Installation
This chapter describes the requirements for and provides detailed instructions for installing IxOS. It contains the following topics:
- Unpacking the Ixia Chassis
- Notes, Cautions and Warnings
- Installation
- Windows 7 Configuration
- Windows 10 Configuration
- Windows disk cleanup
- File-Sharing
- Local/Remote Operation
- UNIX Installation Notes
- Unix/Linux Operation
- Powering Up
- Shutting Down
- Software Installation for Remote Operation
- Server Operation Option
- Hardware Manager Options
- Installing a Demonstration IxServer
- Shell Wrapper Installation
- Automatic Update Feature
- IxOS Silent Install
- Uninstall/Modify a Current Installation
- Multi-Version Installation and Management
- Repair, Modify, Uninstall using Windows Control Panel
Unpacking the Ixia Chassis
Each chassis comes packed in its own box. Carefully remove all of the pieces from the box and check that you have all the components as mentioned in the following list:
- IXIA chassis
- Power cord
- Right and left ear brackets and screws, for rack mounting (for XM2)
- Chassis sync cable
- The following documentation items, possibly shipped separately:
- Windows XP or Windows 7 Professional certificate of authenticity
- Getting Started Guide
Notes, Cautions and Warnings
Power Cords
Power cords that are included in shipments of Ixia equipment meet the approved/recognized standards of the national safety organization(s) of the destination country.
Use the power cord provided or a power cord approved by the appropriate agency for use in the country where the unit is being used. The power source should be properly grounded.
Battery Replacement
Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. You should not attempt to replace the battery.
Return to Ixia Customer Service for replacement with the same or equivalent type of battery. Ixia disposes of used batteries according to the battery manufacturer's instructions.
Ventilation Requirements
The following caution applies to equipment installed into equipment racks:
Reduced Air Flow—Install the equipment in a rack so that the amount of air flow required for safe operation of the equipment is not reduced.
Do not block the back or sides of the chassis, and leave approximately two inches of space around the unit for proper ventilation. Do not block any ventilation apertures on any chassis.Clean ventilation intake grills periodically to permit good airflow intake.
Voltage
Ixia chassis use voltage from 100 VAC to 240 VAC at 50/60 Hz. Current is from 2.25 A to 20 A.
Rack Mounting
Two rack-mount ears and black flat-head screws are provided (for chassis that may be rack-mounted). These are designed to fit a generic 19-inch electronic rack. First, attach the ears to the unit, and then attach the unit by the ears to the rack by a method appropriate for the rack.
Rack Mounting Precautions
If the chassis is installed in a Rack Mount, observe the following precautions:
- Elevated Operating Ambient Temperature: If installed in a closed or multi-unit rack assembly, the operating ambient temperature of the rack environment may be greater than room ambient temperature. Therefore, consider installing the equipment in an environment that is compatible with the maximum allowable ambient temperature specified for the chassis (40° C).
- Reduced Air Flow: Install the equipment in a rack so that the amount of air flow required for safe operation of the equipment is not reduced.
Do not block the back or sides of the chassis, and leave approximately two inches of space around the unit for proper ventilation. - Mechanical Loading: Mount the equipment in the rack so that a hazardous condition is not caused due to uneven mechanical loading.
- Circuit Overloading: Consider the connection of the equipment to the supply circuit and the effect that overloading of the circuits might have on current protection and supply wiring. Pay attention to equipment nameplate ratings when addressing this concern.
- Reliable Earthing: Maintain reliable earthing (grounding) of rack-mounted equipment. Pay special attention to supply connections other than direct connections to the branch circuit (such as use of power strips).
Use End Caps on Open Ports
The metal edges of the SFP and SFP+ ports are SHARP. To avoid injury, ALWAYS keep unused SFP ports covered with end caps. When installing a load module into a chassis or removing from a chassis, ensure that the end caps are in place on unused ports.
To prevent accidental injury to personnel, do not leave unused SFP (or SFP+) ports uncovered. When transceivers are not installed, end caps must be used.
Affected load modules include the following:
- NGY with SFP+ interface, 2/4/8-port, all models
- Dual PHY SFF cards with RJ45 and SFP Gigabit (TXS and STXS)
- ACCELERON-NP and -XP
- LSM1000XMV 4/8/12/16-port, all models
- LSM1000XMS12/12R
- ASM1000XMV12X/12XRTP
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 if used improperly as handles to push, pull, or carry a load module.
Do not use ejector tabs as handles to support a load module while installing and fitting into the chassis. The ejector tabs are to be used only to eject the module from the chassis backplane connector.
Maintenance Instructions
The only user maintainable feature is changing the fuse, if it blows. Replace the fuse only with one of the same size and rating. The fuse drawer, located near the power cord receptacle, pulls out with a small flat-bladed screwdriver. Note that repeated fuse blowing may likely indicate some internal problem; you should report the problem to Ixia Technical Support.
We recommend cleaning of the ventilation intake grills periodically to permit good airflow intake.
Calibration of the Ixia chassis is not required. There are no adjustable components in any Ixia chassis.
China RoHS Declaration
The China RoHS Declaration can be found in the Ixia Platform Reference Guide, in the Chapter titled About This Guide.
Cautions
XM12 Caution
The following cautions and warnings apply to the XM12 chassis.
The socket/ outlets used to power the unit must be installed near the equipment and must be easily accessible because the power plug may be used to disconnect the unit from the power source.
XM2, XGS2-SD, and XGS2-HS Caution
The following caution applies to XM2, XGS2-SD, and XGS2-HS chassis:
The chassis units can only be operated in the horizontal position.
XGS12-HS, XGS2-SD, XGS2-HS, and XGS12-HS Caution
The following caution applies specifically to XGS12-SD, XGS12-HS, XGS2-SD, and XGS2-HS chassis:
Battery replacement: Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. You should not attempt to replace the battery. Return to Ixia Customer Service for replacement with the same or equivalent type of battery. Ixia disposes off used batteries according to the battery manufacturer's instructions.
