Iometrix And Trapeze Networks Build And Test The Largest, Most Scalable And Secure Enterprise-Class Wireless Network
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Dec. 13, 2004 — Iometrixâ„?, the networking industry’s preeminent testing authority, and Trapeze Networksâ„?, maker of the award-winning wireless local area networking (WLAN) Mobility Systemâ„?, today announced that they designed and built the largest, most scalable and secure enterprise-class WLAN test network to date.
Dubbed “My Big Fat WLAN Test,” the goal was to determine whether today’s WLANs meet enterprises’ stringent requirements for security, scalability and management. The test is modeled on a network used in a 50-story multi-tenant commercial building.
My Big Fat WLAN Test includes 10,000 roaming 802.11 clients, 20 Trapeze Mobility Exchangeâ„? switches and 200 Trapeze Mobility Pointsâ„? and multi-vendor access points. It also included a SpectraLink Voice Priority server and a Nortel IP PBX. The network met the performance demands of state-of-the-art wireless security measures, including IEEE 802.1X authentication and Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) 2.0/IEEE 802.11i encryption (AES).
The network was designed and built in a matter of days, using Trapeze’s RingMasterâ„? planning and management tool suite – an undertaking that would otherwise have required months of work. Managing 24/7 operations was also smooth – even when meeting the business requirements for each of the commercial tenants in the test scenario.
“Many IT managers have lingering concerns about deploying wireless,” said Bob Mandeville, president and founder of Iometrix. “Our tests unequivocally demonstrate that WLANs scale to meet the rigorous security, scalability and manageability requirements for enterprise deployments. Trapeze has built a solid product that has proven to meet the needs of large enterprises and multi-tenant facilities.”
Understanding the impact of emerging services is critical as IT managers prepare their infrastructures today. The demonstration also explored advanced services, such as voice and video over wireless as well as RF location services to locate users and rogues.
“What Trapeze has achieved in this test should not be ignored, said Steve Broadhead, founder and director of Broadband-Testing. Trapeze had the courage to take on the issue of WLAN scalability that, let’s be honest here, most other WLAN vendors have shied away from. They have shown that their system works and works well,” concluded Broadhead.
About Iometrix
Iometrix is the new testing lab from Bob Mandeville, the networking industry’s preeminent testing authority. It’s dedicated to developing the rigorous, standards-based methodologies essential to any meaningful evaluation of advanced enterprise and WAN technologies. Founded in 2003, Iometrix is already attracting international attention: Its massively scaled SONET stress test set the industry standard for verified performance. The lab also evaluates WLANs, metro Ethernet services, storage networks, and other emerging technologies.
About Trapeze Networks
Trapeze Networks delivers the power of business applications and services to the mobile enterprise workforce. The company’s wireless LAN Mobility System enhances productivity, introduces new efficiencies and accelerates business response time by delivering secure mobility to users, pre and post deployment planning and management tools to IT, and seamless integration between wired and wireless. In the first four months of shipping its WLAN Mobility System, Trapeze has been the recipient of five industry awards in recognition of its product and technology strength. Founded in March 2002, Trapeze raised $50 million in venture funding to date and is headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.trapezenetworks.com.