The NetCom/Spirent SmartBits SMB‑200 with four ML‑7710 SmartCards is a portable 4‑port 10/100 Mbps performance analyzer chassis that supports full‑line‑rate traffic generation/capture, GPS/10 MHz sync for one‑way latency, and the SmartBits software suite for RFC‑compliant tests.
Device overview
Chassis: The SMB‑200 is a compact, field‑portable SmartBits chassis designed for end‑to‑end performance testing and multi‑chassis synchronization. It accepts up to four SmartCards and provides remote control via Ethernet or RS‑232, GPS timing support, and external 10 MHz clock input for distributed one‑way latency measurements.
SmartCard (ML‑7710): The ML‑7710 is an Ethernet SmartMetrics card that provides 4 ports per card (RJ‑45), supporting 10Base‑T and 100Base‑TX operation with auto‑negotiation and both half‑ and full‑duplex modes. It supports full line‑rate transmit and capture, burst and continuous modes, and advanced frame generation patterns for in‑depth device stress testing.
Key technical specifications
- Ports per chassis: 4 ports (one ML‑7710 card per port in your 4‑card configuration).
- Physical interface: RJ‑45, 10/100 Mbps (IEEE 802.3).
- Line‑rate capability: Full line‑rate transmit and capture at 10/100 Mbps, with programmable frame sizes, inter‑frame gaps, and traffic mixes.
- Timing & sync: GPS support for multi‑chassis distributed tests and external 10 MHz clock input for precise timestamping (100‑ns accuracy when GPS synchronized).
- Software: Bundled with SmartWindow, SmartLib, and SmartApplications for test creation, automation, and analysis; supports RFC‑based tests (RFC 1242, 1944, 2285, 2432).
- Scalability: Multi‑chassis expansion via SmartBits extension units; large deployments can scale to hundreds of ports.
Typical capabilities and use cases
- Throughput and stress testing of switches, routers, and NICs using full line‑rate frame generation.
- Latency and jitter measurement including one‑way latency when GPS‑synchronized across chassis.
- Protocol conformance and RFC tests for Ethernet, Frame Relay, ATM (with appropriate SmartCards), and higher‑level traffic mixes.