Y.1564 - Ethernet Service Activation Test

With the deployment of Ethernet in service provider networks, ethernet services have evolved significantly. Not only is ethernet found at the User Network Interface (UNI) but can also be deployed anywhere in the network, creating a Network-to-Network Interface (NNI). With the capability to prioritize traffic, high availability, and its built-in resiliency, service providers are now using this technology to deliver advanced services. In the absence of any standardized test methodologies that can measure delay, jitter, loss, and throughput at a port, the ITU-T recommendation Y.1564 addresses the gap

Y.1564 - Ethernet Service Activation Test (or performance test methodology) is a testing procedure which tests service turn-up, installation, and troubleshooting of Ethernet-based services. This test methodology was created to have a standard way of measuring Ethernet-based services in the industry.

Cisco implementation of ITU-T Y.1564 has three key objectives:

  • To serve as a network SLA validation tool, ensuring that a service meets its guaranteed performance settings in a controlled test time.

  • To ensure that all services carried by the network meet their SLA objectives at their maximum committed rate, thus proving that under maximum load, network devices and paths can support all traffic as designed.

  • To perform medium-term and long-term service testing, confirming that network elements can properly carry all services while under stress during a soaking period.

The following Key Performance Indicators (KPI) metrics are collected to ensure that the configured SLAs are met for the service or stream.

  • Frame Transfer Delay (FTD) or latency—Measures the round-trip time (RTT) taken by a test frame to travel through a network device, or across the network and back to the test port.

  • Frame Loss Ratio (FLR)—Measures the number of packets lost from the total number of packets sent. Frame loss can be due to a number of issues such as network congestion or errors during transmissions.


Note

In Cisco IOS XR Release 7.3.1, for 10G interfaces on the following NCS 540 variants, the maximum transmission rate is 8G. This rate cannot be changed.

  • N540X-6Z18G-SYS-A/D

  • N540X-8Z16G-SYS-A/D

  • N540X-4Z14G2Q-SYS-A/D

Supported Modes

The mode of operation that is supported for Y.1564 is the Two-way statistics collection mode. In the two-way mode, the sender generates the test traffic used to perform the test, which is then looped back by the remote node. The statistics are measured and collected locally on the sender

The following encapsulations are supported by Y.1564 SADT feature:

  • dot1q

  • dot1q + second dot1q

  • dot1ad

  • dot1ad + second dot1q

  • priority tagged

  • untagged

  • default

Usage Guideline and Limitations

  • Rewrite with POP option is supported with Color Blind mode with Outer-Cos value of 0.

  • Rewrite Push and Translate on Encapsulation Untagged is not supported.

  • Y.1564 doesn’t support L1 loopback.

  • Y.1564 doesn’t support measuring and analyzing jitter.

  • When utilizing the SAT engine received bytes statistics feature, there can be potential inaccuracies in the following conditions:

    • During tests incorporating EMIX sequences that encounter packet drops.

    • When handling LMM packets originating from TGEN, Y.1731 protocols, or any unidentified sources.

  • SAT supports a scale of four parallel sessions per system. However, all four sessions can not operate as color aware sessions simultaneously due to limitations in Class of Service (CoS) combinations.


    Note

    The CIR and EIR cos values must be unique for each parallel test.

  • SAT over bundle interface functions by selecting one of its members for transmission. Therefore, at least one member must be in the 'UP' state to initiate an SAT session. For modular chasis, bundle member from the different LCs is not supported.

  • For optimal performance, it's recommended to use the Ethernet Data Plane Loopback functionality (EDPL) on the peer side for SAT. EDPL loops back and swaps the MAC addresses of Layer 2 packets generated. If the peer node doesn't support EDPL functionality, you can configure SAT to generate Layer 2 packets with the destination MAC address equal to the source MAC address. In such cases, the peer can perform an L1 loopback.

