EtherExpert-Y.1564
Standardized ITU-T Y.1564 Service Activation from 1G to 100G
Multi-Service QoS | 1-100 Gbps | Web UI
ITU-T Y.1564 / EtherSAM
The industry standard your network can't afford to ignore. Standards-based ITU-T Y.1564 multi-service SLA validation, CIR/EIR policing, and QoS performance testing from 1G to 100G
What it is
ITU-T Y.1564 (EtherSAM) is the industry standard for out-of-service and pre-service Ethernet activation and SLA verification. EtherExpert Y.1564 provides deterministic, repeatable validation for multiple concurrent services—such as voice, video, and business-critical data—across the entire service turn-up and maintenance lifecycle. Testing covers Service Configuration (CIR, EIR, and policing verification), multi-stream traffic classification, SLA Key Performance Indicators (FTD, FDV, FLR, Availability), and automated pass/fail reporting.
Why it matters
Unlike legacy single-stream tests, Y.1564 validates that your network can deliver guaranteed quality of service across multiple traffic classes simultaneously under full load. It is the accepted Carrier Ethernet standard relied on by service providers, network equipment manufacturers, and enterprise IT teams to accelerate circuit turn-up, verify multi-CoS bandwidth profiles, and generate audit-ready SLA compliance evidence.
Key Features
Standards-Based Compliance
Fully aligned with ITU-T Y.1564 (EtherSAM) and MEF standards for carrier-grade multi-service Ethernet activation and SLA verification.
1/10/25/100 Gbps Line Rate
High-performance dual-port test architecture supporting multi-rate testing from 1G up to 100G with nanosecond hardware timing precision.
Automated Phase 1 & 2 Workflow
One-click execution of Service Configuration (CIR, EIR, policing) and Service Performance (multi-service soak testing).
Multi-Service SLA Validation
Simultaneously test multiple independent service streams (voice, video, data) measuring FTD (latency), FDV (jitter), FLR (loss), and Availability.
Flexible Reflector & Loopback
Supports smart loopback and manual Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 address swapping for single-ended turn-up across complex networks.
Automated Audit-Ready Reports
Instantly generate and download customizable PDF reports with clear pass/fail criteria, KPI tables, and graphical analytics.
Y.1564: The Multi-Service Standard Your Network Can’t Afford to Ignore
When turn-up speed and strict SLA compliance matter, ITU-T Y.1564 is the carrier-grade standard professionals rely on. Unlike legacy single-stream tests, Y.1564 validates multiple concurrent services—such as voice, video, and business data—under full load, delivering deterministic pass/fail metrics across your entire Ethernet service lifecycle.
Why Y.1564 Matters For Your Business
Simultaneous Multi-Service Validation: Turn up voice, video, and data streams simultaneously in a single test run to verify QoS and bandwidth fairness without service interruption.
Granular SLA Verification: Measure essential Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)—Frame Transfer Delay (FTD), Frame Delay Variation (FDV/jitter), Frame Loss Ratio (FLR), and Service Availability—against strict contractual thresholds.
Complete Turn-Up Lifecycle: Execute standardized Phase 1 (Service Configuration / CIR & EIR validation) and Phase 2 (Service Performance / 24-hour soak) tests in minutes rather than days.
Audit-Ready Evidence: Generate defensible, standards-compliant PDF reports with clear pass/fail criteria to expedite customer acceptance and resolve billing disputes.
How Packetronix Elevates Y.1564 Testing
Wire-Speed Performance (1G–100G): Run high-scale multi-service test suites across 1G, 10G, 25G, and 100G interfaces with nanosecond-precision hardware timing.
Automated Two-Phase Workflow: One-click automation sequentially executes CIR/EIR ramp tests, burst policing, and multi-hour SLA stability testing.
Intuitive Web Management: Configure bandwidth profiles, physical ports, and live telemetry from an accessible web UI without complex local software installs.
Real-World Impairment Integration: Combine standard Y.1564 workflows with realistic network degradation (jitter buffers, line loss, latency) to test adaptive application resiliency.
Key ITU-T Y.1564 Tests You Should Run
Service Configuration Test (Phase 1): Verifies CIR (Committed Information Rate), EIR (Excess Information Rate), and Traffic Policing step-by-step for each service stream to ensure rate limits are enforced.
Service Performance Test (Phase 2): Generates all configured services simultaneously at CIR over extended durations to evaluate long-term SLA stability and inter-service interference.
Latency & Jitter (FTD & FDV): Pinpoints delay and jitter degradation across multi-priority queues to guarantee VoIP and video delivery standards.
Packet Loss & Availability (FLR & AVAIL): Detects dropped frames under sustained load to ensure continuous carrier-grade availability.
Who Benefits
Telecom & Metro Ethernet Operators: Streamlining circuit provisioning and validating MEF-compliant carrier Ethernet services.
