IXIA PerfectStorm Load Modules

This chapter provides details about PerfectStorm 10GE, 40GE and 100GE family of load modules specifications and features.

Ixia's PerfectStorm family of load modules is a scalable solution for testing converged multi-play services, application delivery, and network security platforms for both wired and wireless networks.

The PerfectStorm product family consists of a new next generation XGS12 chassis platform, an XGS integrated system controller for both IxLoad and BreakingPoint and load modules 8x10GE, 2x40GE and 1x100GE.The PerfectStorm10GE, 40GE, and 100GE load modules have two variants, fusion (IxLoad and BreakingPoint) and non-fusion (IxLoad only). The key feature of PerfectStorm 10GE/40GE/100GE NG cards is the fusion between IxLoad and BreakingPoint applications.

PerfectStorm supports the following:

Key Features

The key features of PerfectStorm load modules are as follows:

Unified Applications and Security Test Platform

PerfectStorm is a unified applications and security test platform, with support for BreakingPoint and IxLoad software.

Networking Interfaces per Blade
Blended Application Traffic

PerfectStorm Fusion can create blended application traffic and current security attacks with a very high count of concurrent wired and wireless users from a single 11u chassis.

Massive Scale Real-World Traffic Conditions

PerfectStorm tests and validates IT systems under controlled real-world scenarios that model your own unique environments.It understands actual performance, system limitations, and real security posture in a better way, to right size data centers and eliminate incidents in production.It generates stateful applications and malicious traffic that simulate millions of real-world end-user environments to test and validate infrastructure, a single device, or an entire system. This includes complex data, video, voice, storage, and network application workloads.

Real Attacks
Multi-user Environment

PerfectStorm's multi-user environment leverages the per port user ownership model for all ports on the test modules installed into the chassis.

High-performing Business Applications

PerfectStorm ensures high-performing, and more available and secure business applications.

Disaster Recovery

PerfectStorm validates disaster recovery and business continuity.

Reduced Legal Exposure

PerfectStorm provides reduced legal exposure due to data loss by validating security using the industry's most up to date application and threat intelligence.

Platform Support

PerfectStorm is equipped with powerful multi-core, multi-threaded network processors, to satisfy the testing needs of equipment manufacturers having higher-density 10GE and 40GE equipments. As service providers and large enterprises prepare to deploy these equipments in their own networks, they must test and verify performance and functionality prior to deployment.

PerfectStorm's single, integrated system equipped with 12 PerfectStorm blades allows control of application traffic to nearly a terabit, up to 720 million concurrent connections, and new TCP connection rates of up to 24 Million. The hardware-based acceleration supports massive encryption levels. The system uses inline field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) for enhanced accuracy pertaining to latency measurements with a resolution of 10ns.

PerfectStorm is compatible with XGS12, which is a 12-slot Chassis platform. The Chassis platform architecture supports easy setup and management of high scale, multi-user system. The XGS12 chassis platform includes a pluggable system controller for chassis management and web-based UI. This chassis platform is backward compatible with XM2/XM12 blades.

For more information on XGS12, see XGS12 Chassis Platform.

Load Modules

PerfectStorm load module comprises a two board set, the Main Board and the PHY Card. The Main Board contains the backplane interface, processors and FPGAs. The card occupies one slot in the XGS12 chassis platform and consumes no more than 400W of power.

The PerfectStorm family consists of the following models:

Each of these load modules are described as follows:

PS10GE8

PerfectStorm PS10GE8 is a 8 port 10-Gigabit Ethernet, load module with SFP+ interface. Each 10GE port uses of 1/8th of the network processor and memory resources available on the load module, allowing delivery of application traffic at wire-speeds for each port.It supports only IxLoad software and is compatible with XGS12 chassis platform.

The PS10GE8 load module is shown in the following figure:

Figure: PerfectStorm Module-PS10GE8

PS10GE8NG

PerfectStorm PS10GE8NG is a 8 port 10-Gigabit Ethernet, fusion load module with SFP+ interface. This mode provides extra flexibility to allocate all available NP resources and memory available on a single module while using a single 10 GE interface to transmit or receive the traffic. Ixia test applications transparently configure the allocation of NP resources to achieve the maximum performance.It supports IxLoad and BreakingPoint software and is compatible with XGS12 chassis platform.The PS10GE8NG load module is shown in the following figure:

Figure: PerfectStorm Module-PS10GE8NG

PS40GE2

PerfectStorm PS40GE2 is a 2 port 40-Gigabit Ethernet, load module with QSFP+ interface. Each 40GE port uses of ½ of the network processor and memory resources available on the load module, allowing delivery of application traffic at wire-speeds for each port. It supports only IxLoad software and is compatible with XGS12 chassis platform.