  • Packets generated by SAT with PRBS payload at certain packet sizes may have PRBS errors. When configuring GTF packet using bcm_sat_gtf_packet_config_set, this is verified. If the payload_type is bcmSatPayloadPRBS and packets generated at the configured packet_length have PRBS error, this API now returns BCM_E_PARAM to the caller. The user is informed about the PRBS error through the test abort reason.

    • On BCM8869X, packets have PRBS errors, if (packet_length + 63) / 64 is one of [4, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14] or > = 18.

    • On BCM8880X, packets have PRBS errors, if (packet_length + 63) / 64 equals to 6 or > = 33.

SAT Generation Rate

The following table includes the SAT generation rate for different platforms.

Platform (PID) SAT Generation Rate
NCS540 19.2 Gbps
NCS560 19.2 Gbps
NCS540L 19.2 Gbps
NCS4K 23 Gbps
NCS5501 19.2 Gbps
NCS-5501-SE 19.2 Gbps
NCS55A1-48Q6H 23 Gbps
NCS55A2_MOD_S_SE 23 Gbps
NCS-55A1-36H-SE-S 23 Gbps
NCS-55A1-36H-S 23 Gbps
NCS-55A1-24Q6H-S 23 Gbps
NCS-55A1-24Q6H-SS 23 Gbps
NCS-55A1-24H 23 Gbps
NCS-5502-SE 23 Gbps
N540X-6Z18G-SYS-A 8 Gbps
N540X-4Z14G2Q-D 8 Gbps
N540X-8Z16G-SYS-D 8 Gbps
N540-6Z14S-SYS-D 8 Gbps
NCS-57C1-48Q6-SYS 300 or 400 Gbps
NCS-57C3-MODS-SYS 400 Gbps
NCS-57B1-5DSE-SYS 400 Gbps
N540-24Q8L2DD-SYS 300 Gbps
NCS-57D2-18DD-SYS 400 Gbps

CoS DEI Support Matrix

Table 1. Class of Service (CoS) and Discard Eligibility Identifier (DEI) Matrix

CoS

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

DEI

0

Ö

Ö

Ö

Ö

Ö

X

Ö

X

1

Ö

Ö

X

X

X

X

X

X

Ö - Supported

X- Not Supported

Supported Bandwidth Parameters

Bandwidth Parameters

Internal Direction

External Direction

Commited Information Rate

Y

Y

Exceeded Information Rate

Y

Y

Service Activation Test Target Matrix

Target

Internal Direction

External Direction

L2 Interface over physical main/sub interfaces

Y

Y

L2 Interface over bundle main/sub interfaces

Y

Y

L2 PW VPWS over physical main/sub interfaces

Y

Y

L2 PW VPWS over bundle main/sub interfaces

Y

Y

L2 EVPN/XConnect over physical main/sub interfaces

Y

Y

L2 EVPN/XConnect over bundle main/sub interfaces

Y

Y

L2 VPLS PW

N

N

L2 EVPN Bridge-Domain

N

N

L3 Interfaces

N

N

Configuration Examples

The following example shows how to start service-activation test on an interface with external direction:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router ethernet  service-activation-test start interface TenGigE 10/0/0/1 profile test destination 00ab.6009.9c3c direction external

The following example shows how to start service-activation test on an interface with internal direction:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:routerethernet  service-activation-test start interface TenGigE 10/0/0/1 profile test destination 00ab.6009.9c3c direction internal

The following example shows how to stop service-activation-test on an interface:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:routerethernet service-activation-test stop interface TenGigE 10/0/0/1

The following example shows how to stop all service-activation-tests:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:routerethernet service-activation-test stop all

Configuring Ethernet Service Activation Test Color Profile

The following example shows how to configure a color-blind profile for ethernet service activation test:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router#configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# ethernet service-activation-test 
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat)#profile sattest1
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#outer-cos 4
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#duration 8 minutes 
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#information-rate 11800 mbps
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#packet-size 1000

