Ixia Software Release Notes
IxOS 8.42 EA
Build Number: 8.42.1410.12 (April 27, 2018)
IxOS 8.42 EA is an Early Adopter release. This release consolidates all releases since the last release. It supports Ixia's latest chassis, load modules and software applications that are compatible with this release.
Ixia is pleased to announce the release of the 200/100/50GE speed option for the K400 400GE QSFP-DD L23 load modules.
Application Compatibility
The following application releases support IxOS 8.42 EA:
Application |
IxOS 8.42 EA |
BPS |
Not Supported |
FLIX OS |
2017.2.0.4 (XGS2-HS & XGS12-HS) 2018.1.78.1 (XGS2-HSL/XGS12-HSL/XGS2-SDL/XGS12-SDL/NovusONE/PSONE) |
HLTAPI |
8.42 EA |
IxANVL |
Not Supported |
IxChariot |
Not Supported |
IxLoad |
Not Supported |
IxNetwork |
8.42 EA |
IxVM |
Not Supported |
Licensing |
5.00 EA SP1 |
Metronome |
1.1 EA |
In addition, current interoperability and compatibility coverage for IxOS
8.42 EA can also be retrieved using the on-line compatibility tool:
http://www.ixiacom.com/support-overview/product-support/product-compatibility-matrix
Ixia Licensing
Any chassis which runs IxServer must have an IxOS license installed on it.
IxOS 8.42 EA ships with Ixia Licensing 5.00 EA SP1.
IxLicensing 5.00 EA SP1 upgrades IxLicensing 5.0 EA and earlier versions. If this is upgraded on release 3.xx,
Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU) and License Server Plus (LS+) will replace Ixia Registration Utility (IRU)
and License Server (LS).
Some of the key benefits of this new licensing system are:
- Simplified activation procedure
- Improves offline activation using Request files.
- Enhanced Host ID calculation to increase uniqueness of Host ID.
- Allows remote activation of licenses
- Allows configuration of Proxy settings
For more information about the new IxLicensing system, please refer to the
"Ixia Licensing Management User Guide" provided with the Ixia software, or downloadable
from the Ixia web site.
Installing a License
Ixia Licensing 5.00 EA SP1 upgrades Ixia Licensing 5.0 EA and prior versions on the
machines. If the setup is upgraded from versions prior to 5.00 EA SP1,
the setup cannot be reverted to the previous version and will need to stay at 5.00 EA SP1 after the upgrade.
This upgrade can be performed in below 2 ways:
- Ixia Registration Utility (IRU) to Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU)
- Previous version of Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU) to the latest version of Ixia Licensing Utility (ILU)
In case of IRU to ILU upgrade, ILU will override IRU and its registration numbers will be migrated as
activation codes in ILU.
During installation the system checks the connectivity with Ixia Licensing web servers.
Based on the connectivity, you can perform the upgrade in the following ways:
- Online Migration
- Offline Migration
Prerequisite Installation Notes
Ixia Licensing 5.00 EA SP1 installs .Net 4.0 on Chassis and .Net 4.5.1 on Clients and VM Chassis.
NOTE: Ixia Licensing 5.00 EA SP1 installs .Net 4.5.1 on client machines. If an older
release of an Ixia product containing .Net 4.0 hotfix is installed on top
of this release, .Net 4.0 hotfix installation may fail. The workaround is
to uninstall .Net 4.5.1 and then reinstall the older release of Ixia
product and then modify this release of Ixia Licensing.
Additional Documentation for Licensing
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.
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 the IxOS Downloads And Update page
(https://support.ixiacom.com/ixos-840-ea)
For installation on Windows, Please follow the Windows Chassis Installation Requirements below.
Installation on XGS2-HS and XGS12-HS chassis
Starting from IxOS 8.13 EA, the XGS2-HS and XGS12-HS 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-HSL and XGS12-HSL.
For more information, including the conversion process procedure, please
read the Converting_XGS_and_PSOne_to_Native_IxOS.pdf document available on the IxOS Downloads And Update page
(https://support.ixiacom.com/ixos-840-ea)
For installation on Windows, Please follow the Windows Chassis Installation Requirements below.
Windows Chassis Installation Requirements
When installing IxOS 8.42 EA on a chassis, a minimum of 512MB of installed
RAM and a minimum 2.5GB of free disk space on Drive C: is required.
If your chassis does not meet these requirements, please contact Customer Support
at support@ixiacom.com or 1-877-FOR-IXIA about appropriate upgrades.
On heavily loaded chassis configurations, 1GB of RAM is recommended.
NOTE: Non-English versions of the Windows operating system are not supported.
NOTE: When installing from CD, some virus scanning configurations present
a malicious code alert during execution of the Windows autorun feature. If
this occurs, right-click the CD-ROM drive icon in Explorer and 'Explore'
the CD. At the root of the CD, double-click on the index.htm file.
