Scalable Network Technologies Introduces Breakthrough Emulation Technology for Mobile Wireless Networks

(Product News, 19 Nov 2008)

Scalable Network Technologies Inc. (SNT) has developed EXata, an advanced wireless network emulator for test and evaluation of military and commercial on-the-move wireless communication networks. EXata is breakthrough emulation technology that speeds the development and deployment of mobile wireless systems, and enables new approaches to training military and public safety personnel.

EXata makes it possible to exercise both equipment-in-the-loop and humans-in-the-loop using "software virtual networks" (SVNs). Much like the flight simulators used to train pilots, SVNs provide a robust platform to conduct network testing and operations training with an unprecedented level of realism. SVNs are capable of interfacing with actual networks, running actual applications, in real time—thus enabling the evaluation of new technologies rapidly and at much lower cost than previously possible.

EXata enables true or real-time emulation—an exact digital replication of a physical wireless network. Any hardware, software, or human user connected to an EXata SVN is not able to discern a difference between real networks and components and their virtual (emulated) replacements.

EXata breaks new ground in speed and fidelity compared to the current class of simulation and emulation systems. The underlying computer code, known as the kernel, is built with patent-pending computationally efficient code that dramatically increases speed and accuracy on any computing platform. EXata is the only emulation system that can use advanced parallel processing to digitally represent every layer in the wireless communications protocol "stack". EXata also produces superior predictability of actual performance. As a result, many more potential solutions can be tested and evaluated, allowing engineers to solve more problems with fewer technical compromises.

EXata SVN's displace the traditional model of physical testbed evaluation by leveraging the flexibility and low cost of simulation to produce the highly accurate, highly detailed results of a testbed. Furthermore, the EXata SVN can stay in service throughout the lifecycle of the system to provide increasing levels of detail and realism as the project demands.

The EXata product family consists of EXata and a collection of add-on libraries that model various communication protocols. The power of additional processors can be added with a license upgrade. A feature-rich visual development environment allows users to set up models quickly and then run models that present real-time statistics and helpful packet-level debugging insight.

EXata provides out-of-the-box support for quad-core processor systems. It is possible to achieve real-time emulation with the base EXata product. For additional speed-up and scalability through parallel execution, users can upgrade EXata to run on multiples of four processors.

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