4. Glossary of Terms

A

Data format address, a dot-separated IPv4 address, e.g. 192.168.1.200.

A*

Data format address list, a variable number of addresses with spaces in between, e.g. 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.2 192.168.1.3

AN

Auto-Negotiation

API

Application Programming Interface.

B

Data format short integer, signed short integer, in the 8-bit range, e.g. 123.

B*

Data format short integer list, a variable number of short integers with spaces in between, e.g. 1 3 5 7 9

CG

Connection Group

FCS

The frame check sequence (FCS) is a four-octet cyclic redundancy check (CRC) that allows detection of corrupted data within the entire frame as received on the receiver side. According to the standard, the FCS value is computed as a function of the protected MAC frame fields: source and destination address, length/type field, MAC client data and padding (that is, all fields except the FCS).

GUI

Graphical User Interface

H

Data format hex, two hexadecimal digits (8-bit long) prefixed by 0x, e.g. 0xF7. Some parameters consist of multiples of hex, for example 0x1234. They are denoted as hex<n> or H..H, where <n> is the number of H. For example, MAC address is of type hex6 (HHHHHH), and IPv6 address is of type hex16 (HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH).

H*

Data format hex list: a variable number of hexes specified using a single 0x prefix, e.g. 0xF700ABCD2233.

I

Data format integer, signed integer, in the 32-bit range, e.g. -1234567.

I*

Data format integer list, a variable number of integers with spaces in between, e.g. 1000 3000 5000 7000 9000

I2C

I²C (Inter-Integrated Circuit, eye-squared-C), alternatively known as I2C or IIC, is a synchronous, multi-controller/multi-target (controller/target), packet switched, single-ended, serial communication bus.

Java

Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented programming language that is designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible.

L

Data format long integer, signed long integer, in the 64-bit range, e.g. 123456789123.

L*

Data format long integer list, a variable number of long integers with spaces in between, e.g. 123456789 123456789 123456789

Load Profile

A load profile defines a start time and a duration of each of the ramp-up, steady, and ramp-down phases of a connection group.

LT

Link Training

MPLS

Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a routing technique in telecommunications networks that directs data from one node to the next based on labels rather than network addresses.

NRZ

NRZ stands for “Non-Return-to-Zero.” It is a binary digital encoding scheme used in data transmission, particularly in the context of digital communications. In NRZ encoding, each bit is represented by one of two discrete voltage levels or signal states, typically referred to as “high” and “low.”

O

Data format owner, a short string up to 32 ASCII characters used to identify an username for resource reservation.

PAM4

PAM4, or Pulse Amplitude Modulation with 4 levels, is a signaling technique used in digital communication systems, particularly in high-speed data transmission. It is a modulation scheme that allows multiple levels of amplitude values for each symbol or signal element, as opposed to binary signaling schemes like NRZ (Non-Return-to-Zero) that use two levels.

PE

Packet Engine

Perl

PEARL, or Process and experiment automation realtime language, is a computer programming language designed for multitasking and real-time programming.

PRBS

Pseudorandom Binary Sequence is a binary sequence that, while generated with a deterministic algorithm, is difficult to predict and exhibits statistical behavior similar to a truly random sequence.

Python

Python is a high-level, interpreted, general-purpose programming language.

S

Data format string, printable 7-bit ASCII characters enclosed in '', e.g. ‘’A string’’. Characters with values outside the 32-126 range and the '' character itself are specified by their decimal value, outside the quotation marks and separated by commas, e.g. ‘’A line’’, 13, 10, ‘’and the next line’’.

Tcl

Tcl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language.

TCP/IP

The Internet protocol suite, commonly known as TCP/IP, is the set of communication protocols used in the Internet and similar computer networks.

Telnet

Telnet is an application protocol used on the Internet or local area network to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communication facility using a virtual terminal connection.

TG

Traffic Generation

TID

Test Payload Identifier. It is used to identify a sending stream.

TPLD

Test Payload Data. Each Xena test packet contains a special proprietary data area called the Test Payload Data, which contains various information about the packet. The TPLD is located just before the Ethernet FCS.

VLAN

Virtual local area network (VLAN) is any broadcast domain that is partitioned and isolated in a computer network at the data link layer (OSI layer 2).

XLA

Xena Link Analysis

XOA

Xena OpenAutomation.

XOA CLI

XOA Command-Line Interface. Xena provides a rich set of CLI commands for users to administer test chassis for test automation.

XOA Python API

The foundation of Xena OpenAutomation is its Python API (XOA Python API) that provides interfaces for engineers to manage Xena hardware and virtual test equipment.