NOTE: "Untrusted publisher" dialog box appears when installing on Windows 7.
Microsoft has issued a hotfix to resolve this issue. It is included in the IxOS installer
and requires a reboot early in the installation process, if not already installed.
Please refer to the following Microsoft knowledgebase item for more information:
2921916
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.
Server Configuration Options
There are three options offered for configuring IxOS server operations: Service,
Startup, and Manual (None).
1. The Service option creates a Windows service for IxServer which can be
managed via the Windows Service Control Manager. Desktop shortcuts are not
created when using this option. However, Start Menu shortcuts are still
available. The usual IxServer user interface is not available. As a result,
configuration of IxServer (or Tcl Server) requires the user to stop the
services and invoke the server via the Start Menu shortcuts. Once the
configuration is complete, the servers can be closed via the user interface,
and the service restarted.
NOTE: Presently, Telnet connectivity is unavailable when Tcl Server is
configured to run as a service.
2. The Startup option starts IxServer when any user logs on to the chassis.
Start Menu shortcuts are also created.
3. The Manual(None) option simply creates Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts.
IxServer and/or Tcl Server are not automatically started when the user logs
in to the machine or the machine is rebooted.
NOTE: Regardless of the service option selection, Demo Server is always configured
to operate manually.
Tcl Version Option
IxOS is now shipping with Active State Tcl 8.5. When Client is selected for
installation, the user is offered to install Tcl 8.5. If you select Tcl 8.5,
be sure that your Tcl-based applications will run under this version.
NOTE: When using IxOS 8.42 EA, the Tix 8.5 Tcl extension is delivered
with the Tcl 8.5 installation.
NOTE: If the Solaris TCL console doesn't start because it's missing libiconv or libgcc,
follow these steps:
1. extract the archives on the Solaris machine
2. run the commands:
pkgadd -d libgcc-3.3-sol10-sparc-local
pkgadd -d libiconv-1.14-sol10-sparc-local
pkgadd -d libintl-3.4.0-sol10-sparc-local
Operating System Support
Client PC
Windows:
- Windows 2008 Server 64-bit
- Windows 7 Enterprise 32-bit
- Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit
- Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit
- Windows 2012 Server Standard R2 64-bit
- Windows 8.1 Enterprise 32-bit and 64-bit
- Windows 10 Pro
The support for the following Operating System has been dropped starting with IxOS 8.21 EA;
- Windows Vista Enterprise SP2 32-bit and 64-bit - DROPPED
The support for the following Operating System has been dropped starting with IxOS 8.30 EA;
- Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3 - DROPPED
UNIX:
- Fedora Core 14
- RedHat Enterprise 5.0
Other versions of UNIX platforms may operate properly, but are not officially supported.
VMWare:
- Server 1.0.2
- Server 2.0
Chassis
- Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3
- Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit
NOTE: The following foreign languages are supported on the chassis running the
above Windows versions:
- Chinese (traditional and simplified)
- French
- German
- Hebrew
- Italian
- Japanese
- Spanish
- Swedish
Chassis Management Console Browser Requirements
Application |
Version |
Google Chrome |
32 or newer |
Mozilla Firefox |
26 or newer |
Microsoft Internet Explorer |
11 or newer |
Apple Safari |
9.1.3 or newer |
UNIX Installation Notes
In order to run the IxOS GUI client installer on a Unix machine, your client machine must be configured with
an operational X-windows server.
Be sure to set your DISPLAY environment variable to the host name or IP address
of the client machine on which you want the installer GUI to display. Below are
examples for setting the DISPLAY environment variable using various shells. If
you need environment configuration assistance beyond this, please consult your
System Administrator.
// enable connections to X Server
xhost + or xhost [remote hostname]
// set DISPLAY environment variable
// determine shell
echo $SHELL
// depending on what shell you use - Bourne shell (bsh or sh),
// Bash (bash- Bourne shell again), C shell (csh) or Korn shell (ksh);
// set DISPLAY environment variable:
// bash:
export DISPLAY=hostname:0
// bsh or ksh:
DISPLAY=hostname:0
export DISPLAY
// csh:
setenv DISPLAY hostname:0
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, using an install location is a network-mounted
file system, ensure the root user has write permission to the file system.
To install the Tcl Client on Linux, perform the following steps: (Note:
the binary file name 'IxOS8.42.XXX.XXXLinux.bin' is used in the example
below. In most cases, the file name will be different.)
3.1 Copy the 'IxOS8.42.XXX.XXXLinux.bin' file to the system.
3.2 Before starting the installation, make sure the IxOS binary is executable.
If not, type "chmod +x 'filename'" (where 'filename' is the binary file name).
Check the permissions of the target directory to make sure full permission
is granted.
3.3 Execute the IxOS installer file (use the gui option if installing via console
or remote shell).
