EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. announced recently the launch of the FTB-8525 and FTB-8535 Packet Blazer modules, providing comprehensive testing capabilities for Fibre Channel network deployments.The FTB-8525/8535 modules also support an optional test suite for complete performance validation of Ethernet services.

Housed inside the well-established FTB-200 Compact Platform, these multi-service modules offer fully integrated datacom testing in the industry's smallest form factor, providing 1 Gbit/s, 2 Gbit/s, 4 Gbit/s and 10 Gbit/s full-line-rate Fibre Channel traffic generation and analysis.

Key performance tests include bit-error rate (BER) testing, round-trip latency measurement and buffer-to-buffer credit estimation. These modules also combine complete Ethernet service performance validation through RFC2544 and BER testing, and LAN/WAN Ethernet testing capabilities from 10 Mbit/s to 10 Gbit/s. As with all other Packet Blazer modules, the FTB-8525 and FTB-8535 modules are fully compatible with the FTB-400 Universal Test System and can be combined with other optical, transport or datacom modules for a solution tailored to unique testing requirements. There is also an IQS-85X5 version, hosted inside the IQS-500 or IQS-600 platform, to address the network equipment manufacturing market.

"Storage area networks (SANs) continue to expand over ever-increasing distances, supporting mission-critical applications including data storage and retrieval as well as data archiving for disaster recovery implementations," said Etienne Gagnon, EXFO's Vice-President Product Management and Marketing. "Fibre Channel has proven to be a reliable technology for efficient data transmission, while carrier Ethernet drives cost-efficiencies throughout the network. But both technologies have stringent performance requirements that must be tested at each network deployment phase to ensure appropriate service levels. The FTB-8525/8535 Packet Blazer modules are yet another demonstration of EXFO's continued dedication to equipping network operators worldwide with the right combination of tools to simplify test and measurement processes that are essential in today's multi-service environments."

For more information about the FTB-8525/8535 Packet Blazer test modules, please visit www.EXFO.com.