Installation
The Ixia Chassis comes preloaded with IxServer and IxExplorer software along with Windows 7 Professional. The chassis includes an internal industry standard computer hardware platform. To perform initial configuration, it is necessary to obtain the components mentioned here and to attach them to the appropriate connectors on the back or front of the chassis:
- SVGA monitor
- PS/2-style keyboard
- PS/2-style mouse
Debugability Daemon
When you install IxOS on the chassis, the debugability daemon is also installed along with it. This daemon provides communication and debugability services such as IxLogger and Correlation Engine. It also provides visibility over the ports to the client, so that when the client uses the chassis, the ports are visible directly.
Note: Ixia supports upgrades to the Microsoft operating system (OS) on Ixia chassis. Contact Ixia Technical Support for assistance with Microsoft OS upgrade options.
Note: Any Ixia chassis must be always operated with the chassis cover closed and with all card face plates mounted.
Initial Chassis/Peripheral Connection
To perform initial chassis configuration for Windows, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse must be connected to the chassis.
To configure TCP/IP, do the following:
- Attach the monitor, keyboard and mouse to the ports on the back of the XGS12-SD chassis, or the front of the XM12 chassis as shown in the following figures.
- Attach the power cord to the chassis and then to the wall socket. Switch the main power switch to ‘1’ (on).
- Power on the chassis by pressing the power button in the front of the chassis.
- Verify that the IxServer window appears as shown in the following figure:




Windows 7 and Windows 10 Configuration
The Windows 7 configuration procedure is explained in the following sections.
Windows 7 TCP/IP Configuration
The network address of the chassis must be set, even if the network is not used.
-
To do this, select the following sequence of items: Start (in the lower left-hand corner of your computer screen), Control Panel, Network and Internet and Network and Sharing Center. You can view your basic network information and set up connections.
- Select Local Area Connection. The Local Area Connection Status window appears.
- Select Properties. The Local Area Connection Properties window opens, as shown in the following figure:
- Double-click the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) entry or select Properties to open the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) Properties window as shown in the following figure:
- This setting reflects the default factory setup for your chassis. It is configured to use DHCP to discover all network aspects for your chassis. If you have a DHCP server computer on the network attached to the chassis, this is the appropriate configuration of your chassis; proceed to step 11. If no DHCP server computer is found on the network, Windows 7 automatically assigns a unique IP address in the 169.254.0.0–169.254.255.255 range. Again this might be appropriate for your network. If you need to assign a particular IP address to your chassis, fill in the fields as explained in the following table.
Category |
Parameter |
Usage |
|
---|---|---|---|
General | Obtain an IP address automatically | If selected, the fields for IP address are disabled, and the Obtain DNS server address automatically option is enabled. | |
Use the following IP address: | If selected, the sub-fields under this option are enabled for manual configuration of the IP address information. | ||
IP Address | The single IP address for this chassis. | ||
Subnet Mask | The IP subnet mask to be used with this IP address. | ||
Default Gateway | The IP address of the gateway for the network. | ||
Obtain DNS server address automatically | If selected, the IP address for the server computer providing Domain Name Service (DNS) for name resolution is obtained automatically from the local DHCP server computer. | ||
Use the following DNS server addresses | If selected, the sub-fields under this option are enabled for manual entry of the IP addresses for the DNS servers. | ||
Preferred DNS server: | The IP address for the preferred DNS server. | ||
Alternate DNS server: | The IP address for an alternate DNS server. | ||
Validate settings upon exit | If selected, the IP address settings are verified when you exit. | ||
Advanced | If selected, the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box appears. | ||
-
You need to refer to the Host ID at a later time when running IxExplorer. This name must be assigned in the Computer-System Properties window. First, select Computer icon on the desktop to open the context menu as shown in the following figure:
- Select Properties . You can view the basic information about your computer as shown in the following figure:
- Select Change settings. The System Properties window appears as shown in the following figure:
- The Computer Name shown in the System Properties window is an example of the pre-configured name assigned to each chassis. Each chassis’ name is of the form <TYPE>-<SERIALNO>. <TYPE> is corresponding to the type of chassis. <SERIALNO> is the chassis serial number and is always six digits long. By default, each chassis is also a member of the IXIA workgroup. This may be changed at this time to another workgroup or as a member of a Windows 2000/XP domain. If any change has been made, Windows asks you if you wish to restart. Answer ‘YES.’
Note: Changing a chassis name requires updating your license. See Regular License Installation.
Windows 7 General Configuration
The Windows 7 initial configuration includes some features that make the chassis more robust and easier to use. The features are mentioned in the following list:
- The latest Windows 7 Service Pack has been applied. This Microsoft Certified software increases the operating system security.
- The time zone of the computer has been set to UTC, with Daylight Saving Time disabled. To change this, do the following:
- Select the time in the notification area and select Adjust date/time from the context menu, as shown in the following figure.
The Date and Time window appears.
- Select Change time zone and adjust the time zone and daylight savings time settings as appropriate, as shown in the following figure. Return to the Date and Time tab to set the current time in your time zone.
- Select the time in the notification area and select Adjust date/time from the context menu, as shown in the following figure.
- An NTP (Network Time Protocol) service automatically runs. If your chassis is connected to the Internet, it keeps the system clock on your chassis accurate. If your chassis is not connected to the Internet, the NTP service has no adverse effects.
- An anti-virus scanner is installed, but it does not run a scheduled full system scan.
Windows 7 Security Settings
The user name for the administration level account is ixia, with a password consisting of second half of the chassis serial number. For example, if the chassis’ serial number is 400-1234567, the account name is ixia and the password is 1234567.
The administrator is responsible for system maintenance and may perform any operation on the system. The ixia user is automatically logged on when the chassis is powered on.
Windows 10 TCP/IP Configuration
The network address of the chassis must be set, even if the network is not used.
-
To do this, select the following sequence of items: Start (in the lower left-hand corner of your computer screen), Control Panel, Network and Internet and Network and Sharing Center. You can view your basic network information and set up connections.
- Select Ethernet. The Ethernet Status window appears.