Example: ./IxOS8.42.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
3.4 When the installer prompts, select Tcl version 8.5.
3.5 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 "df -ak" command.
There must 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
./IxOS8.42.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
To install IxOS using tgz package, perform the following steps:
3.1 Create the destination folder.
3.2 Extract and copy all folders and files from the tgz package into the destination folder.
3.3 After installation, set the following variables:(Note: Examples below match
the sample installation; they must be altered to match user installation.)
IXIA_HOME=/export/home/ixos8.42
IXIA_VERSION=8.42.XXX.XXX
TCLLIBPATH=/export/home/ixos8.42/lib
3.4 Optionally, specify the following environment variables to specify the
location of the log, sample, 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=$IXIA_HOME/lib
3.5 If the Tcl option was installed with an IxOS installation, add Ixia's bin
and lib directory to the PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable in order to use it.
For example:
IxiaLibPath=$IXIA_HOME/lib
IxiaBinPath=$IXIA_HOME/bin
PATH=$IxiaBinPath:$PATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$IxiaLibPath:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Downgrading to a previous version of IxOS
When downgrading to a release of IxOS prior to 5.10 SP2 on a chassis, all Ixia
applications must be un-installed from the chassis and re-installed after the
IxOS downgrade is completed. Please perform the following steps using the
Add/Remove Programs application.
1. Un-install current IxOS installation.
2. Un-install all Ixia applications.
3. Un-install StatEngine and all PCPU packages
4. Install IxOS
5. Install previously un-installed application. Note, these application
installations install StatEngine if required. There is no need to
install this separately.
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.
USA, Canada and Latin America Customer Support
Hours: |
6:00am PST to 6:00pm PST |
Email: |
support@ixiacom.com |
Phone: |
1-818-595-2599 |
e-Fax: |
1-818-449-0992 |
|
Europe, Middle East, and Africa Customer Support
|
India Customer Support
|
Japan Customer Support
Hours: |
09:00 to 18:00 local time (Japan), Monday through Friday |
Email: |
support-japan@ixiacom.com |
Phone: |
+81-3-5326-1980 |
Fax: |
+81-3-3348-7733 |
|
Asia Pacific Customer Support
|
China Customer Support
Hours: |
09:00 - 18:00 local time (Beijing time), Monday through Friday |
Email: |
support-china@ixiacom.com |
Phone: |
400-898-0598 (Greater China region) |
Phone: |
+86-10-5732-3932 (Hong Kong customers) |
Fax: |
+86-10-8454-9198 |
|
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-HS, XGS12-HSL, XGS12-SDL, XGS2-SD, XGS2-HS, 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 8.42 EA Features
K400 400GE Load Modules - 200GE/100GE/50GE Speed Option |
905-1024: 200GE/100GE/50GE FAN-OUT FIELD UPGRADE speed option for the K400 QSFP-DD-400GE (944-1152) or the QSFP-DD-R400GE (944-1153), 400GE QSFP-DD 1-port load modules. Note: This option is REQUIRED ON FIELD UPGRADE PURCHASES to enable the 200GE/100GE/50GE speeds on the QSFP-DD-400GE or the QSFP-DD-R400GE, 400GE QSFP-DD 1-port load modules. Note: For the 200GE/100GE/50GE upgrade purchase please provide the serial number of the desired load module to install the option on at the time of order placement. |
905-1023: 200GE/100GE/50GE FAN-OUT FACTORY INSTALLED speed option for the K400 QSFP-DD-400GE (944-1152) or the QSFP-DD-R400GE (944-1153), 400GE QSFP-DD 1-port load modules. Note: This option is REQUIRED ON NEW PURCHASES to enable the 200GE/100GE/50GE speeds on the QSFP-DD-400GE or the QSFP-DD-R400GE 400GE QSFP-DD 1-port load modules. |
NOVUS-W50GE8Q28 1x50GE per port, 8-port QSFP28 Load Module |
NOVUS-W50GE8Q28, 8-port, QSFP28 50GE full scale and performance, data plane load module, 1-slot with 8-ports with the native QSFP28 physical interface with 1x50GE per port with KP4 FEC, L2-3 support with data plane performance testing. The load module is compatible with the XGS12-SD 12-slot, standard performance rack mount chassis bundle (940-0011), XGS2-SD 2-slot, 3RU standard performance chassis bundle (940-0010), XGS2-SDL, 2-slot standard performance chassis bundle (940-0013), XGS12-SDL, 12-slot standard performance chassis bundle (940-0015), XGS2-HSL 2-slot, 3RU high-speed performance chassis bundle (940-0014), and the XGS12-HSL 12-slot, high-speed performance rack mount chassis bundle (940-0016). |
K400
Bug Number |
Notes |
1462629 |
The LED blink rate in 100GE and 50GE modes is slower than in 400GE or 200GE mode.
