Ixia Software Release Notes
IxOS 9.23
Build Number: 9.23.2900.2 (Apr, 2022)
IxOS 9.23 is a software release targeted for the Virtual Edition platform. This release is focused on introducing support for higher speed Mellanox Network Interface Cards, on enabling
support for a few features previously available only on the IxNetwork hardware platform, on updating internal software components, and on addressing issues reported by our customers.
Starting with this release IxOS VE supports new 200G / 400G NIC models connected in PCI-PT / SR-IOV mode such as Mellanox BlueField-2 200G, Mellanox BlueField-3 400G, and
Mellanox ConnectX-7 400G (the 400G interfaces are supported at BETA level with preliminary driver MLX 5.4.1.0.3). All other lower speed NICs continue to be supported except for
Mellanox ConnectX-3 10G / 40G which has been discontinued by the manufacturer.
This release also introduces support for Data Integrity traffic statistics which are useful for detecting whether the packet payload has been modified in transit. It also contains updated versions
for several key software components of IxOS VE such as the DPDK libraries (update from v20.11 to v21.11), the CloudInit deployment automation framework (update from v0.7.4 to v19.4),
and the Intel SR-IOV VF drivers (update from i40evf to iavf).
IxOS 9.23 only supports Private Cloud platforms powered by ESXi / KVM hypervisors and vCenter / OpenStack orchestrators. This release is not supported in any Public Cloud. This release only
supports Virtual Ports and it does not support Hardware Ports. Lastly this release does not have a corresponding IxLoad VE 9.23 compatible release. Any user who wants to use IxOS in Public Clouds,
or use IxOS Hardware Ports, or use IxNetwork and IxLoad together, should utilize the IxOS 9.20 / IxNetwork 9.20 / IxLoad 9.20 releases instead. Please see the sections below for more details on
application and hardware compatibility, new features, resolved defects, and known issues.
Application Compatibility
The following application releases support IxOS 9.23:
| Application |
IxOS 9.23 |
| BPS |
Not Supported |
| HLTAPI |
9.23 |
| IxANVL |
Not Supported |
| IxLoad |
Not Supported |
| IxNetwork |
9.23 |
| IxVM |
9.23 |
| Licensing |
5.40 |
| Wireshark |
3.2.6 |
In addition, current interoperability and compatibility coverage for IxOS 9.23 can also be retrieved using the on-line compatibility tool. Please contact Keysight for details.
Ixia Licensing
Any chassis which runs IxServer must have an IxOS license installed on it.
IxOS 9.23 ships with Ixia Licensing 5.40, which is installed automatically along with IxOS Installation.
Some of the key benefits of this new licensing system are:
- Reduced the number of licensing services from 4 to 1 (Ixia nodedv3).
- The list of TCP ports required for external connections has been reduced, specifically TCP port 4502 is no longer required.
- Improved performance and memory usage.
Installing a License
Ixia Licensing 5.40 upgrades Ixia Licensing 5.30 and prior versions.
Once upgraded, Ixia Licensing cannot be downgraded to previous versions.
If upgrading from the Ixia Registration Utility (IRU) used in IxOS 8.00 and earlier releases, note that
automatic license migration is no longer possible. Please contact Support to assist you with the upgrade and with license retrieval.
For more information about the IxLicensing system, please refer to the "Ixia Licensing Management User Guide"
provided with the Ixia software, or downloadable from the Ixia web site.
Operating System Support
Windows Client PC:
- Windows 2008 Server 64-bit
- Windows 7 Enterprise 32-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 7 Professional 32-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit (Build 7601)
- Windows 2012 Server Standard R2 64-bit
- Windows 8.1 Enterprise 32-bit and 64-bit (Build 9600)
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Build 2004)
The following versions of Windows operating systems are no longer supported on the client:
- Windows Vista Enterprise SP2 32-bit and 64-bit - starting with IxOS 8.21 EA
- Windows XP Professional 32-bit SP3 - starting with IxOS 8.30 EA
UNIX Client PC:
- Fedora Core 14.0 and above
- RedHat Enterprise 5.0 and above
- Centos 6.0 and above
- Ubuntu 16.0 and above
Other versions of UNIX platforms may operate properly, but are not officially supported.
