Ixia Software Release Notes
IxNetwork 9.16
Build Number: 9.16.2103.4 (April 28, 2021)

• About This Release
• User Authentication
• Installation Notes
• Tcl/Perl/Python/Ruby/REST Support for Client Applications
• How to Report Problems
• Additional Documentation
• What's New in IxNetwork
• Known Issue List
• Resolved Defect List

About This Release

IxNetwork 9.16 introduces new ultra-high density AresONE-S 400G test platform and new Novus-S SFP28/QSFP28 High Density 100/25/10GE load module.
For a complete listing of all the new features included in this release, please refer to the 'What is New' section.

Please see sections below for application and hardware compatibility, new features, resolved issues, and known issues.

Application Compatibility
 The following application releases support IxNetwork 9.16:

 

      

              
Application
              
IxNetwork 9.16
          
      
      
   
          

              
BPS
              
Not Supported
          
        
	  

              
HLTAPI
              
9.16
          
	  

              
IxANVL
              
Not Supported
          
	  

              
IxChariot
              
Not Supported
          
          

              
IxLoad
              
Not Supported
          
          

              
IxOS
              
9.16
          
          

              
IxVM
              
Not Supported
          
          

              
Licensing
              
5.30
          
          

              
Metronome
              
2.1
          
          

              
Wireshark
              
1.8
          
          

              
RESTPy
              
1.0
          
      


In addition, current interoperability and compatibility coverage for IxNetwork 
9.16 can also be retrieved using the on-line compatibility tool.


Please contact Keysight for details.

User Authentication

Starting with version 8.10 EA, you must provide your credentials while starting the IxNetwork User Interfaces.
The credentials are validated using an e-mail based authentication mechanism. For details see Start IxNetwork section in the IxNetwork Getting Started Guide.

You must create an account before you start using IxNetwork. Select the Create new account option on the login page available at: login.ixiacom.com and enter your details.
You will receive an email. You can use the new account only after you verify the email address by opening the link in the verification e-mail received from "Ixia Identity".
If the client machine running IxNetwork is offline, a token is required to sign in. The token is a binary file, that can be obtained by signing in to login.ixiacom.com from a computer with Internet access and downloading the Offline Authentication Token.
 
Note: When signing in, or managing the account in a web browser, always confirm that you are doing so over a secure connection. Ixia does not ask for user name, password or other personal information via email. 
 
Privacy Matters: 
To improve the experience for customers and the quality of Ixia's products, data may be collected and stored by Ixia. 
This typically includes data about the product usage and environment (such as operating system, browser, language), and personal data such as user name, email and IP addresses. 
Only Ixia's IT, project managers and marketing worldwide will have access to this data. 
When you first sign in to either application, you will be asked to consent to such data collection and use, and to the data transfer to Ixia in the United States. 
You may withdraw your consent at any time and for any reason. Please refer to our privacy policy for more information and opt-out possibility (available at https://www.ixiacom.com/privacy-policy)

 

Licensing

IxNetwork requires that a license for its use be installed for each chassis used by IxNetwork. That license may be installed on each chassis or on a server on your network, referred to as the central license server.

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: http://www.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.ix@keysight.com.

Installation Notes

  

Prerequisites
As part of the IxNetwork installation, the installer installs Microsoft SQL Express 
and Microsoft .Net Framework on a client machine and Microsoft .Net Framework on a
chassis.

Windows client and chassis should have all the windows updates installed.

If you experience any issue related to the installation of these prerequisites, 
please uninstall any existing versions, reboot, and reattempt installation.
  
      
IxNetwork Installation
IxNetwork has two components:
The 'chassis' component needs to be installed on the Ixia windows chassis being used or when using a native IxOS chassis it is included in the IxOS install package.
It is required to install IxOS before installing the IxNetwork 'chassis' component.
The 'client' component needs to be installed on the user-provided Windows workstation where the IxNetwork GUI will be run.
The Web Edition 'client' component can be deployed on VMware ESXi, KVM, Docker or directly on a Native IxOS chassis.

