Port Operation

This FAQ page deals with questions related to the test ports.

Q: How can I start/stop traffic on all ports simultaneously?

A: Select the “Global” tab page in the XenaManager and click on the Start button. This will start traffic on all ports in your testbed. Pressing Start will also clear all TX/RX statistics on the ports. It will also re-start capture and any histograms that are marked as under global control.

Q: Can multiple users reserve test ports on the same test module?

A: Yes, users can reserve test ports one-at-a time, and multiple users can therefore share the same test module. Any given port can however only be reserved by a single user at a time.

Q: Can multiple users view the same port on a test module?

A: Any number of users can view the configuration of any port, as long as they are logged onto the chassis. In order to modify the configuration the port must however be reserved as explained in the previous FAQ item.

Q: How can I move a port configuration between ports?

A: By using the port configuration save/load function. In the XenaManager testbed view, right click the port and select Save Port Configuration. Then, right-click the new port and select Load Port Configuration.

Q: Each time I restart traffic on a port, is the generated packet pattern 100% identical?

A: Yes, the generated traffic pattern is 100% identical each time the traffic is re-started, including all pseudo random generated numbers. To make each run produce a different pattern, you should clear the “Random seed” field in the “PORT PROPERTIES” panel on the “Properties” tab page.

Q: Does a test port send any training packets?

A: The test ports only generate MAC address training packets when this function is enable on the port Resource Properties panel. A test port which is not sending any traffic into the DUT/SUT, but is receiving traffic from the DUT/SUT, should therefore be enabled to generate MAC training packets to avoid MAC table timeout in the DUT/SUT.

Q: Can I view the port configuration of ports which are reserved by another user?

A: Yes, any user can view all configuration and traffic statistics for any test port, also when the test port is reserved by another user. To view the latest port stream configuration of a port reserved by another user, the user must manually select the port, right-click the mouse, and select Refresh Port.

Q: Can I reserve a test port even when it is reserved by another user?

A: Yes, you can reserve a port even when it is reserved by another user, by first performing a port Relinquish command on the Resource Properties panel. The relinquish command will take away the port reservation from the current owner, and the port can then be reserved by you.

Q: What does it mean that the port property ppm speed-reduction is emulated?

A: When the test port ppm speed-reduction function is enabled by specifying a ppm speed-reduction greater than zero, the system will automatically insert an idle traffic period every second, where the length of the idle period corresponds to the specified speed-reduction specified in units of ppm. The resulting effective test port speed is shown below the speed-reduction value. Enabling the ppm speed-reduction function does not change the clock speed of the test port link.

Q: Which packets are looped when a port is in Rx-to-Tx loop mode?

A: When a port is in L2 Rx-to-Tx loop mode, it loops traffic back while swapping MAC addresses. Similar, when a port is in L3 Rx-to-Tx loop mode, it loops traffic back while swapping both MAC and IP v4 addresses. Only traffic addressed to the device is forwarded (looped) with MAC and IP addresses swapped, and this is done at wire-speed (100% throughput) regardless of VLAN settings and without any loss.

Q: Which packets are looped when a port is in Port-to-Port (inline) loop mode?

A: When looping traffic between a port pair (port <0, 1>, port <2, 3>, port <4, 5>, etc), all traffic is looped 100% transparent at L1, regardless of packet FCS errors and any other traffic characteristics.