Initiator Emulation SAS and Fibre Channel

The SANBlaze SANBlazter Initiator Emulator for Fibre Channel and SAS provides simulation of a single to hundreds of Initiator ports. The Initiator product operates on existing SANBlaze VirtuaLUN and GargantuLUN systems, making it easy to integrate into existing SANBlaze environments. The software runs standalone or in conjunction with SANBlaze Target Emulation software for an end-to-end solution.

Disk Initiator Fibre Channel

Disk Initiator SAS

The SANBlazter Initiator Emulator provides unparalleled advantages over the real thing: smaller footprint, lower power consumption, centralized management and control and lower cost of ownership.
Features such as read/write/compare testing, error injection and a custom command builder provide the ideal environment in which to simulate Initiator test cases via script or an easy to use web interface. The patent pending “Blazter Mode” allows for all ports to run at full line rate.

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Flexible User Interface
Powerful web-based GUI allows you to quickly create, save and restore multiple configurations. From a single console, a single port or multiple ports across multiple systems can be configured to begin read, write or read/write testing simultaneously. Real time statistics, trace mode and a script building tool are all available from the GUI. An interface with industry standard tools such as IOMeter, provide a known user interface with which to use the system for testing. All emulator functionality is also available from a CLI interface and can be automated using batch scripting.

Configurability
Each emulator port can be configured to simulate a wide range of Initiator or host functionality. Read/write/compare tests, as well as custom command sets, can be configured to simulate a wide variety of initiator test cases. When using both target and initiator modes, a device under test (DUT) can be connected to two ports on a SANBlaze system, one configured as initiator, one configured as a target. The DUT can then be exercised and tested using one system, with traffic generated and/or errors injected on either side with the ability to generate custom commands and responses.

Performance
SANBlaze systems can act as a wire speed device. BlazterMode™ allows read/write tests to run at full 4G line rates across all ports on SANBlaze Fibre Channel Systems. Tests can be run that eliminate the latency associated with real drives or hosts or add latency in millisecond increments in a predictable manner. Drive traffic into the fabric at full line rates, simulating hundreds of simultaneous logins, for example. Track round trip and throughput performance statistics of devices, using the SANBlaze systems as known, high performance, low latency end points.

Multiple Disk Configurations
SANBlaze target emulator solutions provide the ability to configure from 1 to 500 disks or “LUNS” per port, allowing a 24 port system the ability to simulate up to 12000 drives or tapes. These configurations can be saved and retrieved via a web based interface or script.

Error Injection and Bad Drive Testing
DVT and Test Labs are often tasked with testing the error recovery capability of their product in the face of errors that previously have been difficult to create in a predictable manner. SANBlaze target emulation systems can emulate exact conditions, on command, and remain in the error state for a number of I/Os or indefinitely, allowing qualification engineering to characterize the ability of their product to deal with specific error cases.

The software can also be scripted to simulate any error condition, including queue-full, lost I/Os, long latencies (seconds to minutes), read and write overruns and underruns, and check conditions with any SenseKey/ASQ/ASC combination, for example.

Performance Testing
SANBlaze target emulation systems perform target reads and writes at full line speed. For example, a 4 port Fibre Channel system will allow for four 4G Fibre Channel ports to do reads and writes at full line rates each. This full line rate throughput allows for testing to be done against a fast, predictable target with near zero latency.

Director Class Switch Testing
The SANBlazter solution running in a SANBlaze GargantuLUN system provides 24 Initiator ports in a 3U chassis. Multiple 24 port systems can be combined to provide a very high density solution in a compact form factor, enabling you to replace racks upon racks of 1U PCs needed to provide the same test functionality. Coordinated events such as simulating hundreds of simultaneous logins via script or a single mouse click provide a level of automation unavailable in existing solutions.

Initiator Fibre Channel

Initiator SAS



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