IxNetwork Download from Ixia Website
 
IxNetwork software is available either on a DVD-ROM or as a download from the 
Ixia website.

 1. Download IxNetwork software from the Ixia website to an Ixia chassis or 
    client PC. Double-click on the file from within Windows Explorer.

 2. Follow the on-screen instructions provided by the installer.

NOTE: If you are upgrading from a DVD-ROM, the installer will be launched 
      automatically. The files on the DVD-ROM will be the same files as the ones 
      unzipped by the above process.
      
Chassis Installation Requirements
When installing IxNetwork 9.00 + on a chassis, a minimum of 4GB of installed 
RAM and 30GB of free disk space 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.

NOTE: When installing from the DVD, some virus scanning configurations present 
      a malicious code alert during the execution of the Windows autorun feature. If
      this occurs, right-click the DVD-ROM drive icon in Explorer and 'Explore' 
      the DVD. At the root of the DVD, double-click on the index.htm file.

NOTE: IxNetwork installs the Ixia Stat Engine component. This component is 
      shared by other Ixia applications. It can be manually uninstalled from the target machine by using the Windows Add/Remove Programs applet.
Operating System Support
     
The following operating systems are supported on the chassis
    - Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit  
    - Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64-bit (only for Ixia Virtual Chassis) 
    - Windows 10 Pro 64-bit  
    - CentOS 7 64-bit (only for Ixia Linux Chassis) 
     
For other foreign language support, please change the default to US English.

Note: Regardless of configured OS language, the keyboard must be configured
for US English.
Chassis Installation Notes
 1. Install the required IxOS version.

 2. Install IxNetwork, and the IxNetwork installer will automatically install the 
    chassis component. The client component of IxNetwork cannot be installed on 
    the Ixia Windows chassis.
 
 3. If the required IxOS was already installed and running, restart IxServer. 
Client Installation Requirements
IxNetwork 9.00+ requires the user workstation to have the following minimum
system requirements.  It is recommended to use the 'next higher' requirement for
improved performance.

IxNetwork application is qualified for running up to 7 days. It is recommended 
to restart the application after 7 days for consistent operation.
System Requirements

        

            
Ixia Configuration
            
Per User System Requirements
        
        

            
Ports
            
Flow Groups
            
Flows
            
CPU (# or cores)
            
Memory (GB)
            
HDD (GB)
            
Operating System
        
        

            
Install
            
Temporary
            
Running
        
        

            
4
            
4
            
500
            
1
            
2
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
10GB
            
64 bit
        
        

            
8
            
8
            
4,000
            
2
            
2
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
20GB
            
64 bit
        
        

            
16
            
16
            
8,000
            
2
            
3
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
20GB
            
64 bit
        
        

            
32
            
32
            
16,000
            
2
            
4
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
20GB
            
64 bit
        
        

            
64
            
64
            
32,000
            
4
            
6
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
20GB
            
64 bit
        
        

            
128
            
16,000
            
4,000,000
            
4
            
8
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
30GB
            
64 bit
        
        

            
1200
            
16,000
            
4,000,000
            
12
            
24
            
14GB
            
3GB
            
40GB
            
64 bit
        



      

          

              
Platform
              
Qualified no.  of users
          
      
      

          

          

              
On chassis *
          
          

              
Ares One
              
2
          
          

              
Novus One Plus
              
2
          
          

              
XGS-SDL
              
4
          
          

              
XGS-HSL
              
8
          
          

              
Virtual Chassis **
              
1
          
          

              
Off Chassis
          
          

              
Windows App Server
              
48
          
          

              
ESXi 6.0+/KVM V/Docker
              
48
          
      
  


* on chassis assumes only that same chassis is used in the test.
** the VM resources must be increased with the per user specs

Data storage must present local storage instead of NFS
~ 25 IOPS per user are needed at minimum (HDD max 4 users, SSD up to 15 users, 15+ NVME/OPTANE drive)
A compatible Graphics Card must be present on the server

Multi-user support is directly dependent on the available hardware resources.
The system must meet the required operating system requirements + per user requirements * no. of users.
EX: If we want to run 4 lite users on a Windows 2019 server: Windows needs minimum 2 GB RAM  + 4 users * 2 GB/user = 10 GB RAM is needed at a minimum.