- Select Properties. The Ethernet Properties window opens, as shown in the following figure:
- Double-click the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) entry or select Properties to open the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) Properties window as shown in the following figure:
- This setting reflects the default factory setup for your chassis. It is configured to use DHCP to discover all network aspects for your chassis. If you have a DHCP server computer on the network attached to the chassis, this is the appropriate configuration of your chassis; proceed to step 11. If no DHCP server computer is found on the network, Windows 10 automatically assigns a unique IP address in the 169.254.0.0–169.254.255.255 range. Again this might be appropriate for your network. If you need to assign a particular IP address to your chassis, fill in the fields as shown in the following figure and explained in the table below.
|
Category |
Parameter | Usage |
---|---|---|---|
General | Obtain an IP address automatically | If selected, the fields for IP address are disabled, and the Obtain DNS server address automatically option is enabled. | |
Use the following IP address: | If selected, the sub-fields under this option are enabled for manual configuration of the IP address information. | ||
IP Address | The single IP address for this chassis. | ||
Subnet Mask | The IP subnet mask to be used with this IP address. | ||
Default Gateway | The IP address of the gateway for the network. | ||
Obtain DNS server address automatically | If selected, the IP address for the server computer providing Domain Name Service (DNS) for name resolution is obtained automatically from the local DHCP server computer. | ||
Use the following DNS server addresses | If selected, the sub-fields under this option are enabled for manual entry of the IP addresses for the DNS servers. | ||
Preferred DNS server: | The IP address for the preferred DNS server. | ||
Alternate DNS server: | The IP address for an alternate DNS server. | ||
Validate settings upon exit | If selected, the IP address settings are verified when you exit. | ||
Advanced | If selected, the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box appears. |
- You need to refer to the Host ID at a later time when running IxExplorer. This name must be assigned in the Computer-System Properties window.
First, select the the Computer icon on the desktop to open the context menu as shown in the following figure: - Select Properties. You can view the basic information about your computer as shown in the following figure:
- Select Change settings. The System Properties window appears as shown in the following figure:
- The Computer Name shown in the System Properties window is an example of the pre-configured name assigned to each chassis. Each chassis’ name is of the form <TYPE>-<SERIALNO>. <TYPE> is corresponding to the type of chassis. <SERIALNO> is the chassis serial number and is always six digits long.
By default, each chassis is also a member of the IXIA workgroup. This may be changed at this time to another workgroup or as a member of a Windows 2000/XP/7/10 domain.
If any change has been made, Windows asks you if you wish to restart. Answer ‘YES.’
Windows 10 General Configuration
The Windows 10 initial configuration includes some features that make the chassis more robust and easier to use. The features are mentioned in the following list:
- Unlike Windows 7 which only received one major Service Pack update, Microsoft frequently works on big updates to Windows 10.
New features are introduced on a regular basis in the Windows 10 operating system. - The time zone of the computer is set to UTC, Coordinated Universal Time. To change this, do the following:
- Select the time in the notification area and select Adjust date/time from the context menu, as shown in the following figure.
The Date and Time window appears. - Select Change time zone and adjust the time zone and daylight savings time settings as appropriate, as shown in the following figure. Return to the Date and Time tab to set the current time in your time zone.
- Select the time in the notification area and select Adjust date/time from the context menu, as shown in the following figure.
- An NTP (Network Time Protocol) service automatically runs. If your chassis is connected to the Internet, it keeps the system clock on your chassis accurate. If your chassis is not connected to the Internet, the NTP service has no adverse effects.
- An anti-virus scanner is installed, but it does not run a scheduled full system scan.
Windows 10 Security Settings
The user name for the administration level account is ixia, with a password consisting of second half of the chassis serial number. For example, if the chassis’ serial number is 400-1234567, the account name is ixia and the password is 1234567.
The administrator is responsible for system maintenance and may perform any operation on the system. The ixia user is automatically logged on when the chassis is powered on.
Windows Disk Cleanup
Windows Disk Cleanup automatically cleans up dump, PerfMon, and trace files after a preset number of days.
To invoke only the IxOS-specific Disk Cleanup type the following command in the command prompt.
cleanmgr /sagerun:4011
In a complex environment with many Windows machines, it is desirable to use a Group Policy to set up Disk Cleanup consistently across the board. See Automatic Disk Cleanup with Group Policy and SCCM for more information.
File-Sharing
To protect Ixia chassis from virus attacks, Ixia has secured the chassis from unsafe remote access. This was started with chassis shipped or repaired on and later than August 1, 2004. By default, Microsoft NetBIOS file sharing mechanisms are disabled on Ixia chassis. The chassis is not able to browse through the network, join a domain, or have open file shares. To allow a means of file transfer to and from a chassis, an FTP server computer has been included and enabled on the chassis.
A remote user, logged into another computer, may look at or deposit files on a chassis by using FTP. When accessing a chassis’ FTP server computer, the C: drive is set to read-only and the D: drive is set to read/write. The intent is that software updates be deposited on the D: drive, and then locally installed from the chassis’ console. To view the contents of the chassis C: drive, type ftp://TTT-nnnnnn/ into your browser, as shown in the following image.
To access a chassis’ D: drive, just append a d: to the URL.
Software may be copied to the folder shown on the browser’s screen by drag-and-drop operations.

Local/Remote Operation
The IxExplorer software is the primary tool for navigation, configuration, and control of the Ixia hardware. You may use IxExplorer either from the monitor attached directly to the chassis or from a system connected to the network attached to the chassis. After initial configuration, the monitor, keyboard, and mouse need not remain attached to the chassis. If the IxExplorer software is to be used from a remote system, the software must be installed there.
UNIX Installation Notes
To run the GUI installer, your client computer must be configured with an operational X-windows server computer.
Be sure to set your DISPLAY environment variable to the host name or IP address of the client computer on which you want the installer GUI to display. The following examples explain the setting of the DISPLAY environment variable using various shells. If you need environment configuration assistance beyond this, consult your System Administrator.
