Spirent Communications plc today announced the availability of the compact M1 Appliance for testing Ethernet and Automotive Ethernet in tomorrow’s networks and applications. The new space-saving platform with its built-in flexibility is designed to help accelerate time to market and assure successful deployments of new technologies, while also improving product quality and ensuring reliable, high-quality user experiences.

The flexibility of the Spirent M1 Appliance makes it an ideal tool for the entire test lifecycle for functional, performance and benchmark testing of new networking products targeting network infrastructure, as well as for validating evolving SDN and NFV technologies. M1's innovative platform architecture delivers higher reliability and density compared to the previous generation of compact appliances, with a maximum of eight network interface card (NIC) slots. Support for a wide variety of NIC combinations means the ability to create additional appliance kits for specific testing needs, while the small form factor offers lower power consumption compared to larger chassis. The M1 Appliance also enables users to easily distribute test systems among multiple locations as opposed to installing them in a dedicated lab space, which some users may lack.

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“Spirent is committed to supporting the evolving testing needs of the IP networking and automotive sectors,” said Aniket Khosla, Spirent’s VP of Cloud and IP Product Management. “Our next-generation M1 platform plays an important role. Its higher density, smaller form factor architecture is a continuation of our rich legacy of Ethernet innovation to provide versatile, flexible test solutions to help verify the scale, reliability and performance of Ethernet networks and services - a critical step towards successful deployment of new technologies.”

Optimal use for the M1 Appliance embraces network traffic, broadband testing, SDN and datacenter validation, device benchmarking, core and edge routers and switch verification, carrier Ethernet verification, and subscriber emulation. Key benefits include:

  • Smaller footprint for more efficient lab space use. It delivers core testing capabilities at a lower port count and scale, while using less power and generating less heat
  • Cost-effective tool bundled for special use cases, designed for specific application testing, select performance use cases, and verifying functionality on Ethernet speeds from 10M to 100G
  • Improved customer experience with enhanced manageability and serviceability, components are easily serviceable in the field. It also provides a seamless testing experience without a steep learning curve.

The small form factor and high port density makes it an ideal component for complex automotive hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems built to validate the Ethernet-based, software-defined cars of the future. The new M1 Appliance supports all Automotive Ethernet Base-T1 speeds, from 10M(T1S) to 10G.