Huawei Routers and Switches Pass Test Successfully
The results of tests conducted at the Technological Park of FSUE TsNIIS indicate that the AR1220VW router and S5700 28C-EI switch manufactured by Huawei Technologies meet the stated functional requirements.
Huawei and FSUE TsNIIS have been certifying equipment and since 2003 have implemented a number of joint testing projects, including the Softswicth flexible switch, IMS and IP / MPLS solutions. Since the Institute’s modern measuring base is constantly expanding, in the future it is planned to focus not only on telecommunication equipment, but also conduct testing of equipment at the enterprise level. One of these tests is described below.
As part of the testing of communication equipment, the State Unitary Enterprise TsNIIS interacts with large international standardizing organizations (ITU, ETSI, etc.), conducts an independent assessment and confirms the compliance of the equipment with the declared specifications. Such work is carried out both within the framework of mandatory state certification, and by order of individual manufacturers, enterprises and telecom operators. In this case, manufacturers get an additional advantage in the sale of equipment (a kind of analogue of voluntary certification), and operators and other equipment buyers may not have to divert resources for testing on their networks (or shorten the test program).
Testing equipment provides a number of benefits to its manufacturers and potential customers. The former can use the results in various public events held by the company, as arguments in negotiations with customers, to develop new tests that more fully reveal the capabilities of the equipment in different scenarios. There is an extra argument in the competition. Customers get great confidence in the compliance of the purchased equipment with the stated requirements.
For example, according to previous load tests, the OSPF convergence time on Huawei routers and switches reaches 30 and 200-300 ms, respectively. We checked the number of BGP routes that the AR1200, AR2220, and S5710 equipment can take, with the CPU load determined. We performed load tests with NAT and PBR - building the dependence of the CPU load on traffic, the transit time of Industrial Ethernet packets through an overflowed 10G channel with QoS settings. The zero delay variation in these tests demonstrates the benefits of hardware support for QoS and VxWorks RTOS, which Huawei uses.
Huawei's next-generation AR1200 series routers are enterprise-class equipment built on the basis of the universal routing platform (VRP) and multi-core processor. They combine routing, switching, WLAN support, 3G services, voice services, and security features. The AR1200 family includes four models - AR1220, AR1220V, AR1220W and AR1220VW. This complex solution for corporate networks provides non-blocking switching, has high speed and functional characteristics, offers the possibility of expanding the system, meeting the requirements of network expansion and enterprise development. Support for wired (copper and fiber) and wireless networks (WLAN, UMTS: (3G, LTE)) means flexibility in choosing network access methods. A comprehensive security mechanism includes user access control, packet recognition and active protection against attempts to violate protection. Services are controlled by iTec, NQA and NetStream.
AR1200 devices function as branch routers of the enterprise and provide flexible remote access, including connections via a dedicated line :( Ethernet, E1, xDSL) and using wireless access: (WLAN, 3G, LTE). The AR1200 can also act as a local IP-PBX with IVR functions and call statistics or can be used as a SIP voice gateway for corporate networks. In the event of a failure in the global network, a public switched telephone network is used as a backup for calls. If the SIP server is unavailable at the central office, the SIP server built into the AR1200 router communicates between the branches, as well as between the branch and the PSTN, guaranteeing the reliability of voice communication services. The AR1200 also provides fast VPN channel deployment and branch authentication.
Compliance with 3G standards, including CDMA2000 EV-DO, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA, meets the requirements of wireless communications between branches and the central office. 3G can be used as an add-on for a wired communication channel. Such an additional channel improves network stability. The NQA function allows you to control the quality of the 3G communication channel (SLA). Support for voice functions and 3G determines the scope of the device. It can be used as a router for a small office with the possibility of redundancy. It is well suited for the SOHO segment.
AR1200 routers have established themselves as inexpensive equipment with good features. They provide support for fast convergence for both routing protocols and MPLS LSP, support MPLS VPN + Fast Reroute, which allows it to be used in scenarios with an increased requirement for reliable connections.