// enable connections to X Server
xhost + or xhost [remote hostname]
// set DISPLAY environment variable
// determine shell
echo $SHELL
// depending on what shell you use - Bourne shell (bsh or sh),
// Bash (bash- Bourne shell again), C shell (csh) or Korn shell (ksh);
// set DISPLAY environment variable:
// bash:
export DISPLAY=hostname:0
// bsh or ksh:
DISPLAY=hostname:0
export DISPLAY
// csh:
setenv DISPLAY hostname:0
If you are updating an existing installation, be sure to run the installer as the same user who initially installed the software.
Always run the uninstaller before removing any files manually.
If you are installing as the root user using an install location in a network-mounted file system, ensure that you have write permission to the file system.
To install the Tcl Client on Linux computer, perform the following steps: (note that the binary file name ‘IxOS<version>Linux.bin’ is used in the following example. In most cases, the file name is different)
-
Download either the ZIP, BIN or TAR file from the Ixia Web site.
- Extract and copy all folders and files from the ZIP, BIN or TAR file into the lib folder of the IxOS client installation.
-
Copy the IxOS<version>Linux.bin file to the Linux system.
-
Change the file's attribute to make it executable. Example: chmod +x IxOS<version>Linux.bin
-
Execute the IxOS installer file (use the –i gui option if your Linux version supports a graphical user interface). Example: ./IxOS<version>Linux.bin
-
When the installer prompts you, select Tcl version 8.5 (required).
-
Follow the rest of the instructions to complete the installation.
-
Follow the installation prompts to complete the installation.
-
After installation, set the following variables
Note: The following examples match the sample installation, you must alter these paramets to match your installation.
export IXIA_HOME=/opt/ixia/tcl/8.5.17.0 IXIA_VERSION=9.10.XXX.XXX
export TCLLIBPATH=$IXIA_HOME/lib 10.
- Alternatively, specify the following environment variable to specify the location ,the log, sample, and results files for IxOS:
IXIA_LOGS_DIR=/tmp/Ixia/Logs
IXIA_RESULTS_DIR=/tmp/Ixia/Results
IXIA_SAMPLES=/tmp/Ixia//samples IXIA_TCL_DIR=$IxiaLibPath
-
If the Tcl option was installed with an IxOS installation, add Ixia's bin and lib folder to the PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable to use it.
For example: IxiaLibPath=$IXIA_HOME/lib
IxiaBinPath=$IXIA_HOME/bin
PATH=$IxiaBinPath:.:$TCLBinPath:$PATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$IxiaLibPath:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
If the installation fails, check that there is enough disk space on the system by using the df -ak command.
There must be enough space in the /tmp folder to extract the files, and also in the target folder where the files are to be installed. If the /tmp directory does not have enough space, specify the directory. You can do this by setting IATEMPDIR environment with path to the folder where you have enough free space. The following example shows the use of the options:
export IATEMPDIR=<tempdir>
./IxOS8.00.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
Note: For 64-bit Linux systems, you should use the ixosX.XX.XXX.XXXLinux64.bin. The installation is the same as described in the previous procedure.
Unix/Linux Operation
Though IxExplorer is a Windows-only application, you can access the IxOS hardware and software from a UNIX or Linux environment by installing a Tcl client on the UNIX/Linux computer. The client computer connects to IxTclServer on the chassis.
For specific information on how to use IxTclServer and the Tcl client, see the IxOS Tcl Development Guide.
There is also support for 64-bit Linux and the installer is ixos8.00.XXX.XXXLinux64.bin.
Powering Up
To power the chassis, press the power button in the front of the chassis. If a monitor is connected to the chassis, the initial window appears.
The IxServer software is the agent that interfaces directly to the hardware of the chassis. It is started automatically at power-up and the software’s viewable output is primarily intended as a diagnostic tool for the Ixia hardware. IxExplorer can now be started locally by double-clicking the IxExplorer icon on the Windows desktop, as shown in the following figure:
Shutting Down
To shut down the chassis, if you are using the monitor attached to the chassis itself, you can use any of the three following techniques:
- From IxExplorer, select the chassis in the tree view, select Tools and choose Shutdown.
- Close IxExplorer, and shut down Windows by using the Shutdown option from the Start menu.
- Press the power button in front of the chassis.
If you are using IxExplorer remotely, you can shut down the chassis by:
- From IxExplorer, select the chassis in the tree view, select Tools and select Shutdown.
If no monitor attached directly to the chassis, you can also:
- Press the power button in front of the chassis.
All of these options invoke shutdown of Windows, and turn off the power supply in the chassis. When the chassis is powered off but still getting AC power, the yellow ‘Standby’ LED on the front of the chassis is lit. Try to avoid powering down the unit by removing AC power or turning off the power switch at the AC power input module on the rear of the chassis, as this may cause file system problems.
Installing and Removing Load Modules
Installing Load Modules
To install a load module, do the following:
- Support the bottom of the load module with one hand, while gripping the front of the load module with the other hand.
- Align bottom of load module onto the guide rail in the chassis slot.
- Gently slide the load module into the slot by pushing on the front of the load module.
- Push the load module firmly into the backplane connector. The load module must be firmly seated into the connector.
Note: Ensure that end caps are in place on unused ports. See topic Use End Caps on Open Ports
Do not use ejector tabs as handles to support the load module while installing and seating into the chassis. The ejector tabs are to be used only when ejecting.
Removing a Load Module from the Chassis
To remove a load module from the chassis, do the following:
- Press the ejectors at top and bottom of load module front, to release the load module from the backplane connector.
- Gently grip the ejectors and pull the load module a short way—about 1 inch (3 cm)—out of the chassis.
- Grip the front of the load module and pull it out of the chassis. When the load module is partially out, support the bottom of the load module.
Do not use ejectors to support the weight of the load module. They are not intended to support the weight.
