Parallel Traffic Generator With Priority Flow Control

• US 20130077500A1
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keysight Technologies Singapore (Holdings) Pte. Limited. (Keysight Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ixia (Keysight Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hutchison, Michael, Kowalski, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,687,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/266 Stopping or restarting the source, e.g. X-on or X-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6215 Individual queue per QOS, rate or priority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/623 Weighted service order
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/6255 queue load conditions, e.g. longest queue first

Abstract

An apparatus to generate test traffic for testing a network. A scheduler may provide packet definition data for a sequence of packets, each packet associated with a respective flow control group. A channelized schedule FIFO (first-in first-out) queue may store the packet definition data. The channelized schedule FIFO queue may include multiple parallel channels, each channel dedicated to storing packet definition data associated with a corresponding flow control group. A plurality of non-channelized packet builder lanes may build packets in accordance with packet definition data read from the channelized schedule FIFO. A channelized output FIFO buffer may store packets built by the plurality of packet builder lanes. The channelized output FIFO buffer may include multiple parallel channels, each channel dedicated to storing packets associated with a corresponding flow control group. An output multiplexor may interleave packets from the channelized output FIFO buffer to form the test traffic.

Claims

1. A apparatus to generate test traffic for testing a network, comprising:

a scheduler to provide packet definition data for a sequence of packets, each packet uniquely associated with a respective flow control group from a plurality of flow control groups

a channelized schedule queue to store the packet definition data, the channelized schedule queue including a plurality of parallel queues, each queue dedicated to storing packet definition data associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of flow control groups

a plurality of non-channelized packet builder lanes to independently build packets in accordance with packet definition data read from the channelized schedule queue

a channelized packet buffer to store packets built by the plurality of packet builder lanes, the channelized packet buffer including a plurality of parallel packet buffers, each packet buffer dedicated to storing packets associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of flow control groups

an output multiplexor to interleave packets from the channelized packet buffer to provide the test traffic.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

flow control logic configured to selectively pause and unpause one or more of the flow control groups in response to received flow control packets, wherein

the output multiplexor discontinues reading packets from packet buffers associated with paused flow control groups.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a distributor configured to read packet definition data from the channelized schedule queue and route each item of packet definition data to a selected packer builder lane.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the distributor comprises a model to predict a capacity of each packet buffer in the channelized packet buffer

the distributor routes each item of packet definition data to the packet builder only if the predicted capacity of the corresponding packet buffer is sufficient to hold the packet defined by the packet definition data.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the channelized packet buffer is configured to store packets in each output buffer in accordance with packet sequence data provided by the distributor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the channelized schedule queue is configured to inform the scheduler when one more queues are full

the scheduler is configured to discontinue scheduling all streams associated with full queues.

7. A method for generating test traffic to test a network, comprising:

generating packet definition data for a sequence of packets, each packet uniquely associated with a respective flow control group from a plurality of flow control groups

storing the packet definition data in a channelized schedule queue, the channelized schedule queue including a plurality of parallel queues, each queue dedicated to storing packet definition data associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of flow control groups

building packets in accordance with packet definition data read from the channelized schedule queue

storing built packets in a channelized packet buffer, the channelized packet buffer including a plurality of parallel packet buffers, each packet buffer dedicated to storing packets associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of flow control groups

interleaving packets read from the channelized packet buffer to provide the test traffic.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving flow control packets

selectively pausing and unpausing one or more flow control groups in response to the received flow control packets

discontinuing reading packets from packet buffers associated with paused flow control groups.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

a distributor reading packet definition data from the channelized schedule FIFO and routing each item of packet definition data to a selected packer builder lane.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

the distributor maintaining a model to predict a capacity of each packet buffer in the channelized packet FIFO buffer

the distributor routing each item of packet definition data to the packet builder only if a predicted capacity of the corresponding packet buffer is sufficient to hold the packet defined by the packet definition data.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the built packets in each output buffer in accordance with packet sequence data provided by the distributor.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

the channelized schedule FIFO queue informing the scheduler when one more queues are full

the scheduler discontinuing scheduling all streams associated with full queues.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing programming code which, when used to program a programmable device, configures the programmable device to include an apparatus to generate test traffic for testing a network, the apparatus comprising:

a scheduler to provide packet definition data for a sequence of packets, each packet uniquely associated with a respective flow control group from a plurality of flow control groups a channelized schedule queue to store the packet definition data, the channelized schedule queue including a plurality of parallel queues, each queue dedicated to storing packet definition data associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of flow control groups

a plurality of non-channelized packet builder lanes to independently build packets in accordance with packet definition data read from the channelized schedule queue

a channelized packet buffer to store packets built by the plurality of packet builder lanes, the channelized packet buffer including a plurality of parallel packet buffers, each packet buffer dedicated to storing packets associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of flow control groups

an output multiplexor to interleave packets from the channelized packet buffer to provide the test traffic.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the apparatus further comprising:

flow control logic configured to selectively pause and unpause one or more of the flow control groups in response to received flow control packets, wherein

the output multiplexor discontinues reading packets from packet buffers associated with paused flow control groups.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, the apparatus further comprising:

a distributor configured to read packet definition data from the channelized schedule queue and route each item of packet definition data to a selected packer builder lane.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein

the distributor comprises a model to predict a capacity of each packet buffer in the channelized packet buffer

the distributor routes each item of packet definition data to the packet builder only if the predicted capacity of the corresponding packet buffer is sufficient to hold the packet defined by the packet definition data.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein

the channelized packet buffer is configured to store packets in each output buffer in accordance with packet sequence data provided by the distributor.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein

the channelized schedule queue is configured to inform the scheduler when one more queues are full

the scheduler is configured to discontinue scheduling all streams associated with full queues.