Ixia Software Release Notes
IxOS 9.05
Build Number: 9.05.1920.8 (Apr 15, 2020)
Welcome to IxOS 9.05 Release. It is a point release for IxOS and IxNetwork software applications for the release of the AresONE High Performance,
4-Port 400GE fixed chassis with the QSFP-DD physical interfaces
Application Compatibility
The following application releases support IxOS 9.05:
| Application |
IxOS 9.05 |
| BPS |
Not Supported |
| HLTAPI |
9.05 |
| IxANVL |
Not Supported |
| IxChariot |
Not Supported |
| IxLoad |
Not Supported |
| IxNetwork |
9.05 |
| IxVM |
Not Supported |
| Licensing |
5.20.0.43 |
| Metronome |
2.1.1 |
| Wireshark |
1.8.31920.3 |
In addition, current interoperability and compatibility coverage for IxOS
9.05 can also be retrieved using the on-line compatibility tool.
Please contact Keysight for details.
Ixia Licensing
Any chassis which runs IxServer must have an IxOS license installed on it.
IxOS 9.05 ships with Ixia Licensing 5.20, which is installed automatically along with IxOS Installation.
Some of the key benefits of this new licensing system are:
- Reduced the number of licensing services from 4 to 1 (Ixia nodedv3).
- The list of TCP ports required for external connections has been reduced, specifically TCP port 4502 is no longer required.
- Improved performance and memory usage.
Installing a License
Ixia Licensing 5.20 upgrades Ixia Licensing 5.10 EA and prior versions.
Once upgraded, Ixia Licensing cannot be downgraded to previous versions.
The upgrade will proceed in either of following two ways:
- Ixia Registration Utility (IRU) will be replaced by Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU) if upgrade is performed on 3.xx release.
Registration Numbers in IRU will be migrated as activation codes in ILU.
- Previous version of Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU) will be upgraded to latest version of Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU).
The upgrade will also attempt to migrate existing licenses to latest version of ILU. If your system is connected to the Internet,
this migration will be transparent. Otherwise, you will be prompted to follow an "Offline Migration" method.
For more information about the IxLicensing system, please refer to the "Ixia Licensing Management User Guide"
provided with the Ixia software, or downloadable from the Ixia web site.
Installation on XGS2-SD and XGS12-SD chassis
Starting from IxOS 8.40 EA, the XGS2-SD and XGS12-SD chassis can optionally be converted to run Native IxOS,
for improved stability and performance. The conversion removes the Microsoft Windows Operating System, and
replaces it with IxOS running natively on the chassis. Once complete the chassis are effectively converted to
XGS2-SDL and XGS12-SDL. For more information, including the conversion process procedure, please read
the Converting_XGS_SD_to_Native_IxOS.pdf document available on IxOS Downloads And Update page.
Starting from IxOS 9.00, XGS2-SD and XGS12-SD chassis can optionally be converted to run Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, to
continue receiving the latest security and stability updates from Microsoft. For more information, including the conversion
process, please read the Windows 10 Upgrade Guide.
NOTE:
1. Since Windows 7 support will end by January 2020, most IT departments are now actively replacing Windows 7 on their systems with Windows 10.
2. XGS2-SD/XGS12-SD chassis upgraded to Windows 10 will remain in active support status and the support lifecycle will match the new
XGS2-SD/XGS12-SD Windows products (940-0017 and 940-0018). This will greatly increase the effective support life for the upgraded products.
3. Following upgrade product must be purchased: 943-0014 - IXIA IXOS AND WINDOWS 10 FIELD UPGRADE for XGS products 940-0010, 940-0011 and 940-0110
Installation on PSOne, XGS2-HS and XGS12-HS chassis
Starting from IxOS 9.00, IxOS installation is no longer supported on the PSOne, XGS2-HS and XGS12-HS chassis with
Windows OS. To install IxOS and compatible Ixia Applications on these platforms, the management operating system must
first be converted to Native IxOS 8.50 EA. The conversion procedure is described in Converting_XGS_and_PSOne_to_Native_IxOS.pdf,
which can be downloaded from IxOS 8.50 EA Downloads And Update page.
Installation Requirements On Windows
IxOS 9.05 installation requires 13 GB of free space on chassis' system drive and 5.5 GB of free space on client's system drive.
IxExplorer 9.05 installation requires 2.5 GB of free space on client's system drive.
A minimum of 1GB RAM is recommended on chassis and client. If your chassis does not meet these requirements,
please contact Customer Support at support@ixiacom.com or 1-877-FOR-IXIA about appropriate upgrades.
NOTE:
- IxOS installer automatically installs a Microsoft Hotfix 2921916 (if not already installed) for an issue due to which
"Untrusted publisher" dialog would appear when installing IxOS on Windows 7.