The latest test also involved Huawei S5700-28C-EI-24S smart energy-saving Ethernet switches with 24 10/100/1000 Mbps ports and four additional ComboSFPs. S5700 Series Gigabit Switches are the next generation of hardware designed by Huawei to meet the demands of broadband access and multiservice traffic aggregation. These switches are designed specifically for small and medium enterprises. The S5700-EI is a third-level gigabit switch that supports all existing routing protocols for IPv4 and IPv6 (except EIGRP). It is positioned as an access and aggregation level device. The ability to connect 4x10G ports without oversubscribing allows you to use it at the aggregation level with the ability to connect to the core.
These switches can work on campus networks of enterprises, providing various network services, such as: IGMP V 1,2,3, HTTPS, IPv6 ,, RMON, SNMP V1,2 ,, Telnet, RIP, OSPF.
The Huawei Technologies AR1220VW router and S5700 28C-EI switchboard were tested with the basic settings ( 1 ) for compliance with the declared functional requirements on the reference model communication network (see Figure 1) in the territory of the Technological Park of FSUE TsNIIS in Moscow. For measurements, the Spirent TestCenter SPT-N4U-220 hardware generator / traffic analyzer and the START UP JS-309 electronic stopwatch were used.
Figure 1. Scheme for connecting equipment of AR1220VW routers and S5700 28C EI switch to the reference network.
During the tests, the time of convergence in the OSPF domain was checked (with the determination of the mechanisms influencing it), the correctness of the classification and processing of traffic in accordance with the specified service rules, the possibility of implementing queue servicing mechanisms, including the formation and maintenance of the PQ priority queue, the function of transmitting transit traffic by a switching router by LSR tags ( 2 ). Verification of MPLS scalability and switching time between label switching routes ( 3 ) ( 4)) The results of all these tests were positive. As for the last two tests, after adding more than a hundred static label routes, the routing table was still able to receive new route records, and the time required to combine and redirect traffic to the backup switching route by LSP labels after the main route is unavailable, was 20 ms ( 5 ) ( 6 ).
MAIN RESULTS
According to the test results, the AR1220VW router and the S5700 28C-EI switch support mechanisms that affect the convergence time in the OSPF domain, and also correctly classify and process traffic of various classes in accordance with the specified service rules. An increase in the bandwidth occupied by low-priority traffic does not affect the characteristics of the traffic stream with the highest priority (percentage of packet loss, transmission delay). These actions only affect the characteristics of the stream with the lowest priority.
To test the ability of the switch to handle traffic of various classes, several flows of equal value were fed to the incoming interface of the Huawei Quidway S5700 switch. Threads were labeled DSPC ( 7), and the Traffic Control settings were configured so that, with a total channel bandwidth of 100 Mbps, set the guaranteed throughput for streams with a DSCP ef tag of 50 Mbps (for all streams in total), and for all streams with a cs3 tag - 40 Mbps.
Figure 2 . Testing the operation of two channels with different priorities.
Figure 3. Test with added low priority stream.
Figure 4 . Adding two more threads.
As can be seen from the obtained graphs (see Fig. 2-4), priority traffic (red) is provided with guaranteed throughput for a different number of low-priority flows. This confirms the ability of the equipment to handle traffic with different priorities.
The AR1220VW router and the S5700 28C-EI switch also support mechanisms for the formation and maintenance of the PQ (QoS Priority Queue) queue (see Figures 5 and 6). Due to this, the increase in the bandwidth occupied by low-priority traffic does not affect the characteristics of the traffic stream with the highest priority (percentage of packet loss, transmission delay, throughput for a high-priority stream). These actions only affect the characteristics of the stream with the lowest priority.
Figure 5 . Initially, there are two channels with different priorities. Their total capacity exceeds the allocated bandwidth, which causes conflicts.
Figure 6. The result of applying PQ ( 8) The diagram has become smoother, packet loss and delay have decreased.