Operating System Support
     
The following versions of Windows operating systems are supported on the client:
    - Windows 2019 Server Standard 64-bit
    - Windows 2016 Server Standard 64-bit
    - Windows 2012 Server R2 Standard 64-bit (*)
    - Windows 10 Pro/Enterprise 64-bit
    - Windows 8.1 Enterprise 32-bit and 64-bit (*)
    - Windows 7 SP1 Enterprise 32-bit and 64-bit
    - Windows 7 SP1 Professional 32-bit and 64-bit
    - Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate 32-bit and 64-bit   

    
(*) The following foreign languages are supported only on Windows 8.1 Enterprise and Windows 2012 Server R2 SP1 Standard:
    - Chinese (traditional and simplified)
    - Japanese
 
For other foreign language support, please change the default to US English.

Note: Regardless of configured OS language, the keyboard must be configured
for US English.

IxNetwork Low Level API library is supported on the following operating systems:
    - Microsoft Windows(OS as stated above) - Tcl 8.5 and 8.6, Perl 5.18, Python 2.7 and 3.6, Ruby 1.9.3
    - CentOS 7 on x64 platform - Tcl 8.5 and 8.6, Perl 5.18, Python 2.7 and 3.6, Ruby 1.9.3
 
IxNetwork Low Level API library has been tried but is not officially supported, on the 
following operating systems/language version combination:
    - CentOS 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 on x64 platform - Tcl 8.5, Perl 5.18, Python 2.7, Ruby 1.9.3
    - Arch Linux on x64 platform - Tcl 8.6, Perl 5.26, Python 3.7
    - Free BSD 10.1 on x64 platform - Tcl 8.6, Perl 5.18, Python 2.7
    - OS X Yosemite on x64 platform - Tcl 8.6, Perl 5.18, Python 2.7
    - Windows 8.1/2012 - Ruby 1.8.7, Ruby 2.2.2

IxNetwork High Level API library is supported on the following operating systems:
- Microsoft Windows(OS as stated above) - Tcl 8.5 and 8.6, Perl 5.24 and Python 2.7 and 3.6
- CentOS 7 on x64 platform - Tcl 8.5 and 8.6 , Perl 5.24 and Python 2.7 and 3.6

IxNetwork Web Edition
1. IxNetwork Web Edition supports IxNetwork web based user interface, QuickTest and API Browser.
2. IxNetwork Web Edition can be installed on VM (ESXi and KVM), Native IxOS chassis.
3. IxNetwork Web Edition software (OVA, QCOW2, Docker, and HSL package) are available as downloads from the Ixia website.


      

          

              
IxNetwork Web Edition
              
OS
              
Network
              
Storage
          
      
      

          

          

              
ESXi OVA
              
ESXi 6.0 Update 2 or ESXi 6.5 (64 bit only)
              
VMXNET3
              
128 GB
          
          

              
KVM QCOW2
              
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or CentOS 7.6.1810 (64 bit only)
              
virtio
              
128 GB
          
          

              
Docker
              
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or CentOS 7.6.1810 (64 bit only)
              
Promiscuous mode enabled
              
128 GB
          
          
      
  


      

          

              
Application
              
IxNetwork Web Edition
          
      
      

          

          

              
Google Chrome
              
80 or newer
          
          

              
Mozilla Firefox
              
79 or newer
          
          