Operating System Support
Windows Client PC:
- Windows 2008 Server 64-bit
- Windows 7 Enterprise 32-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 7 Professional 32-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 2012 Server Standard R2 64-bit
- Windows 8.1 Enterprise 32-bit and 64-bit (Build 9600)
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Build 1903)
The following versions of Windows operating systems are no longer supported on the client:
- Windows Vista Enterprise SP2 32-bit and 64-bit - starting with IxOS 8.21 EA
- Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3 - starting with IxOS 8.30 EA
UNIX Client PC:
- Fedora Core 14.0 and above
- RedHat Enterprise 5.0 and above
- Centos 6.0 and above
- Ubuntu 16.0 and above
Other versions of UNIX platforms may operate properly, but are not officially supported.
VMware
- Server 1.0.2
- Server 2.0
Windows Chassis
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Build 1903)
- Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit
NOTE: IxOS is no longer supported on a Windows XP Professional Chassis, starting with IxOS 9.00.
Languages supported are English, Chinese (traditional and simplified), French, German
Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish.
Supported Chassis
This release supports the following chassis:
- XGS12-SD Windows 10 and Windows 7
- XGS2-SD Windows 10 and Windows 7
- XGS12-SDL
- XGS2-SDL
- XGS12-HSL
- XGS2-HSL
- XM2
- 400Tv2
- AresONE
- Novus ONE PLUS
- Novus ONE
Installation Features
The IxOS installation program offers the user a selection of five installation
options: Client, Server, Demo Server, Tcl Server, and Hardware Manager. The
Server option is normally chosen for installation on Ixia chassis. The Demo
Server option should NOT be chosen for chassis installations: it is used for
client installations.
IxServer on Windows Chassis
Starting from IxOS 9.00, IxServer will boot up in High Performance Mode by default on Windows Chassis.
Besides significantly improving performance in multi user test bed, this also enables chassis chain capability
between a Native IxOS and Windows Chassis. High Performance Mode has always been a default on Native IxOS Chassis.
NOTE:
- Load Modules that are End-Of-Development starting from IxOS 9.00 are not supported in High Performance Mode, a detailed list of which can be found at the IxServer Performance Capability Support Bulletin.
- To use these load modules, High Performance Mode can be disabled from IxServer Options to boot in Legacy Mode, next time it is restarted.
Startup Configuration Options
There are three options offered for configuring IxOS server startup:
1. Service: A Windows Service for IxServer (or TCL Server) will be created which can be started/stopped
from Windows Service Control Manager. Desktop Shortcuts and IxServer User Interface are not available.
Any configuration of IxServer or TCL Server requires user to stop the service, manually invoke server
from Start Menu shortcuts, close the server and restart service.
2. Startup: IxServer starts when user logs on to the chassis or when it is rebooted.
3. Manual: IxServer or TCL Server can only be started or stopped manually from
Desktop or Start Menu shortcuts.
NOTE:
- Telnet connectivity is unavailable when TCL Server is configured to run as a service.
- Demo Server is configured to operate manually even if service option is selected.
Tcl Version Option
IxOS 9.05 is shipping with Tcl 8.5 and 8.6. Both of them will be installed and the option
of using either of the version can be set for usage as follows:
1. On Windows Chassis, open TCL Server and select appropriate TCL version from options.
2. On Windows Client, select appropriate TCL version from Desktop or Start Menu shortcut.
3. On Native IxOS Chassis, login to IxOS CLI using SSH and execute: set tcl active-version 8.x
4. On Unix Client, execute a script inside installed directory: ./bin/set_tcl_active_version.sh 8.x
Chassis Management Console
Chassis Management Console (CMC) is a web application that provides access to Ixia Native IxOS Chassis and its components
(i.e. load modules and ports) and enables users to control and monitor the chassis by means of any client computer connected to it.
CMC is supported on following browsers:
| Application |
Version |
| Google Chrome |
75 or newer |
| Mozilla Firefox |
67 or newer |
| Microsoft Edge |
38 or newer |
| Apple Safari |
12.1.1 or newer |
UNIX Client Installation Notes
Using .bin Installer:
This installs packages for IxOS TCL API and Ixia TCL Interpreter. If you are updating an existing
installation, be sure to run the installer as the same user who initially installed the software. Always
run the uninstaller prior to removing any files manually. If installing as the root user and install
location is a network-mounted file system, ensure the root user has write permission to the file system.
To proceed with installation, perform following steps (Note: the binary file name 'IxOS9.05.XXX.XXXLinux.bin'
is used in the example below. In most cases, the file name will be different):
1. Copy the IxOS9.05.XXX.XXXLinux.bin file to the system.
2. Make the binary executable if it is not already: chmod +x ./IxOS9.05.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
Also, make sure target installation directory has full permissions granted.
