CT521-128 LANforge-WiFIRE 802.11a/b/g/n dual-radio WiFi Traffic Generator supporting 128 Virtual STA Interfaces
The CT521-128 wireless traffic generator is an excellent choice for testing Access Points
and other WiFi networks. The CT521-128
uses a modified Wireless driver for WiFi NICs based on the Atheros chipset. It
can support up to 128 Virtual Stations. Each of the
Virtual Stations has its own IP address, IP port space, MAC address and routing
table. The Virtual Stations can be assigned to communicate to a particular
Access Point, use a particular SSID, and have a WEP (64 or 128bit)
or WPA/WPA2 authentication assigned. More advanced 802.1X authentication is
also included. There are two WiFi radios per CT521-128 and multiple CT521-128 systems can
be clustered together for even more realistic radio interference patterns and increased
traffic generation capability. Each radio can be configured idependently of the
other, and supports 802.11 a, b, g or n mode. Transmit power and channel/frequency
is configured on a per-radio basis. Most other settings are configurable per virtual
station.
All virtual stations on the same radio must be on the same frequency, but as long as the protocol
supports that fequency, the multiple protocols can be used concurrently. For instance,
if the radio is configured for a 2.4Ghz channel, the stations can be b, g, or n. If
the radio is on a 5Ghz channel, the stations can be a or n. The bandwidth can be
configured for all protocols. For 802.11n, configuring the MCS rates also determines
the number of streams (1x1, 2x2, 3x3 etc).
The Virtual Stations may be configured with all of the virtual interfaces on the same
subnet, or different subnets, depending on the testing requirements. When used
with something like VoIP, it allows all of the VoIP calls to use the standard IP
ports (with one call per virtual interface).
The CT521-128 has one small and quiet fan and 6 antenna.
It will fit into a small travel bag or briefcase for easy portability.
No additional hardware or software is required, but it is suggested
that you manage the system using the LANforge-GUI on a separate
machine. The CT521-128 can also be managed over a serial console
in text mode or through directly connected monitor, mouse and keyboard.
Larger Images:
front
back
NOTE: This product may have a different hardware
configuration than the system pictured above.
Refer to your official quote for details. |
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
NOTE: This product may have a different hardware
configuration than the system pictured above.
Refer to your official quote for details. |
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
Example Network Diagram
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
Quick Start Guide
- Connect Management Ethernet port to Management network or management PC. If
connecting directly to a PC, an Ethernet cross-over cable should be used.
- Connect eth1 wired Ethernet interface to wired Ethernet interface on the AP or
network under test. This usually is considered the 'server' side of the network.
- The Client side of the network will be the Virtual Stations configured on the
CT521-128 WiFi NIC.
- Connect power brick to standard US or European AC power source.
- Install the LANforge-GUI on a separate management PC or Laptop. Windows and
Linux GUIs are supported: Select the correct one from the CDROM or Candela
Technologies Download page and install it.
- The CT521-128 should now boot. If DHCP is enabled on the Management network,
the CT521-128 will automatically acquire an IP address. If DHCP is not available,
the IP address will be set to 192.168.1.101 by the LANforge scripts.
- Start the LANforge-GUI on the management PC and click the 'Discover' button.
It should find the CT521-128 appliance and add the IP address to the drop-down
box in the Connect widget. Press 'Connect' and you will be connected to
the CT520.
- Select the Port Mgr tab in the GUI. Double-click on the device called 'wiphy0'. This
is the Radio device, and should be configured for the correct,
channel, country-code, etc. Next, select one or more of the Virtual Station
interfaces and click 'Modify'. Enter the correct IP address information, ESSID and
WEP or WPA/WPA2 key (if Enabled).
After applying these changes, the Virtual Station interface should associate with
the AP and be ready to send traffic. You may create up to 128 Virtual Station interfaces
per CT521-128 with the 'Create' button.
- Once the interfaces are configured correctly, you can click on the Layer 3, VOIP/RTP and other
LANforge-FIRE related GUI tabs and configure/modify/start/stop particular traffic patterns
that utilize the virtual stations and wired Ethernet interface. In most cases, you will want
one of the FIRE endpoints to be on the wired interface and the other to be on the WiFi Virtual
Station interface. It is also valid to generate traffic between two Virtual Station interfaces.
- Any GUI modifications take place immediately after you click 'Submit'.