              
Microsoft Internet Explorer
              
11 or newer
          
          

              
Microsoft Edge
              
44.17763.1.0 or newer
          
          

              
Apple Safari
              
12.1.1 or newer
          
      
  


IxNetwork Web Edition can be installed on VMWARE ESXI6.0, or ESXI6.5 via the provided OVA
1. Deploy IxNetwork Web Edition OVA directly on VMWARE ESXI server.
2. Start the deployed VM.
3. Get connected to the link displayed on the console screen (from the browser).
4. Log in with credentials username: admin and password: admin
5. To start the QuickTest session manually, click "New Test".
6. To start the IxNetwork API Server session manually, click "New API Server".
7. To start scripting, click "Download a client".
8. Make sure that all dependencies are installed before starting scripting.
9. Click on package downloads for the corresponding language.
10. Sample codes are given for each language and follow the steps.
Note: to use BGP protocol with VM ports, please change the VLAN from VSwitch in 4095

IxNetwork Web Edition can be installed on KVM via the provided QCOW2 image
Note: IxNetwork Web Edition is supported on KVM with CentOS and Ubuntu Distributions.
1. Deploy QuickTest Web Edition QCOW2 in KVM/Virtual Machine Manager
2. Start the deployed VM.
3. Get connected to the link displayed in the console screen (from the browser).
4. Log in with credentials username: admin and password: admin
5. To start QuickTest session manually, click "New Test".
6. To start IxNetwork API Server session manually, click "New API Server".
7. To start scripting, click "Download a client".
8. Make sure that all dependencies are installed before starting scripting.
9. Click on package downloads for the corresponding language.
10. Sample codes are given for each language and follow the steps.


IxNetwork Web Edition can be deployed as a Docker container via the provided image
Note: IxNetwork Web Edition is supported as Docker container with CentOS and Ubuntu Distributions. 
1. Copy the .tar file on the host
2. Please make sure that the following will have promiscuous enabled:
-  network adapter from the host (CentOS/Ubuntu) or the virtual switch  
-  the interface of the CentOS/Ubuntu
3. Load the image to docker: docker load -i </path/to/tar/file>
4. Create the macvlan bridge to be used by IxNetwork Web Edition: docker network create -d macvlan -o parent=<interface> --subnet <subnet> --gateway=<gateway> <bridge_name>
5. Deploy the IxNetwork Web Edition container using the following command: 
    a. When using MAC VLAN BRIDGE: 
        docker run --net <BRIDGE NAME> \
        --ip <CONTAINER IP> \
        --hostname <HOSTNAME> \
        --name <CONTAINER NAME> \
        --cap-add=SYS_ADMIN \
        --cap-add=NET_ADMIN \
        -i -d \
        -v /sys/fs/cgroup:/sys/fs/cgroup \
        <IMAGE NAME>
    b. When using HTTPS on a specific external port and host IP:
        docker run \
        - p <EXTERNAL PORT>:443 \
        --cap-add=SYS_ADMIN \
        --cap-add=NET_ADMIN \
        -i -d \
        -v /sys/fs/cgroup:/sys/fs/cgroup \
        <IMAGE NAME>
6. Open up a browser and connect to the configured IP.
7. Log in with credentials username: admin and password: admin
8. To start QuickTest session manually, click "New Test".
9. To start IxNetwork API Server session manually, click "New API Server".
10. To start scripting, click "Download a client".
11. Make sure that all dependencies are installed before starting scripting.
12. Click on package downloads for corresponding language.
13. Sample codes are given for each language and follow the steps.
14. Optional mapping of configuration files, results and settings to external folders on host add the following parameters to the command:
        -v <HOST CONFIGS LOCATION>:/root/.local/share/Ixia/sdmStreamManager/common \
        -v <HOST RESULTSLOCATION>:/root/.local/share/Ixia/IxNetwork/data/result \
        -v <HOST SETTINGS LOCATION>:/root/.local/share/IXIA/IxNetwork.Globals \
* The ip parameter assigns a specific IP to the container
** Name and Hostname are optional parameters

