3. Available Tests
RFC 3918 defines the following test types, which are separated into a number of functional groups:
3.1. Forwarding and Throughput
This group contains the following tests which are all fully supported by the Xena3918:
Aggregated Multicast Throughput
This test determines the maximum zero-loss throughput rate for N destination interfaces of the same multicast groups. It is similar to the Throughput test from RFC 2544 but uses multicast traffic exclusively.
Mixed Class Throughput
This test determines the maximum zero-loss throughput rate of a DUT/SUT when both unicast class frames and multicast class frames are offered simultaneously to a fixed number of interfaces as defined in RFC 2423. It is similar to the Throughput test from RFC 2544 but uses a mix of unicast and multicast traffic.
Scaled Group Forwarding Matrix
This test determines the Forwarding Rate as a function of tested multicast groups for a fixed number of tested DUT/SUT ports. It is similar to the Loss test from RFC 2544. The group also contains these tests which are not supported by the Xena3918 as present:
3.2. Forwarding Latency
This group contains the following tests:
Multicast Latency.
Min/Max Multicast Latency.
These two tests have been combined into one test in the Xena3918 as both tests can be executed by the same test procedure.
The tests produces a set of multicast latency measurements from a single, multicast ingress interface of a DUT/SUT through multiple, egress multicast interfaces of that same DUT/SUT. The test is similar to the Latency test in RFC 2544 but measures exclusively the latency between the single source port and the destination port(s).
3.3. Overhead
This group contains the following tests:
Group Join Delay.
Group Leave Delay.
These two tests have been combined into one test in the Xena3918 as both tests can be executed by the same test procedure.
The Join test determine the time duration it takes a DUT/SUT to start forwarding multicast frames from the time a successful IGMP group membership report has been issued to the DUT/SUT. The Leave test determine the time duration it takes a DUT/SUT to cease forwarding multicast frames after a corresponding IGMP Leave Group message has been successfully offered to the DUT/SUT.
3.4. Capacity
This group contains the following tests which are all fully supported by the Xena3918:
Multicast Group Capacity.
The test determine the maximum number of multicast groups a DUT/SUT can support while maintaining the ability to forward multicast frames to all multicast groups registered to that DUT/SUT.
3.5. Interaction
This group contains the following tests which are all fully supported by the Xena3918:
Forwarding Burdened Group Join Delay
Forwarding Burdened Multicast Latency
These tests are similar to the Group Join Delay and Multicast Latency tests but with additional meshed unicast traffic being sent through the DUT from a set of separate ports.