4. Place the load module into an ESD bag or container, to prevent damage while handling or transporting it.
Software Installation for Remote Operation
For remote operation on chassis, you need to use a client component called IxExplorer. IxExplorer is included as part of IxOS installation on chassis and can be accessed via monitor attached to chassis itself. For client computers, standalone IxExplorer installer should be used. Both IxExplorer and IxOS can be downloaded from Keysight website.
After downloading the installer (.exe file) on your computer, select on the file and select Run as administrator from the context menu to start installation. The installation presents a standard set of dialog boxes allowing users to include/exclude certain components. Please make sure Client component is included.
The following client operating systems are certified for use with the indicated Keysight IxOS software.
- 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 (Build 1803)
The following versions of Windows operating systems are no longer supported on the client:
-
Windows Vista Enterprise SP2 32-bit and 64-bit
-
Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3
- Before proceeding with IxOS or IxExplorer installation, Keysight recommends you to update Microsoft Windows Operating System version on Keysight Chassis or Client computers to corresponding supported build version. Contact Keysight Technical Support for assistance with Microsoft Windows Operating System update options on Keysight Chassis.
- If the target drive has insufficient storage, you may encounter 2755 error message during installation. This is indicative of insufficient space on the system drive or target drive. IxOS installation requires ~13 GB of space on chassis and ~5.5 GB of space on client. IxExplorer installation requires ~2.5 GB of space on client.
Software Installation Procedure
You require admin privileges to install the software. Complete the following steps to install the software.
-
Download a copy of IxExplorer or IxOS installer (.exe file) from Keysight website. Since you need administrative privileges to proceed with installation, select the file and select Run as administrator from the context menu to start installation.
- Use IxExplorer if you only need client components and do not need server components like Demo Server, TCL Server, and Hardware Manager. IxExplorer can only be installed on Client computers. For all other scenarios, use IxOS installer, which also installs IxExplorer.
-
If you do not have administration privileges, the User Account Control dialog box will appear, as shown in the figure below.
- A dialogue box appears providing option for changing Installer Cache path where installer and helper files are stored. It should only be changed to a location which does not require administrative privileges. Select Next to proceed.

- Installer starts unpacking files after which, setup progress window appears and package integrity check is performed. Wait for the check to complete.
- After package integrity check passes, a separate welcome dialog box appears indicating that setup is ready to begin. Select Next.

If IxOS or IxExplorer is already installed on the computer, following dialog box will appear indicating multiple installation of same application. Select Continue to proceed.
Note: IxServer should not be up and running during installation. If it is, you will be prompted to retry installation after closing IxServer.
- Software License Agreement window appears. You must accept the terms, to continue the installation. You need to license the product if it is not already licensed. See Chapter 4, License Management. Select Next to proceed.
- Installation Option window appears. Following options are listed depending on whether installer is IxOS or IxExplorer and whether target is a chassis or client.
- Select the components that should be installed. Options include the following:
- Client: Installs IxExplorer and TCL consoles used to manage and configure the Ixia chassis, load modules, and ports. Available on both IxExplorer and IxOS installation.
- Server: Installs IxServer which only boots up in Ixia Chassis, accepts connections from client apps like IxExplorer or TCL console and communicates with or manages chassis hardware. Available only when IxOS is installed on chassis.
- Demo Server: A pseudo-IxServer that imitates several configurable load modules. No real traffic can be sent using the demonstration server computer. Available only when IxOS is installed on client. Refer to Installing a Demonstration IxServer for more information.
- Tcl Server: Installs software module which implements an intermediate process needed to support nonWindows (Unix) IxAutomate (formerly IxScriptMate), Tcl, and other client computers. Available only when IxOS is installed. See the IxOS Tcl Development Guide for more information on IxTclServer.
Any option selected for installation will not have a red ‘X’ in its icon. Select Next to proceed.
- If IxServer or IxTclServer are selected, another dialog box appears that requests to define how the server should be run. See Server Operation Option below for more information. This however does not affect Demo Server.
-
If none of IxServer, IxTclServer and Demo Server is selected, another dialog box appears asking whether you want to install off-chassis hardware manager. See Hardware Manager Options for more details.
- This is an optional step which you will only see if you’re using IxOS installer, which might install two versions of TCL as shown in figure below. Selecting any one of the TCL version will only change the version of default TCL interpreter spawned by TCL server when it receives a connection from TCL client. This can be changed after installation as well, using TCL Server Launcher -> Tools -> Options. Select Next to proceed.


-
After you have selected the components as per your requirement, the dialog box shows the selected components that are ready to install, as shown in the following figure. Select Install to proceed.
-
After several installation progress windows (such as one shown below), a dialog box will finally appear indicating installation completion. You can view Release Notes if you select Show the Release Notes check box. Select Finish to exit.
Server Operation Option
IxServer and Tcl Server start up has three control options, as shown the following figure.
The options in this dialog box are described in the following table:
Option |
Function |
---|---|
Add to Startup Programs (Typical) |
If this option is selected, the server computers are part of the Windows Startup Programs and run automatically on Windows start up. The normal User Interface (UI) is provided, with the appropriate desktop icons. |
Run as Service |
If this option is selected, the server computers run as a Windows service. There are no desktop icons, and no UI. The server computers starts automatically with Windows. To stop a server computer, use the Windows Service Control Manager (select the My Computer icon, select Manage, and then Services from the context menu). From there, you can disable or enable the server (IxServerService.) For IxServer configuration, the service must be stopped and the UI opened through the Ixia folder in the Start Menu. The server computer cannot be configured while running as a service. IxServer can be monitored using it’s log file, which is located at C:\Program Files\Ixia. |
None |
If this option is selected, the server computers are not automatically started with Windows, and must be manually started by using the appropriate icon. |
Hardware Manager Options
If install options for both Tcl Server and IxServer/Demo Server are not selected, you will have an option for installing off-chassis hardware manager, as shown in the following figure.
Note: Hardware Manager is an IxOS component that manages the resources on an Ixia chassis. Applications such as IxNetwork communicate with a chassis through Hardware Manager. For further information, refer to the Aptixia IxNetwork User Guide, page 2-60, topic Off-Chassis Hardware Manager.
