VIAVI Medusa Labs Test Tools (MLTT) Suite Data Integrity, Benchmarking and Stress-Test Software

Application-based data integrity, benchmarking and stress-test software for storage, SAN/LAN and converged network equipment development.

Recommended processor: 2 GHz processor, or better
Recommended memory: at least 1 GB RAM
Multiprocessor support: Can take full advantage of multiple processors when available

Datasheet

Overview

The VIAVI Medusa Labs Test Tool (MLTT) Suite is application-based data- and signal-integrity test software for companies developing servers, switches, host bus adapters (HBAs), PCIe interfaces, converged network adapters (CNAs), solid-state storage (SSD), NVMe devices, all-flash arrays (AFA) and other storage equipment for converged storage networks.

MLTT supports design validation, system bring-up and quality assurance testing with a set of data integrity, benchmarking and stress-test tools. It helps uncover data-corruption errors, device and system data-pattern sensitivities, I/O timeouts, I/O losses and system lockup scenarios. The software is designed to use as little CPU overhead as possible so that devices under test can run at their optimal rates.

Converged SAN and LAN testing

MLTT provides storage and TCP application tests for unified storage area network (SAN) and local area network (LAN) applications. Test cases can simulate TCP applications such as file server, Exchange server, HTTP, Oracle and SIP, and a coordinated TCP burst mode can be used to induce TCP incast conditions. Protocol-specific data patterns cover standards including Fibre Channel, FCoE, iSCSI, PCIe, NVMe, SAS, SATA, SSD and Ethernet.

SSD and NVMe testing

Because SSD performance tends to start high and level out over time, MLTT includes a configurable steady-state detection feature that establishes stable performance before benchmark testing. Several erase methods for ATA-, SCSI- and NVMe-attached devices return devices to a known, factory-fresh state prior to testing. T10 Protection Information (T10-PI) formats, journal-and-verify logging, and configurable compression and de-duplication data patterns are also supported.

Automation and analysis

Test cases, scripts and full test plans are created and managed from a single GUI, with remote management, auto-discovery of devices and remote upgrades across hundreds of clients and servers. MLTT can trigger VIAVI Xgig protocol analyzers with a unique data payload when a data anomaly is first detected, supporting root-cause analysis without having to reproduce the error.

Key Features

Precise storage I/O and TCP or UDP traffic generation with full traffic flexibility and control
Automatic triggering of Xgig protocol analyzers and advanced tracking of anomalies and errors
Auto-discovery of devices and automation of remote testing across complex network topologies
Configurable steady-state detection for SSD and NVMe benchmark testing
Erase methods for ATA-, SCSI- and NVMe-attached devices to restore a factory-fresh state
Format Unit commands supporting T10-PI types 0, 1, 2 and 3 and NVMe read/write
Coordinated TCP burst mode to induce TCP incast conditions
Sample test plans in the GUI
Journal and verify logging of recent write operations for re-verification after power loss
Configurable data compression entropy and de-duplication percentage data pattern
Import of existing Iometer test configurations
Configurable latency histogram and collection of SMART target statistics
Full-duplex, low-overhead I/O engine for high-performance benchmarking
Multicore testing with configurable thread CPU affinity
Test library for TCP application simulation including Oracle, Exchange, HTTP and SIP Registration/Invite
Virtual machine and virtual switch performance testing
Advanced I/O workloads with per-load I/O size and bandwidth percentage
SCSI passthrough modes for DIF and DIX testing with sector sizes such as 520 bytes
I/O operation history tracing with optional payload logging
Cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, Solaris and HP-UX with OS layer bypass
Customizable results graphs
Remote software upgrades of distributed systems from the GUI

Specifications

System Requirements

Recommended processor	2 GHz processor, or better Recommended for optimal performance and full-duplex, wirespeed throughput with data-integrity checking; requirements vary with the architecture under test
Recommended memory	at least 1 GB RAM
Multiprocessor support	Can take full advantage of multiple processors when available

Platforms

Windows	x64 Windows 2003, 2008, 2012, 2016, 7, 8, 8.1, 10
Linux	Linux; Linux on POWER; Linux ARM
Itanium	Windows and Linux for Itanium-based systems
Cross-platform support	Windows, Linux, Solaris, and HP-UX Linux I/O methods include full disk coverage and static queue depths

Interfaces

Protocol-specific patterns	Fibre Channel, FCoE, iSCSI, SATA, SAS, IDE, SCSI, RAID, USB, and Ethernet MLTT is protocol agnostic but includes protocol-specific patterns for application-based testing

T10 Protection Information (T10-PI) Support

T10-PI type 0	disabled
T10-PI type 1	read/write 10 or read/write 16
T10-PI type 2	read/write 32
T10-PI type 3	read/write 10 or read/write 16
NVMe	NVMe Read/Write

Licensing

License model	Flexible and scalable licensing on a per-seat subscription basis Installable on any system; the license determines the number of systems used concurrently; automated licensing management options supported

Specifications are taken from the manufacturer's documentation. See the datasheet for complete and current values.