Enterprise Network Architects: Qualifying interconnect paths, data center links, and cloud interconnects prior to deployment.
Test & QA Labs: Benchmarking QoS enforcement, traffic shapers, and multi-queue switches under full load.
Field Operations & Deployment Teams: Accelerating customer turn-up times with automated one-click acceptance testing.
Software Interface
Intuitive Web-Based Interface
Feature-rich, easy-to-use software designed for network engineers—accessible from anywhere
Frequently Asked Questions:
ITU-T Y.1564 (EtherSAM)
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Service Turn-Up vs. Device Benchmarking: RFC 2544 is designed for single-stream laboratory benchmarking of network interconnect devices (throughput, latency, frame loss). ITU-T Y.1564 is an out-of-service/pre-service activation standard specifically designed to validate multi-service Carrier Ethernet deployments and customer SLAs.
Concurrent Multi-Service Evaluation: RFC 2544 tests single streams sequentially across frame sizes. Y.1564 evaluates multiple distinct service streams (e.g., VoIP, video, business data, and best-effort traffic) concurrently under full load to test quality of service (QoS) and traffic policing.
Turn-Up Efficiency: Y.1564 assesses complete service configurations and performance profiles in minutes instead of the prolonged sequential cycles required by RFC 2544.
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Phase 1 (Service Configuration Test): Validates each service independently to confirm that bandwidth profiles—including Committed Information Rate (CIR), Excess Information Rate (EIR), burst sizes (CBS/EBS), and policing rules—behave as configured without packet drop or SLA violations.
Phase 2 (Service Performance Test): Generates all configured service streams simultaneously at their committed rates over an extended soak duration to ensure long-term stability and verify that lower-priority traffic does not degrade high-priority streams.
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Frame Transfer Delay (FTD): Pinpoints end-to-end packet latency across each service class.
Frame Delay Variation (FDV / Jitter): Measures packet arrival variance to ensure smooth delivery for real-time applications like voice and video.
Frame Loss Ratio (FLR): Tracks frame drop percentages across CIR, EIR, and burst test phases.
Service Availability: Tracks the proportion of test time that each service stream remains operational within specified SLA thresholds.
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Multi-Rate Hardware Connectivity: Full wire-speed testing across 1G, 10G, 25G, and 100G Ethernet interfaces via SFP, SFP+, SFP28, and QSFP28 transceivers.
Dual-Port Generation & Reflection: Supports symmetric and asymmetric dual-port traffic generation, as well as testing against remote loopback or reflector nodes with Layer 2, Layer 3, and Layer 4 address swapping.
End-to-End Testing: Using two EtherExpert units, one at local and another at remote site, end-to-end testing can be performed using a single web UI interface
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Yes. Because EtherExpert integrates natively with our network testing and impairment suite, you can combine ITU-T Y.1564 multi-service test traffic with controlled real-world impairments (such as latency, packet jitter, and frame loss) to validate how your equipment and adaptive applications perform under degraded Carrier Ethernet and WAN conditions.
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Reflector Mode Support: EtherExpert supports a dedicated Traffic Generator & Reflector mode, allowing it to act as a remote loopback endpoint or test against a far-end reflector.
Multi-Layer Address Swapping: In reflector mode, it performs full hardware-level address swapping across Layer 2 (source/destination MAC), Layer 3 (source/destination IPv4/IPv6), and Layer 4 (source/destination port numbers).
Flexible Loopback Selection: Users can configure manual layer-specific swapping (L2, L3, or L4) or enable smart loopback to automatically mirror and swap packet headers across network boundaries without dropping packets.
Single-Ended Field Turn-Up: Allows single-ended Y.1564/EtherSAM multi-service testing across routed networks, edge routers, and switches without requiring a second active test generator at the remote site.
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Color Mode Options: EtherExpert supports both Color-Aware and Color-Blind testing modes compliant with ITU-T Y.1564 / MEF specifications.
Color-Aware Traffic Marking: In Color-Aware mode, traffic is marked with drop-precedence identifiers to distinguish committed and excess bandwidth:
Green Frames (CIR): Guaranteed traffic with strict zero-loss and low-latency SLA requirements.
Yellow Frames (EIR): Best-effort excess traffic permitted through the network but marked with higher discard eligibility during congestion.
Red Traffic (Policing Discards): Excess frames exceeding CIR + EIR that must be dropped by network traffic policing.
Flexible Layer 2/Layer 3 Color Mapping: Supports user-defined priority markings using VLAN PCP (802.1p/C-Tag/S-Tag), IP ToS, or IP DSCP to evaluate multi-CoS prioritization and traffic remarking.
Independent Stream Analysis: Measures and reports throughput, latency (FTD), jitter (FDV), and frame loss ratio (FLR) separately for Green and Yellow flows, ensuring policing and shaping mechanisms enforce SLA commitments without dropping green frames.
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