CT520 LANforge-WiFIRE 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi Traffic Generator with 32 Virtual STA Interfaces
The CT520 wireless traffic generator is an excellent choice for testing Access Points
and other WiFi networks. The CT520
uses a modified Wireless driver for WiFi NICs based on the Atheros chipset. It
can support up to 32 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 ESSID and Nickname, and have a WEP (64 or 128bit)
or WPA key assigned. There is a single WiFi radio per CT520 but multiple CT520 systems can
be clustered together for more realistic radio interference patterns and increased
traffic generation capability. The radio supports 802.11 a, b, g or n mode.
The radio's channel, frequency, sensitivity, rate, RTS and Tx-Power can
also be configured.
All virtual stations 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 CT520 has no moving parts (other than the three removable external antenna on swivel mounts)
and will fit into a small travel bag or briefcase for easy portability.
It is also completely silent, so you can include it in your customer demos and presentations.
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 CT520 can also be managed over a serial console
in text mode or through directly connected VGA monitor 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
CT520 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 CT520 should now boot. If DHCP is enabled on the Management network,
the CT520 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 CT520 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 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 32 Virtual Station interfaces
per CT520 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
src="images/gui_port_crmod-sta.png">
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
src="images/gui_cx.png">
Layer 3 Create/Modify Screen
src="images/gui_cx_mod.png">
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 32 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,
and up to 30,000 connection on high-end hardware with additional license
purchase.
- The CT520 is able to generate 45Mbps or more, depending on the protocols
mix, wireless mode and environment, and speed of the network under test. Supports at least 10 VoIP (SIP, RTP) calls if appropriate
licenses are purchased. More powerful systems are also available.
- Supports over 250 UDP and TCP connections on a single machine.
- 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 and command-line programs, like telnet, SMTP, and ping.
- Comprehensive traffic reports include: Packet Transmit rate, Packet Receive rate,
Packet Receive Drop %, Transmit Bytes, Receive Bytes, Latency,
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!
- Comprehensive management information detailing all aspects of the LANforge system
including processor statistics, test cases, and ethernet port statistics.
- 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
- Midrange Appliance with no moving parts.
- Operating System: Fedora Linux with customized Linux kernel.
- Two 1Gbps Ethernet ports, slot for WiFi or other add-in NIC
- Atheros chipset based 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless NIC with three external antenna.
Supports up to 32 virtual stations.
- 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor.
- RJ45 Serial console (38400 8 N 1) for console management & initial configuration.
- VGA, USB ports for desktop usage.
- 2 GB RAM.
- 16 GB Solid State Hard Drive.
- Larger storage drive and compact-flash available.
- 9-36v 4AMP external power supply (brick).
- Weight: 5.7 lbs or 2.6 kg.
- Dimensions: 11 x 7.5 x 2.5 inches Metric: 268 x 190 x 65 mm.
- Operating Temperature: -10 ~ 55°C.
- Operating Humidity: 5 ~ 95%.
- Shock CFD: 100g peak acceleration (6 msec duration)
- Certification: CE Emission, FCC Class A, RoHS Compliant.
Feature Upgrades
Unless otherwise noted, 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.
- LANforge-ICE Network Emulation.
- VOIP: Each concurrent call requires a license.
- Armageddon: Each pair of ports requires a license.
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: Mon Feb 13 17:40:19 PST 2012