VMware
- Server 1.0.2
- Server 2.0
Supported Chassis
This release supports the following chassis:
- Virtual Chassis
- Virtual Test Appliance
Tcl Version Option
IxOS 9.23 is shipping with Tcl 8.5 and 8.6. Both of them will be installed and the option
of using either of the version can be set for usage as follows:
1. On Windows Chassis, open TCL Server and select appropriate TCL version from options.
2. On Windows Client, select appropriate TCL version from Desktop or Start Menu shortcut.
3. On Native IxOS Chassis, login to IxOS CLI using SSH and execute: set tcl active-version 8.x
4. On Unix Client, execute a script inside installed directory: ./bin/set_tcl_active_version.sh 8.x
Chassis Management Console
Chassis Management Console (CMC) is a web application that provides access to Ixia Native IxOS Chassis and its components
(i.e. load modules and ports) and enables users to control and monitor the chassis by means of any client computer connected to it.
CMC is supported on following browsers:
| Application |
Version |
| Google Chrome |
75 or newer |
| Mozilla Firefox |
67 or newer |
| Microsoft Edge |
38 or newer |
| Apple Safari |
12.1.1 or newer |
UNIX Client Installation Notes
Using .bin Installer:
This installs packages for IxOS TCL API and Ixia TCL Interpreter. If you are updating an existing
installation, be sure to run the installer as the same user who initially installed the software. Always
run the uninstaller prior to removing any files manually. If installing as the root user and install
location is a network-mounted file system, ensure the root user has write permission to the file system.
To proceed with installation, perform following steps (Note: the binary file name 'IxOS9.23.XXX.XXXLinux.bin'
is used in the example below. In most cases, the file name will be different):
1. Copy the IxOS9.23.XXX.XXXLinux.bin file to the system.
2. Make the binary executable if it is not already: chmod +x ./IxOS9.23.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
Also, make sure target installation directory has full permissions granted.
3. Execute the IxOS installer file: ./IxOS9.23.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
4. When the installer prompts, select appropriate Tcl version (e.g. 8.5 or 8.6)
5. Follow the installation prompts to complete the installation.
If the installation fails, check that there is enough disk space on the system by using the command: df -ak
There must be enough space in the /tmp folder (to extract the files), and in the target folder (where files are
to be installed). If the /tmp dir does not have enough space, specify the dir by setting IATEMPDIR environment
with path to the folder where you have enough free space. The following example show the use of the options:
export IATEMPDIR=/tempdir
./IxOS9.23.XXX.XXXLinux.bin
Using .tar.gz:
This installs packages for IxOS TCL API only. To install, perform the following steps:
1. Create a destination folder and extract contents of .tar.gz file into it. e.g. /export/home/ixos9.23
2. After extraction, set the following variables (please replace sample path with original path):
IXIA_HOME=/export/home/ixos9.23
IXIA_VERSION=9.23.XXX.XXX
TCLLIBPATH=/export/home/ixos9.23/lib
3. Optionally, specify the following environment variables to specify the location of logs, samples and results files for IxOS:
IXIA_LOGS_DIR=$IXIA_HOME/logs
IXIA_RESULTS_DIR=$IXIA_HOME/results
IXIA_SAMPLES=$IXIA_HOME/samples
IXIA_TCL_DIR=$IXIA_HOME/lib
4. If the Tcl option was installed with an IxOS installation, add Ixia's bin
and lib directory to the PATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH variable in order to use it.
For example:
IxiaLibPath=$IXIA_HOME/lib
IxiaBinPath=$IXIA_HOME/bin
PATH=$IxiaBinPath:$PATH
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$IxiaLibPath:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
Multiple IxOS versions
Multiple IxOS versions can co-exist on an Ixia Chassis or client. Installing another IxOS version does not affect the existing versions.
On Windows Chassis, to set active IxOS version, users are required to close any running instance of
IxServer or TCL Server and start the intended IxServer version from Start Menu or Desktop Shortcuts.
On Native IxOS Chassis, users can login to IxOS CLI via SSH and set active IxOS version using
the command: set ixos active-version 8.x.x.x
NOTE: Any card, port, stream, etc., files generated by IxOS are forward compatible but not backward compatible.
Tcl Server was first supplied free of charge starting with IxOS 3.80 EA.
