Ixia Moves IPSec VPN Device Testing to the Edge; IxVPN 2.00 Tests Remote Access VPNs and Adds IPv6 Interoperability.

CALABASAS, Calif. -- Ixia (Nasdaq:XXIA), a leading, global provider of IP network testing solutions, announced today that its IxVPN(TM) product has significantly expanded its functionality in testing of IPSec-based Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and edge VPN devices, which are commonly used by remote users accessing their corporate networks. IxVPN 2.00 now includes support for the xauth and modecfg protocols, allowing emulation of many thousands of individually authenticated remote users operating on the "edge."

With the addition of IPv6 support, IxVPN 2.00 now makes it possible to fully exercise VPN devices that handle mixed IPv4/IPv6 traffic. Integration with Ixia's Encryption Load Module (ELM), which includes dedicated encryption/decryption hardware on each port, allows IxVPN to create the hundreds of thousands of tunnels and generate the line-speed encrypted traffic that is needed to fully characterize high-capacity VPN devices.

In addition to remote authentication, other forms of IPSec authentication have been added with release 2.00. For example, certificate-based authentication has been expanded to include SCEP-based certificate generation. Additionally, sites, users, and networks can now be validated using FQDN and IP address-based authentication. Together, all common forms of user and site authentication can be emulated with IxVPN.

Thorough pre-deployment validation requires device performance testing under extreme as well as realistic test conditions. Expanded performance tests in IxVPN 2.00 allow measurement of tunnel capacity, tunnel setup, RFC 2544 bi-directional frame loss, encryption/decryption throughput, and latency as well as long-term "soak" testing. Realistic, stateful triple-play traffic can be generated over the IxVPN-created IPSec tunnels using Ixia's industry-leading IxChariot(R) application. The IPSEC tunnels and traffic can run over both wired and wireless 802.11 Ethernet interfaces.

In addition to performance metrics, Ixia's IxANVL(TM) (Automated Network Validation Library) offers the industry standard in conformance testing with the IxANVL IPSec suite, which provides over 500 tests covering IKE, AH and ESP protocols. IxANVL(TM) also validates the protocol implementations and operational robustness of networking devices.

Ixia's VPN Testing Solution, including IxVPN, ELM, IxChariot and IxANVL, provides a complete solution for testing VPN devices and systems of all types - enabling conformance testing, functional testing, and performance characterization under realistic and capacity loads.

Product Available Now: IxVPN 2.00

To learn more about router testing with IxVPN, 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, 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 Triple Play 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 these "utility-grade" IP 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.