Testing the function of transmitting transit traffic by a LSR-switched router ( 9 ) also gave positive results: there are no lost packets and packets with an incorrect label value. The AR1220VW and S5700 28C-EI equipment supports the LSR label switched transit traffic with label replacement and the correct transmission of a packet with a new label (see Figure 7).
Figure 7 . Test network configuration. As the results showed, label switching is successful.
To test the scalability of MPLS, testers tried to determine the maximum number of switching routes by LSP tags that the router can serve ( 10) Multiple label routes have been added to the MPLS routing table. After adding more than one hundred static routes by labels, the routing table was able to accept new route entries, which indicates high scalability.
In the test switching between label switching routes, the time required for the router to redirect traffic to the backup switching route according to LSP tags was determined after the main route became unavailable due to a change in network topology or unreachable ( 11 ).
The network test configuration corresponded to Figure 1. In this test, two routes were configured: R1 - R2 and R1 - switch L3 - R2. The first is selected as a priority. After a physical disconnection of the R1 - R2 connection, automatic switching from the main MPLS route to the backup route was carried out. This switching was carried out within 20 ms.
All six tests provided by the "Program and Test Methodology" gave a positive result. The test results showed that Huawei Technologies AR1220VW and S5700 28C-EI support mechanisms that affect the convergence time in the OSPF domain, correctly classifies and processes traffic of various classes in accordance with the specified service rules, and the increase in the bandwidth occupied by low-priority traffic is not affects the characteristics of the traffic stream with the highest priority (percentage of packet loss, transmission delay), and affects only the characteristics of the stream with the lowest priority. It supports the ability to implement queue servicing mechanisms — the generation and maintenance of the PQ priority queue, as well as the function of transmitting transit traffic with LSR label switching, with the replacement of the label and the correct transfer of the packet with the new label. These switches and routers provide flexible MPLS scalability mechanisms, switching between label switching routes. At the same time, the time required to combine and redirect traffic to the backup switching route by LSP labels due to the inaccessibility of the main one as a result of a change in network topology or unreachability was 20 ms.
These results indicate that the AR1220VW router and Huawei Technologies S5700 28C-EI switch meet the stated functional requirements.
Huawei and FSUE TsNIIS have been certifying equipment and since 2003 have implemented a number of joint testing projects, including the Softswicth flexible switch, IMS and IP / MPLS solutions. Since the Institute’s modern measuring base is constantly expanding, in the future it is planned to focus not only on telecommunication equipment, but also conduct testing of equipment at the enterprise level. One of these tests is described below.
As part of the testing of communication equipment, the State Unitary Enterprise TsNIIS interacts with large international standardizing organizations (ITU, ETSI, etc.), conducts an independent assessment and confirms the compliance of the equipment with the declared specifications. Such work is carried out both within the framework of mandatory state certification, and by order of individual manufacturers, enterprises and telecom operators. In this case, manufacturers get an additional advantage in the sale of equipment (a kind of analogue of voluntary certification), and operators and other equipment buyers may not have to divert resources for testing on their networks (or shorten the test program).
Testing equipment provides a number of benefits to its manufacturers and potential customers. The former can use the results in various public events held by the company, as arguments in negotiations with customers, to develop new tests that more fully reveal the capabilities of the equipment in different scenarios. There is an extra argument in the competition. Customers get great confidence in the compliance of the purchased equipment with the stated requirements.
For example, according to previous load tests, the OSPF convergence time on Huawei routers and switches reaches 30 and 200-300 ms, respectively. We checked the number of BGP routes that the AR1200, AR2220, and S5710 equipment can take, with the CPU load determined. We performed load tests with NAT and PBR - building the dependence of the CPU load on traffic, the transit time of Industrial Ethernet packets through an overflowed 10G channel with QoS settings. The zero delay variation in these tests demonstrates the benefits of hardware support for QoS and VxWorks RTOS, which Huawei uses.