As described in the dialog box, it is advisable to install the Hardware Manager off-chassis for applications that run tests over chassis chains.
Use the option to select whether or not to install the Hardware Manager off-chassis.
Installing a Demonstration IxServer
A demonstration IxServer can be installed along with the IxExplorer. This is an optional choice. Once installed, you can connect to the server computer using the locally installed IxExplorer client computer. The demonstration version of IxServer only allows you to examine the components (that is, a wide variety of chassis, load modules, and ports) of an artificially generated chassis chain. No real testing can be performed.
Avoid installing both a demo mode and a real version of IxOS onto the same system.
- If a demo mode version of IxOS is installed onto a chassis, and a real version of IxOS is installed onto the same chassis, and then the real version is uninstalled, the Ixia drivers is not removed (because of the presence of another version of IxOS on the system) in this case. When starting the demo version of IxOS on that chassis, the demo mode tries to start the services, but fails because demo mode would not have installed any services.
- Similarly, when both a demo mode and a real version of IxOS are installed on a computer, and then the real version gets uninstalled, the drivers are still present. The demo mode running on the computer tries to read/write inaccessible data. In addition, the demo mode has the same issues with services as described above with regard to the chassis.
- In both the cases, to correct this problem, it is necessary to uninstall both servers from the system, and then install the Demo Server onto the remote client computer workstation, and install the real IxServer onto the chassis.
After obtaining the IxExplorer software, follow the IxExplorer installation instructions provided in Software Installation Procedure During the installation process, the following dialog box appears.
For the demonstration server, select the option Demo Server. A menu appears, as shown below.
Select either the first or second option. The demonstration version of IxServer is installed on the local computer (typically a workstation).
Shell Wrapper Installation
You must install the shell wrappers in /opt/ixia/ixos-api/<version>/bin folder to execute the ixTcl and ixwish tests.
- ixnettcl : Sets TCLLIBPATH and calls the ixiatcl8.5.17 link in /usr/bin. To execute Tcl script, execute ixnettcl <lowLevelScriptName>
- ixnetperl : Sets PERL5LIB and calls the ixiaperl5.18 link in /usr/bin. To execute Perl script, execute ixnetperl < lowLevelScriptName >
- ixnetpython : Sets PYTHONPATH and calls the ixiapython2.7.6 link in /usr/bin. To execute Python script, execute ixnetpython < lowLevelScriptName >
- ixnetwish : Sets TCLLIBPATH and calls the ixiawish8.5.17 link in /usr/bin. To execute Wish script, execute ixnetwish < lowLevelScriptName >
Note: For more information on the Tcl, Perl, and Python settings scripts, see the IxOS Tcl Development Guide.
Unix/Linux Operation
IxExplorer is a Windows-only application. You can access the IxOS Tcl APIs from a Unix or Linux environment using IxTclServer and a Tcl client computer. For specific information on how to use IxTclServer and the Tcl client computer, see the IxOS Tcl Development Guide.
Note:
PIT Notes:
The Platform Independent tgz packages do not contain Perl, Python or TCL interpreters. The Ixia dependencies (mpexpr and snit) are also not included. Download the all-in-one language packages and dependencies installer for Linux x86 and x64 to use with any app Platform Independent TCL installer from the Ixia website.
Automatic Update Feature
Preparing to Install
Follow the steps to prepare to use the Automatic Update functionality:
- Locate the install package named Ixos<version.version>.exe (for example, IxOS5.10SP1exe). Extract this to the network location. This install package can be downloaded from the Ixia Website and it is included on the product CD.
- Extract the installer files from the install package by using the following command: Ixos<version.version>.exe -s -e -f <extraction path>
- Install the chassis from the same network path. Use the setup.exe in the same folder to install the chassis.
Using Automatic Update
The versions of IxExplorer client computer and IxServer must be synchronized, otherwise they cannot operate together. It is possible to automatically update the version of the client computer to the server computer using the Automatic Update feature.
Note: The chassis Icon in IxExplorer is a purple color when its IxServer is using a different version of the software than the IxExplorer client computer.
When trying to connect to a server computer with a different version than IxExplorer, a warning message appears.
Select OK (the warning message closes). From the Tools menu, select the IxOS Upgrade option, as shown in the following figure.
The dialog box that appears is shown in the following figure.
The IxOS Client Software Upgrade dialog box displays the current version of the client computer software and the server computer software. Select Continue to begin upgrading the client computer software.
Note: This feature works only if the following criteria are observed:
- The initial installation of the server software must be done from a network folder using the setup.exe (provided with Ixia installer package).
The network folder cannot be a mapped drive; it must be a UNC path. - The IxOSUpdateTemplate.bat file must also be in the network folder.
- The server installation folder must be accessible to both the workstation that the IxExplorer client computer is installed on, and the chassis that IxServer is installed on.
- The path to the network folder must be the same folder path for both computers.
- In some instances, the anti-virus software prevents proper updating of the IxOS software. Disable anti-virus software before using the Auto-Update feature.
IxOS Silent Install
IxOS Silent Install is a feature which enables you to install IxOS software unattended. A silent installation of IxOS is ideal for test scenarios or as part of a large-scale enterprise deployment.
You may use the IxAdmin package to perform remote silent installations on multiple computers at the same time.
If you want to use Silent Installation to install IxOS software on an Ixia chassis, you must change the policy that controls Silent Installation. See Preparing an Ixia Chassis for Silent Installation.
IxOS product silent install setup is discussed inIxOS Silent Install by .exe Package.
IxOS silent install setup for LINUX is discussed in IxOS Silent Install on LINUX.
Preparing an Ixia Chassis for Silent Installation
If you try to run a Silent Install on an Ixia Chassis with Windows installed, Windows displays the following warning message for the Ixia kernel driver:
Signature Not Found
To prevent this warning, you must change the Windows policy that governs the installation of unsigned drivers. Follow the steps below. You only need to use this procedure once.
- On the Ixia chassis, select Start, select Run, and then type MMC, and select OK.
