TRADE NEWS: Agilent Technologies' N2X Multiservices Test Solution Verifies Triple-Play Service Delivery in Industry's First Multivendor GMPLS Network Trial.

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Integrated Solution Enables Faster Time-to-Insight, Time-to-Market for Triple-Play Deployment

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) today announced that its N2X multiservices test solution was used this week in the industry's first validation of triple-play service delivery over a GMPLS-enabled IP optical network. The multivendor interoperability test was conducted at Isocore Internetworking Lab and showcased this week at the MPLS 2005 public demonstration in Washington, D.C.

The Agilent N2X was used for functional testing of the network operations at all layers as well as validating triple-play service delivery. The Agilent N2X is the industry's only multiport solution that was able to emulate the optical control plane to establish the GMPLS network -- as well as verify MPLS-enabled services such as multicast VPN, VPLS, and IPTV -- all in one platform.

Working with more than 11 leading MPLS, GMPLS and optical vendors at the Isocore Internetworking Laboratory, Agilent supported both the triple-play services-over-MPLS and MPLS-over-GMPLS test groups. For the first time in the industry, vendors successfully demonstrated the delivery of true IPTV solutions across multicast Layer 3 VPNs (mVPN) and virtual private LAN services (VPLS) over a fully resilient IP/optical core. The test equipment enabled vendors to troubleshoot interoperability issues and increase confidence in the underlying network's ability to maintain the service quality of experience (QoE).

Agilent N2X was used to verify operation of all network layers from GMPLS, MPLS to IP, as well as the triple-play services' QoE aspects. Specifically, N2X was used to signal optical control plane links to establish the GMPLS network using OSPF-TE and RSVP-TE. MPLS services were then established over this network and verified end-to-end, using OSPF, LDP and RSVP-TE. N2X was also used to verify the high availability (state-full failover resiliency) characteristics of the IP/optical core for RSVP-TE and LDP fast reroute. Multicast VPN, VPLS and IPTV channel zapping (latency) were also tested by using the same N2X solution. The ability to validate multilayers in a single, correlated test platform allows network equipment manufacturers and service providers to validate a complete triple-play service deployment faster and more economically:

--Powerful and easy-to-use GUI combines all multilayer testing into a single control and analysis point, delivering greater time-to-insight.

--Industry's leading GMPLS solution verifies GMPLS control and data plane interactions, validating realistic carrier-class network operation.

--Integrated data and control plane stress testing (including IP routing and MPLS/GMPLS TE signalling protocols) allows for more rapid test plan execution and more realistic scenarios that comprehensively test service establishment and delivery.

--Fully featured multicast emulation capabilities enable accurate verification of IPTV service parameters.

--Dedicated triple-play services software, including emulation software (VPLS, mVPN) and productivity applications (high availability, IPTV channel zapping), enables comprehensive and realistic triple-play service testing.

"The support of the Agilent N2X was essential in evaluating the MPLS-to-GMPLS migration scenarios verifying the overlay of an MPLS network over GMPLS," said Rajiv Papneja, of Isocore. "Agilent's multiservice N2X solution provided the necessary breadth of MPLS/GMPLS and triple-play test capabilities to evaluate a realistic carrier network."

"The interoperability event validated, for the first time, the ability for MPLS-enabled Layer 2 and 3 services to carry multicast and IPTV triple-play services over an IP optical network controlled by GMPLS," said Dave Bass, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Data Networking Division. "The Agilent N2X has been a key tool for many leading developers of triple-play services and MPLS/GMPLS technologies. This interoperability trial demonstrates the N2X's comprehensive breadth of multiservices test capability, which set the stage for a successful multivendor interoperability trial."

U.S. Pricing and Availability

The Agilent N2X multiservices solution is available starting at $20,000. More information is available at www.agilent.com/comms/n2x.

Product photos are available at www.agilent.com/find/n2x_image.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2004. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.

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