Viavi Solutions has released a new version of its Observer network performance and monitoring platform, bringing what it describes as “true three-dimensional network observability” by enabling the platform to provide visibility across different locations and data sources, and a flexible approach to scale.
Observer provides visibility across private or clouds as well as on-premise or for remote workers, Viavi says, includes active testing and “full fidelity” wire data capture and flow insights, and also can scale according to an enterprise’s needs.
“Our research has confirmed that most enterprises are permanently expanding their remote workforces, and have accelerated their cloud migrations,” said Shamus McGillicuddy, VP of research at Enterprise Management Associates. “Now they need to equip their IT teams with the means to monitor and manage the labyrinth of connections between end users, applications and data, wherever they may be located.”
“The Observer platform has a rich history of adapting to emerging IT conditions, from the highest fidelity packet capture in the industry, to the first End-User Experience scoring powered by wire and active test data,” said Chris Labac, VP and GM of enterprise and cloud at Viavi. “The addition of active test to the Observer 3D platform gives our customers visibility where they need it, from remote users to the cloud, and the ability to scale and adapt as their network and services landscapes evolve.”
In other test news:
–Anritsu said that the China Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Research Institute in Beijing is using a MIMO over-the-air testing system that was jointly developed by Anritsu and General Test Systems (GTS) of Guangdong, China.
The system combines an OTA test system from GTS with Anritsu’s Radio Communication Test Station MT8000A and Radio Communication Analyzer MT8821C, in order to evaluate features such as receiver sensitivity, radiated emissions performance, multi-antenna performance and communications quality.
“This leading technology is the result of our long-term partnership with GTS to improve the safety and reliability of the connected vehicle. It is obvious that 5G technology is pushing the autonomous driving level to the next Level-4 and Level-5 stages,” said Anritsu’s GM of IoT Test Solutions Yukiharu Ogawa. “The advanced test performance of the GTS OTA system and Anritsu’s integrated MT8000A and MT8821C will be of future-proof value to automotive industry progress.”
In other company news, Anritsu unveiled a new family of signal generators this week, the Rubidium series, which it said offers particularly good signal purity even at high output levels across a frequency range from 9 kHz to 43.5 GHz.
–Rohde & Schwarz has added new base models for its portable R&S FPL1000 spectrum and signal analysis instrument, debuting two models with ranges from 5 kHz to 14 GHz and 5 kHz to 26.5 GHz.
R&S also unveiled a new radome and bumper tester, the R&S QAR50, for measuring performance of automotive sensors in production environments.
–Keysight Technologies has partnered with Credo on validation of 800 gigabit Ethernet in data center environments, in the form of a solution that relies on Keysight’s G800GE Forward Error Correction- (FEC) Aware and Compliance test system and integrates Credo’s Active Electrical Cable (AEC) connectivity solution. AECs, Keysight explained, are crucial for ensuring signal integrity for copper cabling lengths greater than two meters, which are used to connect data center servers to top-of-rack switches.
“The move to 800GE presents DCOs and vendors in the supply chain with new challenges to validate chips, optical transceivers, or networking equipment port electronics,” said Ram Periakaruppan, vice president and general manager, Keysight’s Network Test and Security Solutions group. “The unique combination of the Keysight G800GE test system and Credo’s 800GE AEC technology addresses the interoperability challenges and enables the data center community to accelerate validation of 800GE devices and network infrastructure.”
Keysight also this week announced that it has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) North America for the third year in a row.
-U.K.-based consultancy FarrPoint is advising the government of New Brunswick, Canada, on a new effort to map mobile coverage within the province. FarrPoint has an autonomous network monitoring tool called Mobile Coverage Mapper, and the company says that the six-month project will provide the provincial government with an accurate understanding of where there is LTE coverage and where there isn’t, across more than 32,000 kilometers of road in the province.
FarrPoint noted that in contrast to typical drive-testing, which requires engineers or testing technicians, its Mapper relies on a “small device with magnetic antennas” placed on the roof of a vehicle that tracks local connectivity. In other deployments, the antennas have been placed on trash trucks, the company said, so that local governments can make use of their own vehicles to complete the testing.