The following example shows how to configure a color-aware profile for ethernet service activation test:

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router#configure
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config)# ethernet service-activation-test 
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat)#profile sattest3
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#outer-cos 4
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#duration 1 minutes 
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#color-aware cir 7 gbps eir-color cos 1
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#information-rate 8 gbps
RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router(config-ethsat-prf)#packet-size 1000

Verification

To verify the interfaces on which Y.1564 (ethernet service activation test) is enabled, use the show ethernet service-activation-test brief command. The following is a sample output of an enabled device: 

RP/0/RP0/CPU0:router#show ethernet service-activation-test brief
Interface TenGigE0/0/0/14.1
  Service activation tests permitted (external only)
  Test completed:
    Duration 1 minute(s)
    Information rate 1 Gbps
    Color-aware, CIR: 900 Mbps, EIR: DEI set, CoS 1
    External, Two-way, Destination 00:11:00:22:00:33
    Packet size EMIX, Sequence 'abceg', Pattern hex 0x00
    Packet format: SAT MEF-49
    Outer CoS 2

  Results:
    Step 1, Information Rate 1 Gbps
      CIR packets:
        Tx packets: 11276845, bytes: 6743553310
        Rx packets: 11276845, bytes: 6743553310
        FL: 0, FLR: 0%
        FD: Min 5.144us, Mean 6.681us, Max 9.576us
        IFDV: Not supported
        Out of order packets: 0 (0%)
        Error packets: 0 (0%)

      EIR packets:
        Tx packets: 1252895, bytes: 749231210
        Rx packets: 1252895, bytes: 749231210
        FL: 0, FLR: 0%
        FD: Min 5.160us, Mean 6.679us, Max 8.800us
        IFDV: Not supported
        Out of order packets: 0 (0%)
        Error packets: 0 (0%)

Optional Source MAC Address for Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Table 2. Feature History Table

Feature Name

Release Information

Feature Description

Optional Source MAC Address for Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Release 24.1.1

By specifying the source MAC address to the ITU-T Y.1564 SAT, you can ensure that the test results are relevant and applicable to the specific service configuration for use in production and before deployment for your customers.

This feature introduces the following change:

Modified CLI:

The source keyword is added to the ethernet service-activation-test command.

YANG DATA Model:

Prior to Cisco IOS XR Software Release 24.1.1, the default local interface MAC address was automatically employed as the source MAC address for the test traffic. This approach lacked flexibility and customization options, as you were restricted to the default address. With the optional source MAC address extension, you can specify the exact source MAC address you wish to use in the test traffic. This functionality empowers you to tailor the test sessions according to your specific requirements and network configurations.

Add Source MAC Address for a Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Use the source keyword in the ethernet service-activation-test command to specify a source MAC address for a Y.1564 Service Activation Test.

Procedure

Step 1

Use the ethernet service-activation-test command to configure a profile. 

Router(config)#ethernet service-activation-test
Router(config-ethsat)#profile prof1
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#duration 1 minutes
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#information-rate 1 mbps
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#root
Router(config)#interface TenGigE0/0/0/1
Router(config-if)#ethernet service-activation-test
Router(config-if-ethsat)#permit all
Router(config-if-ethsat)#commit

Step 2

Run the ethernet service-activation-test command in exec mode to specify source MAC address for an SAT:

Router#ethernet service-activation-test start interface TenGigE0/0/0/1 profile prof1 destination 00ab.6009.9c3c source 0000.1000.001d direction external

Step 3

The show ethernet service-activation-test in-progress command displays the source MAC address. 