- Select Add/Remove Snap-in, on the Console menu.
- Select Add and select Group Policy and select Add.
- Select Finish/Close/OK.
- Navigate down the following tree:
- Select unsigned driver installation behavior and select Security from the context menu.
- Change the Local policy setting to Silently succeed.
- Select OK.
Console Root
Local Computer Policy
Computer Configuration
Windows Settings
Security Settings
Local Policies
Security Options
Note: It is necessary to restart the chassis after this operation.
IxOS Silent Install by .exe Package
Setting up the silent install for IxOS for a chassis involves activating specific features included in the product package, and specifying the server operation mode through a command prompt.
The available features and properties (operation modes) are delivered as part of the installer.
To run the IxOS installer silently, use the IxOS<version>.X.X.exe package, where <version> is the version of the software, and X.X is the build number for the particular package. The command line to extract the setup is like “IxOS_X.XX_EA.exe /s /extract-only". It caches to location \Program Files\IxiaInstallerCache\IxOS\X.X.X.X where X.X.X.X is the build number. The setup.exe file is located in this folder.
The following steps demonstrate how to set up silent installation through the .exe package.
- Open a command prompt.
- Enter the following command argument, in one line:
setup.exe [-s|-q] [-n] [i|x|r] [F.Feature1=Yes|No [F.Feature2=Yes|No]] [P.Prop1=Val1 [P.Prop2=Val2]]
See IxOS setup.exe Package Example below for examples of using the command prompt to set up silent installation.
Switch |
Definition |
---|---|
-s |
silent (progress bar only) |
-q |
quiet (no GUI at all) |
-n |
external controlled (by IxAdmin) |
no switch |
GUI installation |
Switch |
Definition |
---|---|
i |
install |
x |
uninstall |
r |
repair |
no action |
install |
Features
F.Feature1=Yes—install the named feature.
These features represent installer components and are detailed in config.xml file, in the ConfigOptions/CannedConfig section. If no features are provided, a default configuration is used.
Features represent the installer components that can be selected from the GUI in standalone mode. The command prompt allows the combinations of these features.
Feature |
Definition |
---|---|
F.Client |
install Client |
F.Server |
install Server |
F.TclServer |
install Tcl Server |
F.DemoServer |
install Demo Server |
F.HWManager |
install Hardware Manager |
Properties
P.Prop1 =Val1—pass to the installer a certain property.
If no properties provided, default properties is used.
Properties correspond with settings from the installation GUI, but do not represent the standard features from the feature selection dialog box. Rather the options are presented as option buttons, check boxes, or edit fields (like the choice of TCL version in IxOS). A special property is InstallDir which (if accepted by the application installer) sets the installation folder.
Property |
Definition |
---|---|
P.RUNMODE = 1 | Server is running like Service |
P.RUNMODE = 2 | Server is running like Add to Startup |
P.RUNMODE = 3 | None - manual mode |
P.TCLVERSION=8.5 | to install TCL 8.5 |
P.InstallDir | sets the installation folder |
IxOS setup.exe Package Examples
The following examples demonstrate various options when setting up silent installation using the setup.exe package:
- Silent Install, IxOS Server::
- Quiet Install, IxOS Server:
- Quiet Install, IxOS Client with Tcl 8.5
- Silent Uninstall (any config)
Setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes
Setup.exe –q F.Server=Yes
Setup.exe –q i F.Client=Yes P.TCLVERSION=8.5
Setup.exe –s x
The table below represents the detailed list of the configuration and corresponding commands for IxOS.
IxOS configuration to install |
Command line |
---|---|
Client with TclServer (add to startup) |
Silent : setup.exe –s F.Client=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” F.TclServer=Yes P.RUNMODE=2 Quiet : setup.exe –q F.Client=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” F.TclServer=Yes P.RUNMODE=2 Controlled by IxAdmin: setup.exe –s –n F.Client=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” F.TclServer=Yes P.RUNMODE=2 |
Client |
setup.exe –s F.Client=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” |
Client with HWManager |
setup.exe –s F.Client=Yes F.HWManager=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” |
TclServer (add to startup) |
setup.exe –s F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=2 |
Server (add to startup) |
setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes P.RUNMODE=”2” |
Server (run as service) |
setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”1” |
Server (start manually) |
setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”3” |
Client, TclServer and Server (add all to startup) |
setup.exe –s F.Client=Yes F.Server=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”2” |
Client, TclServer and Server (start all manually) |
setup.exe –s F.Client=Yes F.Server=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”3” |
Client, TclServer and Server (start all as services) |
setup.exe –s F.Client=Yes F.Server=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”1” |
TclServer with Server (add both to startup) |
setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”2” |
TclServer with Server (start both as services) |
setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”1” |
TclServer with Server (start both manually) |
setup.exe –s F.Server=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”3” |
Demo Server and TclServer (add both to startup) |
setup.exe –s F.DemoServer=Yes F.TclServer=Yes P.TCLVERSION=”8.5” P.RUNMODE=”2” |
IxOS Silent Install on LINUX
To install IxOS on Linux in silent mode, do the following:
- Create a response file using <installer> -r <path to silent response file> command line. The response file will record the user inputs provided during console installation. Example: ixosX.X.X.XLinux.bin -f /home/ixsdk/user/response1.txt
- Install IxOS using the response file.
Example: ixosX.X.X.XLinux.bin -f /home/ixsdk/user/response1.txt -i silent
Uninstall/Modify a Current Installation
To remove silently the current version of IxOS, uninstall it entering the following argument at the command prompt:
Setup.exe –s x
To modify an existing installation, first uninstall it, and then reinstall it with the desired features.
Silent Repair/Modify
Silent repair is the same as running silent install on a current installation. Enter the following at the command prompt:
setup.exe -s r
Multi Version Installation and Management
Beginning with IxOS 5.10 SP2, multi-version support is present in the Ixia operating system. Multiple versions of IxOS can be present on the client computer, as well as multiple versions of applications such as IxLoad or IxNetwork. You can select from the different versions of IxOS to maintain compatibility with the application that you are running.
