Testing, testing: one, two, three

Daniel Coetzee, account manager, Concilium Technologies.

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There's a growing deployment of next-generation fibre networks, as high-speed Internet traffic from both the upstream and downstream perspectives continues to increase. This traffic, naturally, is being driven by demand for services such as online gaming, file sharing and cloud computing.

In fact, suggests Daniel Coetzee, account manager at Concilium Technologies, we are approaching the point where we will soon be moving from 40Gb to 100Gb networks.

"Trends in the networking, monitoring and data arena seem to indicate that within the next three years, such a move will occur, driven by growing demand for high-speed data in both the business and the home. With the development of real-time classroom learning capabilities and the uptake of video-on-demand services, the increasing size of such networks can really be attributed to the need to keep up with the things people want to do with it," he says.

"Of course, as such networks are implemented, the need to be able to test and certify their performance will be critical. Not only is the high cost related to upgrading to 100Gb hardware a challenge, but so too are the limitations of the associated testing tools. As the capability of the fibre increases, of course, so the equipment needed to test the fibre infrastructure also has to be upgraded in order to remain capable of testing it."

When it comes to being able to test 100Gb networks properly, Coetzee points out that a thorough roll-over plan must be implemented before one migrates fully to a the 100Gb network. Definitive test data must be gathered to optimise the network, he explains, and equipment suppliers must offer incentive or upgrade schemes to make the hardware changeover more affordable to networking companies.

"Modular systems that are easily upgradeable are the key here, after all, customers don't want to constantly be recapitalising on these testing tools, which are in and of themselves quite expensive, so it's imperative that the providers of such tools develop them modularly, so they can more easily be upgraded to meet future network needs and faster line speeds."

Some of the key things that need to be tested for, he adds, include data centre latency, which is crucial in a high speed network fabric. One also has to test for data integrity, so that it's possible to ensure that data being transferred is trusted, is delivered with properly consistent throughput and to ensure it complies with 100Gb standards.

So if we're already on the cusp of moving to 100Gb fibre lines, where do we go from there, since the one certainty is that in a digitally transforming future, line size is not going to stop at the 100Gb mark?

"It's hard to really tell where the next generation of networking will lead us. Higher bandwidth speeds will always be a requirement for the evolving and connected world. The challenge for organisations is to constantly invest in quality maintenance and testing tools which will ultimately allow them to remain relevant, desirable and to be the networking pioneers of the future."

"While enterprises will always look to implement higher speed networks, the key to success lies in being able to ensure it works properly, and to do this you need the right testing tools. Thus it is a symbiotic relationship between the entities demanding higher speeds, the networks providing them and the businesses crafting the tools required to undertake the tests. The latter, of course, need to constantly have one eye on the future demands of this industry, so that regardless of how network size increases, they too are able to stay ahead of developments and deliver the tools necessary to ensure such networks can operate effectively," he concludes.