Router#show ethernet service-activation-test in-progress
Fri Oct 21 03:50:55.658 PDT
Interface TenGigE0/0/0/1
  Service activation tests permitted
  Test in progress, 1 minute(s) remaining:
    Duration 1 minute(s)
    Information rate 1 Mbps
    External, Two-way, Destination 00ab.6009.9c3c, Source 0000.1000.001d

Loopback Frames for Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Table 3. Feature History Table

Feature Name

Release Information

Feature Description

Loopback Frames for Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Release 24.1.1

This feature enables the redirection of test traffic from the destination router to the source router in loopback message (LBM) format. Loopback message enables the measurement of various parameters and performance metrics, such as frame delay, frame loss rates, and QoS settings, after the traffic has completed its round trip.

Such comprehensive measurement helps identify issues within the network setup. You can also use it to ensure the service is running and meets the SLA.

This feature introduces the following change:

CLI:

The packet-format lbm keyword is added to the ethernet service-activation-test profile command.

YANG DATA Model: New XPaths for Cisco-IOS-XR-ethernet-sat-cfg.yang (see Github, YANG Data Models Navigator)

In a typical Y.1564 Service Activation Test scenario, traffic flows from a source router to a destination router. However, with the inclusion of the loopback-message packet-format configuration, the traffic that reaches the destination router can be redirected back to the source router through a loopback interface. Now, the data packets are used in LBM format.

The collection of statistics start once the source router receives the test traffic from the destination.

Prior to Cisco IOS XR Software Release 24.1.1, tests were conducted independently in each direction, with traffic flowing from the source to the destination router. The data packets were used in Loss Measurement Message (LMM) format for Frame Loss (FL).

To enable this functionality, use the packet-format lbm keyword in the ethernet service-activation-test profile command. Once packet-format lbm is configured, data packets are used as per MEF-49.

Configure Loopback for Test Traffic in a Y.1564 Service Activation Test

The following configuration example shows how to configure loopback frames for Y.1564 Service Activation Test.

Procedure

Step 1

Use the ethernet service-activation-test profile command to configure loopbback for a test traffic. 

Router(config)#ethernet service-activation-test
Router(config-ethsat)#profile p1
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#duration 2 minutes
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#information-rate 5 gbps
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#packet-format lbm
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#root
Router(config)#interface TenGigE0/0/0/12
Router(config-if)#ethernet service-activation-test
Router(config-if-ethsat)#permit all
Router(config-if-ethsat)#commit

Example of SAT results: 

 Results:
    Step 1, Information Rate 5 Gbps
      CIR packets:
        Tx packets: 313509436, bytes: 160516831232
        Rx packets: 313464074, bytes: 160493605888
        FL: 45362, FLR: 0%
        FD: Min 5.244us, Mean 6.122us, Max 8.188us
        IFDV: Not supported
        Out of order packets: 0 (0%)
        Error packets: 0 (0%)

      EIR packets:
        Tx packets: 0, bytes: 0
        Rx packets: 0, bytes: 0
        FL: 0, FLR: 0%
        FD: Min 0.000us, Mean 0.000us, Max 0.000us
        IFDV: Min 0.000us, Mean 0.000us, Max 0.000us
        Out of order packets: 0 (0%)
        Error packets: 0 (0%)

Step 2

Use the show running-config command for the running configuration 

Router#show running-config 
Wed Feb 14 14:37:59.418 UTC
!
ethernet service-activation-test
 profile p1
  duration 2 minutes
  information-rate 5 gbps
  packet-format lbm
 !
!
interface TenGigE0/0/0/12
 ethernet service-activation-test
  permit all
 !

Step 3

The show ethernet service-activation-test command shows that packet-format lbm is configured. 

Router#show ethernet service-activation-test
Thu Feb 29 06:38:33.435 UTC
Interface TenGigE0/0/0/19
Service activation tests permitted
Test in progress, 179 minute(s) remaining:
Duration 2 minute(s)
Information rate 5 Gbps
Color-blind
External, Two-way, Destination 0A:AA:0B:BB:0C:CC
Packet size 512, Pattern hex 0x00
Packet format: Y.1731 LBM
CoS not set

Combined Frame Delay and Frame Loss Measurement for Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Table 4. Feature History Table

Feature Name

Release Information

Feature Description

Combined Frame Delay and Frame Loss Measurement for Y.1564 Service Activation Test

Release 24.1.1

We have enhanced the ITU-T Y.1564 Service Activation Testing (SAT) capabilities by enabling a comprehensive service quality measurement that includes network responsiveness, congestion, and other issues degrading network performance. This feature also allows a holistic testing of the QoS SLAs, which helps identify potential issues faster and troubleshoot effectively.