Huawei's next-generation AR1200 series routers are enterprise-class equipment built on the basis of the universal routing platform (VRP) and multi-core processor. They combine routing, switching, WLAN support, 3G services, voice services, and security features. The AR1200 family includes four models - AR1220, AR1220V, AR1220W and AR1220VW. This complex solution for corporate networks provides non-blocking switching, has high speed and functional characteristics, offers the possibility of expanding the system, meeting the requirements of network expansion and enterprise development. Support for wired (copper and fiber) and wireless networks (WLAN, UMTS: (3G, LTE)) means flexibility in choosing network access methods. A comprehensive security mechanism includes user access control, packet recognition and active protection against attempts to violate protection. Services are controlled by iTec, NQA and NetStream.
AR1200 devices function as branch routers of the enterprise and provide flexible remote access, including connections via a dedicated line :( Ethernet, E1, xDSL) and using wireless access: (WLAN, 3G, LTE). The AR1200 can also act as a local IP-PBX with IVR functions and call statistics or can be used as a SIP voice gateway for corporate networks. In the event of a failure in the global network, a public switched telephone network is used as a backup for calls. If the SIP server is unavailable at the central office, the SIP server built into the AR1200 router communicates between the branches, as well as between the branch and the PSTN, guaranteeing the reliability of voice communication services. The AR1200 also provides fast VPN channel deployment and branch authentication.
Compliance with 3G standards, including CDMA2000 EV-DO, WCDMA and TD-SCDMA, meets the requirements of wireless communications between branches and the central office. 3G can be used as an add-on for a wired communication channel. Such an additional channel improves network stability. The NQA function allows you to control the quality of the 3G communication channel (SLA). Support for voice functions and 3G determines the scope of the device. It can be used as a router for a small office with the possibility of redundancy. It is well suited for the SOHO segment.
AR1200 routers have established themselves as inexpensive equipment with good features. They provide support for fast convergence for both routing protocols and MPLS LSP, support MPLS VPN + Fast Reroute, which allows it to be used in scenarios with an increased requirement for reliable connections.
The latest test also involved Huawei S5700-28C-EI-24S smart energy-saving Ethernet switches with 24 10/100/1000 Mbps ports and four additional ComboSFPs. S5700 Series Gigabit Switches are the next generation of hardware designed by Huawei to meet the demands of broadband access and multiservice traffic aggregation. These switches are designed specifically for small and medium enterprises. The S5700-EI is a third-level gigabit switch that supports all existing routing protocols for IPv4 and IPv6 (except EIGRP). It is positioned as an access and aggregation level device. The ability to connect 4x10G ports without oversubscribing allows you to use it at the aggregation level with the ability to connect to the core.
These switches can work on campus networks of enterprises, providing various network services, such as: IGMP V 1,2,3, HTTPS, IPv6 ,, RMON, SNMP V1,2 ,, Telnet, RIP, OSPF.
TEST SCHEME
The Huawei Technologies AR1220VW router and S5700 28C-EI switchboard were tested with the basic settings ( 1 ) for compliance with the declared functional requirements on the reference model communication network (see Figure 1) in the territory of the Technological Park of FSUE TsNIIS in Moscow. For measurements, the Spirent TestCenter SPT-N4U-220 hardware generator / traffic analyzer and the START UP JS-309 electronic stopwatch were used.
Figure 1. Scheme for connecting equipment of AR1220VW routers and S5700 28C EI switch to the reference network.
During the tests, the time of convergence in the OSPF domain was checked (with the determination of the mechanisms influencing it), the correctness of the classification and processing of traffic in accordance with the specified service rules, the possibility of implementing queue servicing mechanisms, including the formation and maintenance of the PQ priority queue, the function of transmitting transit traffic by a switching router by LSR tags ( 2 ). Verification of MPLS scalability and switching time between label switching routes ( 3 ) ( 4)) The results of all these tests were positive. As for the last two tests, after adding more than a hundred static label routes, the routing table was still able to receive new route records, and the time required to combine and redirect traffic to the backup switching route by LSP labels after the main route is unavailable, was 20 ms ( 5 ) ( 6 ).