The PS40GE2 load module is shown in the following figure:

Figure: PerfectStorm Module-PS40GE2

PS40GE2NG

PerfectStorm PS40GE2NG is a 2 port 40-Gigabit Ethernet, fusion load module with QSFP+ interface. This mode provides extra flexibility to allocate all network processor and memory resources available on a load module to a single 40GE port. Ixia test applications transparently configure the allocation of NP resources to achieve the maximum performance. It supports IxLoad and BreakingPoint software and is compatible with XGS12 chassis platform.

The PS40GE2NG load module is shown in the following figure:

Figure: PerfectStorm Module-PS40GE2NG

PS100GE1

PerfectStorm PS100GE1 is a 1-port 100-Gigabit Ethernet load Module with CXP interface. This supports upto 2-ports of 40GE OR 8-ports of 10GE via Fan-out cables. It requires one CXP 100GE pluggable, multimode optical transceiver (948-0030) and a point-to-point, multimode CXP 100GE Active Optical Cable (AOC) (942-0052), or alternatively, one PerfectStorm 100G transceiver and cable bundle to enable support for the native 100G and all the fan-out options (942-0073).

The PS100GE1 load module is shown in the following figure:

Figure: PerfectStorm Module-PS100GE1

PS100GE1NG

PerfectStorm PS100GE1NG is a 1-port 100-Gigabit Ethernet fusion load Module with CXP interface. This supports upto 2-ports of 40GE or 8-ports of 10GE via optional Fan-out cables. It requires BreakingPoint Application and Threat Intelligence (ATI) (909-0856), one CXP 100GE pluggable, multimode optical transceiver (948-0030) and a point-to-point, multimode CXP 100GE Active Optical Cable (AOC) (942-0052), or alternatively, one PerfectStorm 100G transceiver and cable bundle to enable support for the native 100G and all the fan-out options (942-0073).

The PS100GE1NG load module is shown in the following figure:

Figure: PerfectStorm Module-PS100GE1NG

Part Numbers

Part Numbers for PerfectStorm Load Modules and supported adapters are provided in the following table.

Part Numbers for PerfectStorm Modules
Model Number Part Number Description

PS10GE8NG

944-1200

  • 8-ports of 10GE with the SFP+ physical interface.
  • SSL and IPsec hardware acceleration.

PS10GE8

944-1204

  • 8-ports of 10GE with the SFP+ physical interface.
  • SSL and IPsec hardware acceleration.

PS40GE2NG

944-1201

  • 2-ports of 40GE with the SFP+ physical interface.
  • SSL and IPsec hardware acceleration.

PS40GE2

944-1205

  • 2-ports of 40GE with the SFP+ physical interface.
  • SSL and IPsec hardware acceleration.

PS100GE1NG

944-1202

  • 1-port 100GE CXP interface.

  • SSL and IPsec hardware acceleration.

PS100GE1

944-1206

  • 1-port 100GE CXP interface.
  • SSL and IPsec hardware acceleration.

Specifications

The load module specifications are contained in the following table.

PerfectStorm Load Module Specifications
Feature PerfectStorm 10GE PerfectStorm Fusion 10GE PerfectStorm 40GE PerfectStorm Fusion 40GE PerfectStorm 100GE PerfectStorm Fusion 100G

Load Modules

PS10GE8

PS10GE8NG

PS40GE2

PS40GE2NG

PS100GE1

PS100GE1NG

Hardware, Load Module Specifications

Number of Ports

8

8

2

2

1 1

Physical Interface

8-port, 10GE SFP+

8-port, 10GE SFP+

2-port, 40GE QSFP+

2-port, 40GE QSFP+

1-port, 100GE CXP

1-port, 100GE CXP

Transceiver Support

(pluggable transceivers)

10GBASE-SR/SW (850 nm)

10GBASE-LR/LW (1310 nm)

10GBASE-SR/SW (850 nm)

10GBASE-LR/LW (1310 nm)

QSFP+, 40GBASE-SR4

QSFP+, 40GBASE-SR4

CXP 100GBASE-SR10

CXP 100GBASE-SR10

Memory

64GB

64GB

64GB

64GB

64GB

64GB

Hardware Encryption Offload

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Hardware-Based Traffic Capture

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

2GB per 100GbE interface

1GB per 40GbE interface

256 MB per 10GbE interface

FPGA Offload

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

IPv4, IPv6, UDP, TCP

Hardware checksum generation

MTU(IP)

8900B

8900B

8900B

8900B

8900B

8900B

Load Module Dimensions

16" (L) x 12.00" (W) x 1.3" (H)

406 mm (L) x 305 mm (W) x 33 mm (H)

