Agilent Technologies, Net-O2 Technologies Launch MEF 21 Conformance Test Suite

Agilent Technologies Inc. and Net-O₂ Technologies Inc. have launched what is said to be the world’s first MEF 21 conformance test suite, which combines Net-O₂’s ATTEST MEF 21 Link OAM protocol conformance test suites (CTSs) into Agilent’s N2X multiservices test solution.

Network equipment manufacturers and service providers can use Agilent’s N2X to verify conformance of Carrier Ethernet switches and routers to the relevant MEF and IEEE standards for Link Operations Administration and Maintenance (OAM). This helps ensure the reliability of voice, video and data services over a robust and proven Ethernet infrastructure.

The MEF 21 specification—the Abstract Test Suite for Link OAM—is the first in a planned series of Type-2 UNI test specifications to be officially ratified by the MEF industry alliance. MEF 21 incorporates Link OAM test procedures, described in IEEE 802.3-2005, to enable measurements such as loopback and to provide metrics for line disturbances on point-to-point Ethernet links. This allows service providers to rapidly detect and locate faults, ensuring the reliable delivery of delay-sensitive revenue-bearing services.

The Agilent N2X MEF 21 CTSs cover all the cases in the Iometrix test plan and will save the hundreds of hours that would otherwise be needed to comprehensively verify Link OAM capabilities. Equipment manufacturers already using the Agilent N2X MEF 9 and MEF 14 CTSs to verify their Carrier Ethernet implementations can now easily pre-qualify equipment to accelerate the formal MEF 21 certification process. Service providers can use the CTSs to find and prevent interoperability issues with legacy network equipment.

A result of Agilent and Net-O₂’s longstanding collaboration, the N2X MEF 21 CTSs combine the robustness and completeness of the ATTEST MEF 21 protocol test suite with the productivity benefits of the N2X conformance test manager.

The Agilent N2X MEF 21 CTSs complement Agilent’s N5589A Link OAM emulation, providing a comprehensive Link OAM test solution in a single platform. These newest conformance test suites are the latest in the range of Carrier Ethernet CTSs offered on N2X, including MEF 9, MEF 14, CFM, BFD, STP, RSTP, MSTP, LACP, VLAN and 802.1x.

MEF 21 conformance test suite technical datasheet

Net-O₂

Agilent Technologies