3. Execute the IxOS installer file: ./IxOS9.05.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
4. When the installer prompts, select appropriate Tcl version (e.g. 8.5 or 8.6)
5. Follow the installation prompts to complete the installation.
If the installation fails, check that there is enough disk space on the system by using the command: df -ak
There must be enough space in the /tmp folder (to extract the files), and in the target folder (where files are
to be installed). If the /tmp dir does not have enough space, specify the dir by setting IATEMPDIR environment
with path to the folder where you have enough free space. The following example show the use of the options:
export IATEMPDIR=/tempdir
./IxOS9.05.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
Using .tar.gz:
This installs packages for IxOS TCL API only. To install, perform the following steps:
1. Create a destination folder and extract contents of .tar.gz file into it. e.g. /export/home/ixos9.05
2. After extraction, set the following variables (please replace sample path with original path):
IXIA_HOME=/export/home/ixos9.05
IXIA_VERSION=9.05.XXX.XXX
TCLLIBPATH=/export/home/ixos9.05/lib
3. Optionally, specify the following environment variables to specify the location of logs, samples and results files for IxOS:
IXIA_LOGS_DIR=$IXIA_HOME/logs
IXIA_RESULTS_DIR=$IXIA_HOME/results
IXIA_SAMPLES=$IXIA_HOME/samples
IXIA_TCL_DIR=$IXIA_HOME/lib
4. If the Tcl option was installed with an IxOS installation, add Ixia's bin
and lib directory to the PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable in order to use it.
For example:
IxiaLibPath=$IXIA_HOME/lib
IxiaBinPath=$IXIA_HOME/bin
PATH=$IxiaBinPath:$PATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$IxiaLibPath:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Multiple IxOS versions
Multiple IxOS versions can co-exist on an Ixia Chassis or client. Installing another IxOS version does not affect the existing versions.
On Windows Chassis, to set active IxOS version, users are required to close any running instance of
IxServer or TCL Server and start the intended IxServer version from Start Menu or Desktop Shortcuts.
On Native IxOS Chassis, users can login to IxOS CLI via SSH and set active IxOS version using
the command: set ixos active-version 8.x.x.x
NOTE: Any card, port, stream, etc., files generated by IxOS are forward compatible but not backward compatible.
Tcl Server was first supplied free of charge starting with IxOS 3.80 EA.
Installation of this feature is optional; it should only be installed if
required for specific application.
Installation and operation of the Tcl Server is required for IxChariot when
running hardware performance pairs, for IxANVL when running VNIC (Virtual
Network Interface Card) and for IxAuthenticate. The Tcl Server can be installed
on either the Ixia chassis or a separate Windows workstation.
The following limitations exist with respect to Wish and Tcl shell support:
Tcl shell does not run on any version of Windows with Ixia software. Under
Linux or Solaris, the Tcl shell runs on any version of Tcl greater than or
equal to 8.3.
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Ixia Headquarters
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Support
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Please refer to our website at http://support.ixiacom.com/support-services/product-support/user-guides.
You will be required to provide a login and password to enter this section of
the web site. If you do not have the username and password, please forward your
request to support@ixiacom.com.
Laser Warnings
The 10G load modules may use a Class III laser. Precautions should be
taken to prevent personal injury. The spring-loaded safety cover should always be
securely in place over the port when there is no cable installed. Avoid exposure
and never look directly into an open port aperture.
Inserting / Removing Load Modules
Modules in the XGS12-SD, XGS12-HSL, XGS12-SDL, XGS2-SD, XGS2-HSL, XGS2-SDL, XG12, XM12, and XM2 can be inserted/removed while the chassis is still operational.
For all chassis types, use caution when inserting or removing multi-slot modules
to evenly insert and remove. Load modules are tightly spaced; avoid contacting
the adjoining modules while inserting and removing.
Safety Notice Regarding Ixia Load Modules
WARNING: In order to prevent accidental injury to personnel, do not leave transceiver
(SFP/SFP+/QSFP/QSFP28/CXP/CFP4) cages uncovered on Ixia load modules. When transceivers
are not installed, port end caps (Part No. 503-006) must be used. The metal edge of
the transceiver cage is SHARP. To avoid injury, ALWAYS keep the transceiver cage covered.
Contact Ixia Technical Support to obtain end caps. Please reference Ixia Product
safety notice Part No. 913-0715 Rev A, June 2009. For additional information
refer to Chapter three of the IXOS Getting Started Guide under the section,
Notes, Cautions and Warnings.
