Repeatable packet drop testing

Repeatable packet drop testing is one of the new features in rugged deviation emulator Rude in the latest product update.

Not all packets are equal

The basic problem with packet drop testing is that all packets are not equally critical. A random drop scenario may target more significant packets during one test round, and less significant in the next, making it difficult to pinpoint the root causes for network problems. Now it is possible to create a drop pattern by selecting precisely the packets to be dropped and repeating exactly the same drop pattern in later test sessions.

Rude release contents

Rude product releases 3.7.0 and 3.6.0: Repeatability in packet drop, Data content modification, and more Our latest product releases, the newly released 3.7.0 and the 3.6.0, have some exciting new features. 3.7.0 / 21 June 2016 Predefined pattern functionality for packet drop This feature enables: § exact repeatability between test runs § selecting the most challenging scenarios for the precise traffic in question The basic problem with packet drop testing is that all packets are not equally critical. A random drop scenario may target more significant packets during one test round, and less significant in the next, making it difficult to pinpoint the root causes for network problems. This feature removes the issue by allowing you to create a drop pattern by selecting precisely the packets to be dropped and repeating exactly the same drop pattern in later test sessions.

The predefined pattern option creates a mask for the packet drop. The length of the mask can be adjusted as needed and the dropped packets selected either randomly or manually. The drop mask will then be repeated over the entire traffic. The mask can be saved and reused for the next test run. The feature is especially powerful when testing streaming applications. The Predefined Pattern functionality is a part of the Content modification product option. Fixed-size mode to packet length change This feature adds or removes random bytes to or from input packets to match the user-specified output packet length. This functionality is also a part of the Content modification product option.

3.6.0 / 23 March 2016 Data content modification With data content modification, it is possible to modify data on the bit level, targeting the exact bit you want. It is possible to add, change, remove and overwrite a specific bit. The location is defined by the offset or protocol header field. The feature includes checksum recalculation to avoid packet loss due to unmatched checksums.