This feature introduces the following change:

CLI:

The measurement combined keyword is added to the ethernet service-activation-test profile command.

YANG DATA Model:

You can configure the SAT test to measure both delay and loss simultaneously for each frame transmitted and received. This configuration allows for the consolidated calculation of both delay and loss using Frame Delay (FD) packets . By setting the Frame Loss (FL) rate to 0% in the generator function, the test focuses solely on calculating delay and loss metrics using Delay Measurement Message (DMM) frames. This means that every frame sent and received is analyzed for delay and loss characteristics.

Prior to Cisco IOS XR Software Release 24.1.1 release, either FD or FL could be measured at a time

Furthermore, the configuration treats out-of-order packets in the same manner as the transmitted packets since there is no sequence numbering on the DMM packets. This approach ensures that all frames, regardless of their order of arrival, are accounted for in the measurement of delay and loss.

Configure Measurement Combined for a Y.1564 Service Activation Test

The following configuration example shows how to configure combined frame delay and frame loss measurements for Y.1564 Service Activation Test.

Procedure

Step 1

Use the ethernet service-activation-test profile command to configure measurement combined for a test traffic. 

Router(config)#ethernet service-activation-test
Router(config-ethsat)#profile p1
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#duration 10 minutes
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#information-rate 1 gbps
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#measurement combined
Router(config-ethsat-prf)#root
Router(config)#interface TenGigE0/0/0/12
Router(config-if)#ethernet service-activation-test
Router(config-if-ethsat)#permit all
Router(config-if-ethsat)#commit

Example of SAT results: 

 Results:
    Step 1, Information Rate 1 Gbps
      CIR packets:
        Tx packets: 2929519174, bytes: 1499913817088
        Rx packets: 20696794, bytes: 10596758528
        FL: 2908822380, FLR: 99%
        FD: Min 5.232us, Mean 18.642us, Max 63.032us
        IFDV: Not supported
        Out of order packets: 0 (0%)
        Error packets: 0 (0%)

      EIR packets:
        Tx packets: 0, bytes: 0
        Rx packets: 0, bytes: 0
        FL: 0, FLR: 0%
        FD: Min 0.000us, Mean 0.000us, Max 0.000us
        IFDV: Min 0.000us, Mean 0.000us, Max 0.000us
        Out of order packets: 0 (0%)
        Error packets: 0 (0%)

Step 2

Use the show running-configuration command for the running configuration 

Router#show running-config 
Wed Feb 14 14:37:59.418 UTC
!
ethernet service-activation-test
 profile p1
  duration 10 minutes
  information-rate 1 gbps
  measurement combined
 !
!
interface TenGigE0/0/0/12
 ethernet service-activation-test
  permit all
 !

Step 3

The show ethernet service-activation-test command shows frame loss and frame delay are measured on every frame. 

Router#show ethernet service-activation-test in-progress
Tue Dec 14 08:18:22.981 PST                                      
Interface TenGigE0/0/0/12                                 
  Service activation tests permitted                             
  Test in progress, 10 minute(s) remaining:                      
    Duration 10 minute(s)                                        
    Information rate 1 gbps                                      
    Color-blind                                                  
    External, Two-way, Destination Source 2001:DB8:0:ABCD::1
    Packet size 1024, Pattern hex 0x00                            
    Packet format: SAT MEF-48                                    
    Delay and loss measured on every frame                       
    CoS not set