Installation of this feature is optional; it should only be installed if
required for specific application.
Installation and operation of the Tcl Server is required for IxChariot when
running hardware performance pairs, for IxANVL when running VNIC (Virtual
Network Interface Card) and for IxAuthenticate. The Tcl Server can be installed
on either the Ixia chassis or a separate Windows workstation.
The following limitations exist with respect to Wish and Tcl shell support:
Tcl shell does not run on any version of Windows with Ixia software. Under
Linux or Solaris, the Tcl shell runs on any version of Tcl greater than or
equal to 8.3.
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Ixia Headquarters
|
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Support
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Please refer to our website at http://support.ixiacom.com/support-services/product-support/user-guides.
You will be required to provide a login and password to enter this section of
the web site. If you do not have the username and password, please forward your
request to support@ixiacom.com.
Laser Warnings
The 10G load modules may use a Class III laser. Precautions should be
taken to prevent personal injury. The spring-loaded safety cover should always be
securely in place over the port when there is no cable installed. Avoid exposure
and never look directly into an open port aperture.
Inserting / Removing Load Modules
Modules in the XGS12-SD, XGS12-HSL, XGS12-SDL, XGS2-SD, XGS2-HSL, XGS2-SDL, and XM2 can be inserted/removed while the chassis is still operational.
For all chassis types, use caution when inserting or removing multi-slot modules
to evenly insert and remove. Load modules are tightly spaced; avoid contacting
the adjoining modules while inserting and removing.
Safety Notice Regarding Ixia Load Modules
WARNING: In order to prevent accidental injury to personnel, do not leave transceiver
(SFP/SFP+/QSFP/QSFP28/CXP/CFP4) cages uncovered on Ixia load modules. When transceivers
are not installed, port end caps (Part No. 503-006) must be used. The metal edge of
the transceiver cage is SHARP. To avoid injury, ALWAYS keep the transceiver cage covered.
Contact Ixia Technical Support to obtain end caps. Please reference Ixia Product
safety notice Part No. 913-0715 Rev A, June 2009. For additional information
refer to Chapter three of the IXOS Getting Started Guide under the section,
Notes, Cautions and Warnings.
Use Ejector Tabs Properly
Ejector tabs on load modules are to be used only to eject a load module from
the chassis backplane connector. They are not designed to support the weight
of the load module. Ejector tabs can bend or break if used improperly as handles
to push, pull, or carry a load module.
| None |
| Support for new CLI commands has been added on vChassis / vAppliance. The user can now disable strong password validation and can configure periodic log file cleanup. |
| Support for new Data Integrity statistics for L23 Traffic has been added. These statistics are useful for detecting payload modification and are disabled by default. |
| Support for new Mellanox BlueField-2 200G NICs running in PCI-PT or SR-IOV mode has been added. These are supported with and without DPDK Performance Acceleration. |
| Support for new Mellanox BlueField-3 400G NICs running in PCI-PT or SR-IOV mode has been added (BETA). The support is based on the preliminary MLX 5.4.1.0.3 driver. |
| Support for new Mellanox ConnectX-7 400G NICs running in PCI-PT or SR-IOV mode has been added (BETA). The support is based on the preliminary MLX 5.4.1.0.3 driver. |
| Support for older Mellanox ConnectX-3 10G / 40G NICs has been discontinued starting with this release. These NIC models are no longer supported by the manufacturer. |
| Support for updated Cloud Init v19.4 has been added along with support for new data sources. This helps automating the initial deployment and configuration process. |
| Support for updated DPDK 21.11 libraries has been added. This new version replaces the previous DPDK 20.11 libraries and helps optimize performance / compatibility. |
| Support for updated Intel 7xx / 8xx NIC drivers for SR-IOV Virtual Functions has been added. The existing i40evf drivers have been replaced by the newer iavf drivers. |
VM
| Bug Number |
Notes |
| IXOS-8401 |
Support for new LLDP Topology Discovery requires custom setup configurations depending on the driver used on the test ports. Please consult the IxVM Reference Guide for further details. |
| IXOS-8402 |
Enabling LLDP on the Virtual Chassis or Virtual Test Appliance through CloudInit is not possible. These settings will have to be set after deployment. |