Benefits
The benefits of multi-version installation are as follows:
- You can incorporate multiple versions of IxOS on a testbed.
- If you need to downgrade, you no longer have to uninstall/reinstall; you can simply start the other version of IxOS.
- The Licensing model still remains the same.
- This new model also extends into applications. So multiple application versions can co-exist in the future.
Caveats
- Only a single version of IxServer can be running at any one time.
- IxOS 8.00 does not co-exist with older versions of IxOS. The older versions need to be uninstalled before upgrading.
- Client computer/chassis version matching does not change. So a Client computer with IxOS 5.10 SP3 still abides by the same restrictions if attempting to connect to a chassis running IxOS 5.10 SP2.
- There are changes made to the installer. When installing this new version of IxOS, you may choose to first uninstall the existing version of IxOS. Alternatively, if the current version of IxOS supports multi-versions, a co-exist option is present. See Installation Changes.
- Each version of IxOS installs into its own folder on C:\Program Files\Ixia\IxOS\version xx. The folder C:\Program Files\Ixia contains other Ixia-dependent applications; so any uninstalling and deleting of application files must be limited to the specific version folder.
After uninstalling version X of an application, you may alternatively use Windows Explorer to delete files from the version X folder only. Be careful not to delete any files outside the version X folder because those files are accessed by other versions and other applications.
- Demo server also supports multi-version intallation. However, see note under Installing a Demonstration IxServer for a caution regarding installing demo server computer and IxServer onto same workstation.
- .ixs files are not migrated by the installer. So if a new IxOS version is being installed to co-exist with a current version, it does not migrate the existing .ixs. It installs a new .ixs in its own folder.
- Both ActiveState Tcl 8.5 and 8.6 are now installed with IxOS. See ActiveState Tcl 8.5 for details.
ActiveState Tcl 8.5 and 8.6
Both ActiveState Tcl 8.5 and 8.6 are installed with IxOS, beginning with IxOS version 8.50 EA. Existing scripts written with Ixia’s version of Tcl 8.4 and Tcl 8.5 is compatible with Activestate Tcl 8.5 and 8.6. Shipping with ActiveState Tcl allows Ixia to standardize the version of Tcl across all Ixia apps. ActiveState Tcl is the predominant software that Ixia customers use when they have their own Tcl.
Support for ActiveState Tcl
Commercial support for ActiveState Tcl is available through ActiveState at: http://www.ActiveState.com/enterprise-edition. For peer support resources for ActiveState Tcl issues refer: http://www.ActiveState.com/Support/.
IxOS and ActiveState
ActiveState Tcl 8.6 is the up-to-date, quality-assured binary distribution from ActiveState. Current releases, and other professional tools for open source language developers are available at http://www.ActiveState.com.
Version Management Tools
Two new tools, AppInfo and Application Selector, are both installed automatically during IxOS installation. Application Selector can be started by selecting the icon on the desktop.
AppInfo
The AppInfo tool is for managing multi-version installations. AppInfo makes automated choices, matching a version of an application with the appropriate version of IxOS. The AppInfo tool automatically selects the highest compatible version of IxOS unless you override the choice.
Application Selector
The Application Selector tool is used to override the automatic selections made by AppInfo during installation. You can choose a specific version of IxOS to run with a selected application. The Application Selector shows only applications that are currently loaded onto the client computer. When a new application (or new version) is loaded, it shows up in the Application Selector next time the Selector is opened.
Installation Changes
The folder structure of the Ixia group has been modified. Applications are no longer loaded to the Ixia folder, but into specific folders for each application and each version. The applications can be accessed through icons on the desktop, or during installation you can choose not to install the icons.
When installing multi-version IxOS, one of following three scenarios may occur:
- Installation of a multi-version IxOS when there is an existing non-multiversion instance.
- Installation of a multi-version IxOS when there is a pre-existing multi-version instance.
- Installation of a multi-version IxOS when there are multiple pre-existing multi-version IxOS instances.
When scenario b (above) is true, a dialog box similar to the following appears.
During the IxOS installation process, the following new dialog box appears as AppInfo is configured.
After the installation completes, following installation screen appears. You must install Wireshark separately for Capture View and Analysis.
When Application Selector is opened, the window similar to the following figure is displayed.
Select an application version in the left pane, to view the dependencies in the right pane, as shown in the following figure.
For example, Application Selector indicates that, for IxOS version 8.40.1400.5, the compatible version IxNetwork 8.50.1501.4, is installed. It also indicates the default No override selection for the Tcl version.
Select the Tcl version, and the dependencies are displayed as shown in the following figure.
Application Selector indicates that Tcl version 8.5.17.0 has no dependencies.
Repair, Modify, Uninstall using Windows Control Panel
In addition to the Silent Repair/Modify procedure, you can use the Windows Control Panel to uninstall, modify, or repair the IxOS software. The following circumstances may indicate using this approach:
- Uninstall the IxOS software: Use the Remove dialog box.
- Modify: This allows to add or remove specific components involved in the IxOS installation. For example, if only the Tcl client was installed, and the Tcl Server was not installed, you can use the Modify dialog box to install the Tcl Server. Or, if you have installed the Demo Server and want to remove it, you can use this dialog box.
- Repair: If you notice some missing files in the installation that may have been deleted or modified, you can use the Repair dialog box.
To uninstall the IxOS software, do the following:
- From the Windows Start menu, select Settings->Control Panel.
- From the Control Panel, double-click the Add or Remove Programs option.
- Highlight IxOS. Select Change.
- Select Remove, and then select Next.
- Select Remove.
- Select Finish.
- Close the Add or Remove Programs window.
When you select Change, the Program Maintenance dialog box appears. The dialog box is shown in the following figure.
Windows Installer opens the Remove the Program dialog box. The dialog box is shown in the following figure.
Windows Installer displays a dialog box as it removes IxOS from your computer. The dialog box is shown in the following figure.
After the uninstall operation is complete, Windows Installer displays the Setup Complete dialog box as shown in the following figure.