Business Services Industry

TRADE NEWS: Iometrix Verifies Cisco Networking Equipment with Agilent Technologies' N2X Multiservice Tester

Business Wire, June 21, 2004

CHICAGO -- Most Comprehensive Test of Metro Ethernet Services Conducted to Date

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced that Iometrix has used the Agilent N2X multiservice infrastructure tester to verify the functionality and performance of both E-Line and E-LAN services delivered using a wide variety of Cisco Systems' optical, switching and routing platforms. These tests were developed on the basis of the Metro Ethernet Forums MEF 1 specification and represent the most comprehensive test of metro Ethernet services to date.

Agilent N2X's ability to create unique traffic types for over 32,000 streams and to measure results in real time allowed Iometrix to quickly configure and test realistic emulations of metro Ethernet services. The six services tested were data plane transparency, control plane transparency, VLAN transparency, protection and restoration, performance and quality of service. The services were tested over a realistic network testbed constructed of:

--Cisco ONS 15454 multiservice provisioning platforms;

--Cisco 3550 routers deployed at the edge;

--Cisco OSR 7600 routers providing virtual private LAN service (VPLS) over multiprotocol label switching (MPLS); and

--Cisco GSR12000 routers in the core network.

The Agilent N2X provides test engineers with a powerful and easy-to-use functionality for testing multiple services while simultaneously emulating a network infrastructure of routers, switches and transport elements.

"Agilent N2X's great flexibility and its real-time measurement results allowed us to quickly test each type of Ethernet service," said Bob Mandeville, president of Iometrix. "We were able to build scenarios for key features of Ethernet services such as multiplexing at the UNI, all-to-one VLAN bundling, bandwidth profiling and Layer 2 control protocol transparency, while validating functionality and performance with ease."

"Agilent N2X's industry-leading capability to test metro Ethernet and IP/VPLS services has put us at the cutting edge of services testing," said Dave Bass, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Data Network Division. "We are proud to work with industry leaders Iometrix and Cisco to create new service test methods."

A copy of the Iometrix report can be found at www.iometrix.com. More information on the Agilent N2X multiservice tester can be found at www.agilent.com/comms/n2x.> About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $6.1 billion in fiscal year 2003. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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