Ixia Advances Testing of Next Generation Broadband Networks; IxAccess 2.00 Release is the First Commercially Available Test Product to Provide Support for L2TPv3 VPNs and IPv6.

CALABASAS, Calif. -- Ixia (Nasdaq:XXIA), a leading, global provider of IP network testing solutions, announced today that its IxAccess(TM) test application has extended its functionality to incorporate new technologies being deployed in next generation broadband access and VPN networks. IxAccess, in conjunction with Ixia's hardware platform, provides a highly scalable broadband access test solution to verify the performance of large broadband access devices and systems by simulating hundreds of thousands of subscribers accessing the Internet. The solution sends line-rate traffic over the broadband connections, enabling high-capacity broadband aggregation devices to be to fully characterized, and it is the first commercially available network test product to measure the performance of L2TPv3 devices.

The IxAccess 2.00 software release adds support for Layer 2 Tunnelling Protocol version 3 (L2TPv3), a protocol used by ISPs and corporations to create Layer 2 VPNs across service provider networks. L2TPv3 is a simpler alternative to Layer 2 MPLS VPNs. The protocol creates private tunnels to transparently carry all types of protocols across the Internet between private sites. The concept of "pseudo-wires" is used in version 3 of the protocol to increase the ease-of-use and scalability of L2TP compared with previous versions.

To accommodate the increased adoption of IPv6 broadband connections, IxAccess 2.00 has added support for simulating IPv6-based subscribers entering a broadband network. This enables broadband access devices that handle mixed IPv4/IPv6 traffic to be fully exercised in quality assurance and pre-deployment testing in real-world scenarios.

In addition, IxAccess 2.00 provides a number of significant enhancements:

--Subscriber session emulation capacity has doubled. Over one hundred thousand broadband users can now be simulated on a single Ixia hardware module.

--Traffic performance tests can now more closely emulate Internet traffic, with a programmable mix of frame sizes, data rates, and Quality of Service on a per session basis.

--More granular statistics are available. This allows for faster and more accurate troubleshooting of issues encountered during device or system testing.

These enhancements, coupled with the ability to send IxChariot Real-World Traffic(TM) over established sessions, provides an extremely flexible environment for emulating Triple Play user traffic on the network.

In addition to performance testing, IxAccess can be combined with Ixia's IxANVL(TM) (Automated Network Validation Library), offering the industry standard in conformance testing with the IxANVL PPP and L2TP suites. IxANVL(TM) also validates the protocol implementations and operational robustness of networking devices.

Ixia's Access Testing Solution, including IxAccess(TM), IxChariot(R), IxANVL(TM), and the Ixia hardware platform, provides a complete solution for testing broadband access concentrators, network servers, edge routers, and access systems of all types - enabling conformance, functional, and performance testing under realistic and high capacity loads.

Product Available Now: IxAccess 2.00

To learn more about router testing with IxAccess, visit our website at http://www.ixiacom.com/products/performance_applications/.

About Ixia

Ixia is a leading, global provider of high performance IP network testing solutions. Its highly scalable solutions generate, capture, characterize, and emulate network and application traffic, establishing definitive performance and conformance metrics of network devices or systems under test. Ixia's testing solutions are used by Network and Telephony Equipment Manufacturers, Semiconductor Manufacturers, Service Providers, Governments, and large Enterprises to validate the functionality and reliability of complex IP networks, devices, and applications. Ixia's Triple Play test solutions address the growing need to test voice, video, and data services and network capability under real world conditions. Ixia's vision is to be the world's pre-eminent provider of solutions to enable testing of next generation IP Triple Play networks. Ixia's analysis solutions utilize a wide range of industry-standard interfaces, including Ethernet, SONET, ATM, and wireless connectivity, and are distinguished by their performance, accuracy, reliability, and adaptability to the industry's constant evolution.

For more information, contact Ixia at 26601 W. Agoura Road, Calabasas, CA 91302; [phone], Fax: [phone]; Email: [e-mail] or visit our Web Site at http://www.ixiacom.com.

Ixia(R), the Ixia four petal logo(R), IxExplorer(R), IxChariot(R), and Optixia(R) are registered trademarks of Ixia; IxLoad, IxScriptMate, IxVoice, IxVPN, IxAccess, IxAnalyze, IxANVL, and IxAuthenticate are trademarks of Ixia. Unless otherwise indicated, other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.