screen for a specific amount of time before declaring a valid maximum throughput rate.

Time be set for 20 seconds

Throughput Time

We recommend that this time be set for 20 seconds

STEP 10 – Latency Time

The test set will run the latency test the each frame size defined in the frame sizes screen for the amount of time defined by this set up parameter at the rate determined by the throughput test. It is recommended that this time be set to 20 seconds.

Time be set to 20 seconds.

Latency Time

STEP 11 – Frame Loss Time

As with throughput and latency tests, the test set will perform a detailed frame loss analysis for a specified period of time for each frame size. We recommend that this be set to 20 seconds.

This be set to 20 seconds

Frame Loss Time

STEP 12 – Frame Loss Granularity

The frame loss granularity is the level of detail the frame loss test will use to identify the bandwidth with zero frame loss. We recommend that this be set to 1% so that the bandwidth of zero frame loss will be determined to the nearest percent.

This be set to 1%

Frame Loss Granularity

Step 13: Step Run

Upon completion of this last step, the RFC test will begin running.

NOTE: If you have turned the back to back frames test on in step 6, you will have to set up this test prior to the RFC test run. It is recommended that you do not run the back to back frames test on the circuit.

RFC test will begin running

Test Run

STEP 14 – Results

At the completion of the RFC2544 test the user will be prompted to save the test results. These results are saved in the form of a .txt file and can be open using any word processing program. The files are initially stored on the Z: drive of the test set under the FST-2802 directory.

Completion of the RFC2544 test 

Results

The test set will save the file using a time / date stamp as the file name