Use Ejector Tabs Properly
Ejector tabs on load modules are to be used only to eject a load module from
the chassis backplane connector. They are not designed to support the weight
of the load module. Ejector tabs can bend or break if used improperly as handles
to push, pull, or carry a load module.
IxOS 9.05 Features
| AresONE QSFP-DD and AresONE QSFP-DD High Performance fixed chassis |
| Added support for the new AresONE T400GP-4P-QDD, 4-port, 400GE high performance fixed chassis model with native QSFP-DD 400GE physical interfaces, with L1-3 support. Provides complete protocol coverage with very high scale performance protocol emulation for routing, switching and access protocols. (944-1178) |
| Support for the new Common Management Interface Specification (CMIS) 4.0 has been added to all AresONE products. CMIS auto-detection of inserted CMIS 3.0 or 4.0 programmed transceivers has also been added. |
| IxExplorer now supports the Pre2, Post2, and Post3 tap settings for AresONE QSFP-DD, AresONE QSFP-DD High Performance, and AresONE OSFP fixed chassis. |
| Support for the new QSFP-DD to 4x QSFP28 400GBASE-R Active Electrical fan-out Cable (AEC), for 400GE to 4x100GE fan-out, 3-meter length (942-0139). This cable converts 400GE PAM4 signaling to 4x 100GE NRZ signaling. |
| Support for the new QSFP-DD-to-2xQSFP-DD 400GBASE-R Direct Attached Copper cable (DAC), for 400GE to 2x200GE PAM4 fan-out, 2.5 meter length (942-0141) |
| Support for the new QSFP-DD-to-4xQSFP-DD 400GBASE-R Direct Attached Copper cable (DAC), for 400GE to 4x100GE PAM4 fan-out, 1.5 meter length (942-0140) |
AresONE QSFP-DD High Performance fixed chassis
| Bug Number |
Notes |
| 1525929 |
PCPU frame transmission is not paused when receiving pause frames. Only scheduled (L23) frames are paused.
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| 1526883 |
IxOS builds earlier than 9.05 are displayed on AresONE-P when executing "show ixos older-updates", however the minimum supported version is 9.05. Builds prior to 9.05 should not be installed on the AresONE-P chassis.
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| 1534500 |
As a result of having more advanced stream capabilities available, applying traffic configuration on AresONE-P ports may take slightly longer than AresONE-D in 200G, 100G and 50G speed modes.
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| 1534702 |
TCL console may crash due to Out Of Memory issue when fetching statistics for very high PGID count (~60K) on multiple ports
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| 1535421 |
In rare occasions, upon repeated sequence of enable / disable simulate cable disconnect followed by traffic tests on 100G and 50G ports result in hardware fault, which can only be recovered by restarting IxServer.
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| 1536772 |
On 100G and 50G ports that share same fpga, starting capture operation and fetching frames from capture buffer simultaneously is restricted from all applications – IxExplorer, IxNetwork and TCL api. IxServer will throw an appropriate warning if capture is started when capture buffer retrieval is in progress.
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AresONE QSFP-DD and AresONE QSFP-DD High Performance fixed chassis
| Bug Number |
Notes |
| 1522310 |
In BERT mode, both even and odd electrical lanes within a pair need to have lock in order to exercise the four corresponding 25G PRBS streams.
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| 1530337 |
Results of previous auto-negotiation exchange might be displayed for several seconds while port re-starts the AN process, after which the previous result will clear.
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| 1533126 |
In some environments, the IxExplorer client may hang for several seconds after a transceiver removal or insertion event. This does not affect the actual port link state on the tester.
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| 1534810 |
In 50GE mode, setting Line Loopback on an even port may cause the link partner to go down. To avoid this situation, set the adjacent odd port (even port number - 1) to Line Loopback as well.
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| 1535593 |
In rare cases, failures may be seen when running Force Hotswap, resulting in errors like "HostProxy handshake failure" or "Failed to Create TEC Connection". If this occurs, the workaround is to run Force Hotswap again or restart IxServer.
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| 1536867 |
If a pre or post tap is configured to be negative and is saved as a custom transceiver setting, the negative value might appear when downgrading to an earlier software version. This is a transient and inconsequential behavior; the tap value will be coerced to zero regardless of what may shortly appear in the UI.
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AresONE QSFP-DD fixed chassis
| Bug Number |
Notes |
| 1529050 |
In 100GE and 50GE, the FEC Total Bit Errors statistics was only counting the PAM4 LSB errors rather than both MSB and LSB, resulting in an optimistic pre-FEC Bit Error Ratio. Note that due to gray-coding, LSB transitions account for a majority of the bit errors.
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| 1530024 |
Laser On/Off now uses the optic's advertised host-to-media lane ratio for the different fanout speeds.
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