Operating Temperature Range

41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C), ambient air

Chassis Capacity

Cards per Chassis

12

12

12

12

12

12

Port Density per XGS12 Chassis

144-port, 10GE SFP+

144-port, 10GE SFP+

24-port, 40GE QSFP+

24-port, 40GE QSFP+

12-port, 100GE CXP

12-port, 100GE CXP

Chassis Compatibility

XGS12 , XGS2

XGS12 , XGS2

XGS12 , XGS2

XGS12 , XGS2

XGS12 , XGS2

XGS12 , XGS2

XGS12 Chassis Bundles

XGS12 (940-0007)

XGS12 (940-0007)

 

   

Transceiver and Cable Support

The transceiver and cable support for PerfectStorm load modules is provided in the following table:

PerfectStorm Transceiver and Cable Support
Hardware Transceiver/Cable Part Number Description
  • PerfectStorm PS10GE8
  • PerfectStorm Fusion PS10GE8NG

988-0011

SFP+, 10Gb/1Gb SR optical Xcvr, 850nm (cable included)

988-0012

SFP+, 10Gb/1Gb LR optical Xcvr, 1310nm

  • PerfectStorm PS40GE2
  • PerfectStorm Fusion PS40GE2NG

948-0028

QSFP+ 40GBASE-SR4 optical transceivers

942-0041

MT 12-fiber MMF cable, 3-meter length

  • PerfectStorm PS100GE1
  • PerfectStorm Fusion PS100GE1NG

948-0030

CXP 100GbE pluggable, multimode optical transceiver

942-0035 MT cable, 24-filer, Multimode fiber, Key Up/Down, 3 meter length

942-0052

Point-to-point, multimode CXP 100GbE Active Optical Cable (AOC)

942-0072

CXP-to-2x40GbE QSFP Active Optical Cable (AOC), 850nm, 3 meter cable to support the fan-out option

942-0073

PerfectStorm Transceiver and Cable bundle containing the following:

  • (942-0035) MT cable, 24-filer, Multimode fiber, Key Up/Down, 3 meter,
  • (942-0052) Multis, CXP-to-CXP 100GE Active Optical Cable, point-to-point (AOC), 3M,
  • (942-0064) MT-to-8x10GE LC fan-out, MMF, 3-meter cable,
  • (942-0072) PerfectStorm, CXP-to-2x40G QSFP Active Optical Cable (AOC), 850NM,3-METER,
  • (948-0030) Multis, CXP,100GE,MMF,850NM,pluggable transceiver

942-0074

CXP-to-2x40GbE QSFP Active Optical Cable (AOC), 850nm, 5 meter cable to support the fan-out option

942-0064

MT-to-8x10GbE LC fan-out, MMF, 3-meter cable to support the fan-out option

942-0068

MT-to-4x10GbE LC fan-out, MMF, 5-meter cable to support the fan-out option

Application Support

The Ixia application support for PerfectStorm load modules is provided in the following table:

PerfectStorm Application Support
Hardware Application Support

PerfectStorm PS10GE8

IxOS, IxLoad, TCL API

PerfectStorm Fusion PS10GE8NG

IxOS, IxLoad, BreakingPoint, TCL API

PerfectStorm PS40GE2

IxOS, IxLoad, TCL API

PerfectStorm Fusion PS40GE2NG

IxOS, IxLoad, BreakingPoint, TCL API

PerfectStorm PS100GE1

IxOS, IxLoad, TCL API

PerfectStorm Fusion PS100GE1NG

IxOS, IxLoad, BreakingPoint, TCL API

Mechanical Specifications

Front Panel

The Front panel of the 8x10GE, 2x40GE, and 1x100GE PerfectStorm load modules are shown in the following figures (applies to Fusion and non-Fusion versions):

Figure: Front panel of 8x10GE PerfectStorm PS10GE8

Figure: Front panel of 8x10GE Fusion PerfectStorm PS10GE8NG

Figure: Front panel of 2x40GE PerfectStorm PS40GE2

Figure: Front panel of 2x40GE Fusion PerfectStorm PS40GE2NG

Figure: Front panel of 1x100GE Fusion PerfectStorm PS100GE1NG

Figure: Front panel of 1x100GE PerfectStorm PS100GE1

LED Panel

The LED panel specifications are provided in the following table.

LED panel specifications of PS10GE8(NG) and PS40GE2(NG) Load Modules
Feature Specification

Link

  • OFF indicates link is down
  • Solid Green indicates link is up

Tx

  • Off indicates Tx is inactive
  • Blinking Green indicates Tx is active

Rx/Err

  • Off indicates Rx is inactive
  • Blinking Red indicates Rx is active with errors
  • Blinking Green indicates Rx is active