IxNetwork Web Edition can be installed on HSL/SDL/AresONE/Novus ONE chassis
 1. Connect to XGS12-HSL/XGS2-HSL/XGS12-SDL/XGS2-SDL/AresONE/Novus ONE chassis.
 2. Log in with credentials username: admin and password: admin
 3. Go to Administration - IxNetwork Web Edition screen.
 4. Click on "Manual Updates" and point to IxNetwork Web Edition HSL package file.
 5. Follow the on-screen instructions provided by the installer.



IxNetwork Web Edition can be installed on VE Chassis
 1. Connect to VE chassis.
 2. Log in with credentials username: admin and password: admin
 3. Click on the Install New Application button.
 4. Click on "Browse" and point to the IxNetwork Web Edition package file.
 5. Follow the on-screen instructions provided by the installer.

Notes:
- The first time IxNetwork Web Edition is installed on the VE Chassis the installation will take longer due to the installation of dependencies
- The VE Chassis virtual machine must be provisioned with at least 4 vCPUs / 8 GB RAM for the install to be complete, IxNetwork Web Edition will use half of the provisioned resources
- The vdisk size will have to be increased to at least 40GB to make room for the test results 
- The disk drive performance can influence the application performance, having a faster drive will provide the best results

Display Requirements
Recommended screen resolution: 1920 x 1080
If a display device with high resolution is used, it is recommended to change the text size to 
100% from the display settings of the operating system for best usability experience.
For Microsoft Windows 10 operating system: It is recommended to update at least to Windows 10 April 2018 Update 
release for best usability experience.
   
Linux/UNIX Installation Notes
The binary Linux installer will hang indefinitely if being started from an account 
without root or administrative privileges or at least R(read)W(write)X(execute) permissions 
on the /opt folder.

Support on Linux/UNIX operating systems is for Tcl 8.5 & 8.6, Perl, Python 2.7 & 3.6  or Ruby API only,
there is no graphical user interface (GUI) provided.

Versions of Linux/UNIX platforms other than the ones enumerated above may operate
properly, but they are not officially supported.

Linux/UNIX Tcl Client Installation Notes
IxNetwork comes with Linux platforms dedicated installer, which has the TCL
interpreter bundled. The installation instructions are described in the IxNetwork
Help guide. 

IxNetwork also ships a Platform Independent installer (compressed tar) for Linux/UNIX 
platforms. Information about dependencies and installation instructions of this 
Platform Independent installer is as below.  

Dependencies:

 - TCL interpreter version 8.5 & 8.6

Instructions for installation and testing:

 1. Download and copy the IxNetwork Platform Independent Client installer to
    the client machine with TCL interpreter version 8.5 & 8.6
        
 2. Extract it with tar -zxvf  command.  For example:  
    # tar -zxvf  IxNetworkPITclClient[version].tar.gz
        
 3. Start the TCL shell or wish console on the client system and execute the
    following commands: 
    - lappend auto_path [directory where the compressed tar file was extracted to]
    - package req IxTclNetwork  (this should return a version number)
    - ixNet connect [IxNetwork TCL Server address] (this should return ::ixNet::OK)
   
If you are updating an existing installation, be sure to run the installer as the
same user which initially installed the software.

Always run the uninstaller prior to removing any files manually.

If installing as root and the install location is a network-mounted file system,
ensure root has write permission to the file system prior to starting the installer.

Linux/UNIX Python API Installation Notes
IxNetwork Linux/UNIX installer also delivers the Python API under the installation 
directory [install_dir]/ixia/ixnetwork/[version]/lib/PythonApi.
 