MAIN RESULTS
According to the test results, the AR1220VW router and the S5700 28C-EI switch support mechanisms that affect the convergence time in the OSPF domain, and also correctly classify and process traffic of various classes in accordance with the specified service rules. An increase in the bandwidth occupied by low-priority traffic does not affect the characteristics of the traffic stream with the highest priority (percentage of packet loss, transmission delay). These actions only affect the characteristics of the stream with the lowest priority.
To test the ability of the switch to handle traffic of various classes, several flows of equal value were fed to the incoming interface of the Huawei Quidway S5700 switch. Threads were labeled DSPC ( 7), and the Traffic Control settings were configured so that, with a total channel bandwidth of 100 Mbps, set the guaranteed throughput for streams with a DSCP ef tag of 50 Mbps (for all streams in total), and for all streams with a cs3 tag - 40 Mbps.
Figure 2 . Testing the operation of two channels with different priorities.
Figure 3. Test with added low priority stream.
Figure 4 . Adding two more threads.
As can be seen from the obtained graphs (see Fig. 2-4), priority traffic (red) is provided with guaranteed throughput for a different number of low-priority flows. This confirms the ability of the equipment to handle traffic with different priorities.
The AR1220VW router and the S5700 28C-EI switch also support mechanisms for the formation and maintenance of the PQ (QoS Priority Queue) queue (see Figures 5 and 6). Due to this, the increase in the bandwidth occupied by low-priority traffic does not affect the characteristics of the traffic stream with the highest priority (percentage of packet loss, transmission delay, throughput for a high-priority stream). These actions only affect the characteristics of the stream with the lowest priority.
Figure 5 . Initially, there are two channels with different priorities. Their total capacity exceeds the allocated bandwidth, which causes conflicts.
Figure 6. The result of applying PQ ( 8) The diagram has become smoother, packet loss and delay have decreased.
Testing the function of transmitting transit traffic by a LSR-switched router ( 9 ) also gave positive results: there are no lost packets and packets with an incorrect label value. The AR1220VW and S5700 28C-EI equipment supports the LSR label switched transit traffic with label replacement and the correct transmission of a packet with a new label (see Figure 7).
Figure 7 . Test network configuration. As the results showed, label switching is successful.
To test the scalability of MPLS, testers tried to determine the maximum number of switching routes by LSP tags that the router can serve ( 10) Multiple label routes have been added to the MPLS routing table. After adding more than one hundred static routes by labels, the routing table was able to accept new route entries, which indicates high scalability.
In the test switching between label switching routes, the time required for the router to redirect traffic to the backup switching route according to LSP tags was determined after the main route became unavailable due to a change in network topology or unreachable ( 11 ).
The network test configuration corresponded to Figure 1. In this test, two routes were configured: R1 - R2 and R1 - switch L3 - R2. The first is selected as a priority. After a physical disconnection of the R1 - R2 connection, automatic switching from the main MPLS route to the backup route was carried out. This switching was carried out within 20 ms.
CONCLUSIONS
All six tests provided by the "Program and Test Methodology" gave a positive result. The test results showed that Huawei Technologies AR1220VW and S5700 28C-EI support mechanisms that affect the convergence time in the OSPF domain, correctly classifies and processes traffic of various classes in accordance with the specified service rules, and the increase in the bandwidth occupied by low-priority traffic is not affects the characteristics of the traffic stream with the highest priority (percentage of packet loss, transmission delay), and affects only the characteristics of the stream with the lowest priority. It supports the ability to implement queue servicing mechanisms — the generation and maintenance of the PQ priority queue, as well as the function of transmitting transit traffic with LSR label switching, with the replacement of the label and the correct transfer of the packet with the new label. These switches and routers provide flexible MPLS scalability mechanisms, switching between label switching routes. At the same time, the time required to combine and redirect traffic to the backup switching route by LSP labels due to the inaccessibility of the main one as a result of a change in network topology or unreachability was 20 ms.
These results indicate that the AR1220VW router and Huawei Technologies S5700 28C-EI switch meet the stated functional requirements.