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
LANforge-WiFIRE Related Shots
Radio and Virtual Station Configuration Screen
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
Layer 3 (Ethernet, UDP, TCP) Connections
Layer 3 Create/Modify Screen
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
Software Features
- Supports real-world protocols:
- Layer 2: Raw-Ethernet.
- 802.1Q VLANs.
- PPPoE: Integrated PPPoE support.
- Layer 3: IPv4, IPv6, UDP/IP, IGMP Multicast UDP, TCP/IP.
- Layer 4: FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, TFTP, SFTP, SCP
- 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless Station (up to 128 per machine).
- Layer 4: TELNET, PING, DNS, SMTP, NMAP (via add-on script).
- File-IO: NFSv3, NFSv4, CIFS, iSCSI.
- Supports up to 1000 concurrent TCP connections with base license package.
- The CT521-128 is able to push up to 345Mbps through an AP, depending on the protocols
mix, wireless mode and environment, and speed of the network under test.
Supports at least 20 VoIP (SIP, RTP) calls if appropriate
licenses are purchased. More powerful systems are also available.
- Supports real-world compliance with ARP protocol.
- Supports ToS (QoS) settings for TCP/IP and UDP/IP connections.
- Uses publicly available Linux, Windows and Solaris networking stack for increased standards compliance.
- Utilizes libcurl
for FTP, HTTP and HTTPS (SSL), TFTP and SCP protocols.
- Supports file system test endpoints (NFS, CIFS, and iSCSI file systems, too!).
File system mounts can use the virtual interface feature for advanced testing
of file server applications.
- Supports custom command-line programs, such as telnet, SMTP, and ping.
- Comprehensive traffic reports include: Packet Transmit Rate, Packet Receive Rate,
Packet Drop %, Transmit Bytes, Receive Bytes, Latency, Jitter,
various Ethernet driver level counters, and much more.
- Supports generation of reports that are ready to be imported into your favorite
spread-sheet.
- Allows packet sniffing and network protocol decoding with the integrated
Wireshark protocol sniffer.
- GUI runs as Java application on Linux, Solaris and Microsoft Operating
Systems (among others).
- GUI can run remotely, even over low-bandwidth links to accommodate the
needs of the users.
- Central management application can manage multiple units, tests, and
testers simultaneously.
- Includes easy built-in scripting for iterating through rates and packet
sizes, with automated reporting. Also supports scriptable command line interface (telnet)
which can be used to automate test
scenarios. Perl libraries and example scripts are provided!
- Automatic discovery of LANforge data generators simplifies configuration
of LANforge test equipment.
- LANforge traffic generation/management software is supported on
Linux, Solaris and MS Windows.
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
Hardware Specification
- High-End Appliance with quiet fan.
- Operating System: Fedora Linux with customized 64-bit Linux kernel.
- Two 1Gbps Ethernet ports, room for two wifi NICs.
- Two Atheros chipset 802.11a/b/g/n 3x3 MIMO Wireless NICs with three external antenna each.
Supports up to 128 virtual stations.
- Antenna-to-Radio association: http://candelatech.com/ct521-antenna.php
- Intel M-620 Core-i7 2.6 GHz processor.
- RJ45 Serial console (38400 8 N 1) for console management & initial configuration.
- VGA, USB ports for desktop usage.
- 8 GB RAM.
- 40 GB Solid State Hard Drive.
- Larger storage drive and compact-flash available.
- 9-30v 4AMP external power supply (brick).
- Weight: 8 lbs
- Dimensions: 11 x 8 x 2.6 inches Metric: 277 x 194 x 67 mm.
- Operating Temperature: -20 ~ 55°C.
- Certification: CE Emission, FCC Class A, RoHS Compliant.
List Price: $16,995
List Price with 1 Year support: $19,884
Additional Feature Upgrades
Unless otherwise noted in the product description, these features usually cost extra:
- WanPaths (LANforge-ICE feature set)
- Virtual Interfaces: MAC-VLANs, 802.1Q VLANs, WiFi stations, etc
- FIRE Connections: Base FIRE license includes 1000 active connections.
- WiFi RF Attenuator: Adjust WiFi signal strength in a controllable manner.
- LANforge-ICE Network Emulation.
- VOIP: Each concurrent call over the included package requires a license.
- Armageddon: Each pair of ports requires a license if not already included.
Candela Technologies Inc., 2026 Main Street, Suite A, P.O. Box 3285,
Ferndale, WA 98248, USA
www.candelatech.com | sales@candelatech.com | +1 360 380 1618
Last modified: Fri Mar 29 09:07:12 PDT 2013