|
1463739 |
The QSFP-DD transceiver information string displayed in the IxServer log (containing the transceiver vendor, part number, and serial number) corresponds to the definition from the QSFP-DD MSA 2.0 specification. This information string will be updated in a future release once the QSFP-DD Management Interface Specification is finalized, with the expectation that the three different fields mentioned will have a different addresses in the QSFP-DD management interface memory map.
|
1468375 |
Copying port files across different speed modes is unsupported and will result in undefined behavior
|
1469701 |
Card-level PPM changes can take up to 20 seconds to finalize.
|
1469709 |
In 400GE and 200GE modes, the card-level PPM control only applies to streams sent with a 100% line rate.
|
1471042 |
In 400GE and 200GE modes, changing the contiguous number of Local or Remote faults in IxExplorer's Link Fault Signaling tab from minimum to maximum and back to minimum can result in unexpected insertion of local and/or remote faults.
|
1471067 |
The first card-level PPM change after IxServer boot will make any streams being transmitted stop. Any subsequent PPM changes will not stop active streams.
|
1471129 |
On performing port level and card level operations from Chassis Management Console, inactive ports might appear for a very short period of time.
|
1471667 |
If a port is set to Link Down state while it's transmitting, the transmit counters will keep increasing. But in most scenarios no actual frames will be sent-out onto the link partner.
|
1471708 |
In 400GE mode, sending continuous Local or Remote faults alongside regular traffic streams may result in fragments being received by the link partner.
|
1472074 |
In 50GE mode, since clock recovery is done on the basis of even numbered ports, a link down on an even numbered port will result in link down on its neighboring odd numbered port from same resource group and vice versa.
|
1472833 |
For K400 QSFP-DD, an IxExplorer user can only add registers within the Management Interface pages that are currently defined.
|
1474063 |
Users need to ensure that DCE is unset on ports before switching to BERT mode.
|
1474338 |
For K400 CFP8, the IxExplorer Port Properties tab does not contain transceiver information and tap settings.
|
1474503 |
"Tx Ignore Rx Link Faults" functionality under Link Fault Signaling tab is not functional.
|
1474663 |
In 50GE mode, occasional Direct Attach Cable (DAC) insertion, port link up, or port link up after recovery from a link down condition may lead to a higher pre-FEC Bit Error Rate (BER) than what would be expected with the same interconnect. To reduce the BER to normal levels, flap the link to re-establish link-up.
|
1474705 |
IxExplorer Network Resources window shows same information on both Resource Group level and Card level on the right hand side panel.
|
1474984 |
A transceiver model might not be detected correctly when quickly swapping between different QSFP-DD transceiver types. The recommendation is to allow the link to finish initialization before changing to a different transceiver model.
|
1475165 |
Latency per bin statistics is displayed as "Not Measurable" instead of "Not Applicable" for few cases.
|
1475661 |
In the KP4 FEC Error Insertion tab, under Lane Markers insertion, please note that per 802.3bs and 802.3cd, reception of 5 or more Alignment Marker errors will result in Loss of Link. Similarly, for Code Words insertion, per 802.3bs and 802.3cd, reception of 3 or more consecutive uncorrectable codewords will result in Loss of Link.
|
1475895 |
When trying to issue Lane Marker errors on a specific PCS lane, the Error Bits field should be set to 10 before introducing an error in the corresponding Lane Marker (Alignment Marker).
|
1475980 |
Exporting and then re-importing a chassis (.chs) file may cause IxServer to hang, printing FAIL messages in IxServer log. IxServer needs to be restarted to recover from hung state.
|
1476627 |
For certain scenarios, the maximum value list entries is limited to 4 times less than the advertised number. That is 256k for 100GE mode and 128k for 50GE mode. The affected scenarios are: use the same UDF for more streams or use more than 256k value list entries for 100GE (1M/4) or 128k for 50GE (512k/4) for all streams using a UDF. For cases when each stream uses its own UDF, the limitation does not apply.
|
1477030 |
After changing the speed mode for card, a port may come up indicating a higher than usual pre-FEC Bit Error Rate (BER). The affected port will improve its BER to normal levels following a link flap.
|
1477384 |
On rare occasions, when performing mode switch, the operation may fail. Workaround is to perform hardware reset for the affected card.
|
1477442 |
Sequence errors may be seen in some cases when using floating pattern
|
1477514 |
Delay variation Min/Max-Min values is displayed as " Not Measurable" when delay variation bin is configured for few cases.
|
1477515 |
Priority Flow Control functionality is not implemented for K400 400GE mode. It is only available for 200GE/100GE/50GE speed modes.
|
1477525 |
In 100GE and 50GE modes, on rare occasions, the Tx frames count and/or Bytes count might be incorrect on running traffic for a long duration.
|
1478027 |
FCoE is not supported on K400
|