User will need to manually install the IxNetwork.py file. Normally, the file will 
be installed to the standard location for third-party Python modules. This location
varies by platform and by how Python was built/installed. On Linux/UNIX (and Mac OS X, 
which is also /UNIX-based), it also depends on whether the module distribution being
installed is pure Python or contains extensions ("non-pure"): 
 
Platform              Standard installation location          Default value
--------              ------------------------------          -------------
Linux/UNIX(pure)      prefix/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages      /usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages/IxNetwork
Linux/UNIX(non-pure)  exec-prefix/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages /usr/local/lib/pythonX.Y/site-packages/IxNetworkTCL 

Linux/UNIX Ruby API Installation Notes
IxNetwork Linux/UNIX installer also delivers the Ruby API under the installation 
directory [install_dir]/ixia/ixnetwork/[version]/lib/RubyApi.
 
User will need to manually install the IxNetwork.rb file. Normally, the file will 
be installed to the standard location for third-party Ruby modules. This location
varies by platform and by how Ruby was built/installed. 
User can also add in the script the location to the IxNetwork Ruby library 
$:.unshift '<the folder where IxNetwork.rb is>'
require 'IxNetwork'
 
Linux/UNIX Perl API Installation Notes
IxNetwork Linux/UNIX installer also delivers the Perl API under the installation 
directory [install_dir]/ixia/ixnetwork/[version]/lib/PerlApi.
 
User will need to manually install the IxNetwork.pl file. Normally, the file will 
be installed to the standard location for third-party Perl modules. This location
varies by platform and by how Perl was built/installed. 
User can also add in the script the location to the IxNetwork Perl library 
use lib "<the folder where IxNetwork.pl is>";
use IxNetwork;
 
 
REST API Installation Notes
IxNetwork.exe process must be started with the following argument: -restPort [tcp port number]
Optional arguments: -restOnAllInterfaces -restTrace
Support for: GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE, OPTIONS methods
Automation language of choice must support the above methods
Base URL: http://localhost:<tcp rest port number>/api/v1/sessions/1/ixnetwork


Notes:
- The first time IxNetwork Web Edition is installed on the VE Chassis the installation will take longer due to the installation of dependencies
- The VE Chassis virtual machine must be provisioned with at least 4 vCPUs / 8 GB RAM for the install to be complete, IxNetwork Web Edition will use half of the provisioned resources
- The vdisk size will have to be increased to at least 40GB to make room for the test results 
- The disk drive performance can influence the application performance, having a faster drive will provide the best results

Tcl/Perl/Python/Ruby/REST Support for Client Applications

Please refer to the IxNetwork documentation for guidance on its usage. 

How to Report Problems

    

        

            

                
Ixia Headquarters
                

                    
+1 877 367 4942 - Toll-free North America
                    
+1 818 871 1800 - Outside North America
                    
+1.818.871.1805 - Fax
                    
www.ixiacom.com/contact/info
                
            
        
        

            

                
Support
                

                

                    
Global Support
                    
+1 818 595 2599
                    

                        
support@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
APAC Support
                    
+91 80 4939 6410
                    

                        
support@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Australia
                    
+61-742434942
                    

                        
support@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
EMEA Support
                    
+40 21 301 5699
                    

                        
support-emea@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Greater China Region
                    

                        
+400 898 0598 
                    
                    

                        
support-china@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Hong Kong 
                    
+852-30084465
                    

                        
support@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
India Office
                    
+91 80 4939 6410
                    

                        
support-india@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Japan Head Office
                    
+81 3 5326 1980
                    

                        
support-japan@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Korea Office
                    
+82 2 3461 0095
                    

                        
support-korea@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Singapore Office
                    
+65-6215-7700
                    

                        
support@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                

                    
Taiwan (local toll-free number)
                    
00801856991
                    

                        
support@ixiacom.com
                        
                    
                
                
            
        
    

Additional Documentation

Please refer to our website at https://support.ixiacom.com/support-overview/product-support/downloads-updates.

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 mailto:support.ix@keysight.com.