enterprise network testing [electronic resource] the role and applications of testing in pre-peployment, migration, and post-deployment, network operations

Enterprise
Network Testing
Andy Sholomon
Tom Kunath

Cisco Press
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240

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Enterprise Network Testing

Enterprise Network Testing
Andy Sholomon, Tom Kunath
Copyright© 2011 Cisco Systems, Inc.
Published by:
Cisco Press
800 East 96th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without written permission from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review.
Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
First Printing April 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number is on file.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58714-127-0
ISBN-10: 1-58714-127-2

Warning and Disclaimer
This book is designed to provide information about enterprise network testing. Every effort has been
made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied.
The information is provided on an “as is” basis. The authors, Cisco Press, and Cisco Systems, Inc. shall
have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising
from the information contained in this book or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.
The opinions expressed in this book belong to the author and are not necessarily those of Cisco Systems, Inc.

Trademark Acknowledgments
All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Cisco Press or Cisco Systems, Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use
of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

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About the Authors
Andy Sholomon, CCIE No. 15179, works as a Network Consulting Engineer (NCE) in
Cisco’s Central Engineering Performance and Validation Testing team. He routinely plans
and performs network testing for some of Cisco’s largest Enterprise customers. In his six
years at Cisco, Andy has been involved in both planning and deploying some of the
largest enterprise data centers in the United States. He has also worked with some of
Cisco’s large service provider customers. Before joining Cisco, Andy worked as a
Network Engineer in the global financial industry, spending 5 years at UBS in multiple
roles, including security engineering, and worked as a Systems Engineer at Spear, Leeds
& Kellogg (now a part of Goldman Sachs Group). Andy has been a speaker at the Cisco
Live Networkers Conference. Besides the CCIE, Andy holds multiple industry certifications, including the CISSP and MCSE. Andy lives with his wife, daughter, and Great Dane
in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Tom Kunath, CCIE No. 1679, is a Solutions Architect in Cisco’s Advanced Services
Central Engineering team, where he works as a design and test consulting engineer. With
nearly 20 years in the networking industry, Tom has helped design, deploy, and operate
many of Cisco’s largest Enterprise and Financial customer networks. Before joining Cisco,
Tom worked at Juniper Networks’ Professional Services Group as a Resident Engineer
supporting several service provider IP and MPLS backbones, and prior to that as a
Principal Consultant at International Network Services (INS). In addition to his CCIE,
Tom holds several industry certifications, including a Juniper JNCIS and Nortel Networks
Router Expert. Tom lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.

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About the Technical Reviewers
Tyler Pomerhn, CCIE No. 6676 (Routing/Switching, SNA/IP, Security, Service Provider),
is an engineer with Cisco Systems within the Central Engineering Performance and
Validation Testing Services (PVTS) group based in Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina. He has worked in PVTS and the Customer Proof of Concept (CPOC) testing
organizations for six years within Cisco, testing all manner of topologies and technologies for Fortune 100 companies to ensure their deployments were a success. Prior to
working with testing groups inside Cisco, he worked with the Inside Sales team within
Cisco in RTP, providing in-depth engineering resources to sales teams in the Federal
Channels organization. Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from
SUNY Buffalo, as well as a bachelor’s degree in physics from SUNY Fredonia, and has a
total of 13 years of experience with computer networking.
Don Sautter, CCIE No. 13190 (Routing and Switching), is a Network Engineer at Cisco
Systems within the Central Engineering Performance and Validation Testing Services
(PVTS) group based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. He has worked for Cisco
Systems for 10 years, the last 4 within PVTS performing systems solution testing and design
validation. Don has 30 years of networking experience, during which he has performed a
wide variety of engineering functions and held various positions within the industry.

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Dedications

This book is dedicated to our loving families and our Cisco customers—the network
engineers and managers who challenge us to provide them with the truth and offer them
the simplest solution to meet their most complex problems.

“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all
fixed patterns.”
—Bruce Lee

Acknowledgments
We’d like to give special recognition to all of the Cisco engineers who contributed valuable content to this book: Gery Czirjak, for helping to write Chapter 3, “Testing and Lab
Strategy Development;” Yenu Gobena, for helping to write Chapter 15, “IPv6
Functionality Test Plan;” Connie Varner, for sharing her insight on working in a large test
organization and using the right test tools to get the job done; Tejas Suthar, who, as a network architect, understands first hand the role and value of structured testing in validating design; Varghese Thomas, for providing a case study on network readiness testing for
VoIP; and our technical editors, Don Sautter and Tyler Pomerhn, who are also seasoned
network test engineers in their day jobs, for keeping us honest and on track.
We’d also like to recognize our test tool vendors, in particular Ixia Networks and Spirent
Communications, for their outstanding products and technical support; and Thomas
Maufer, for an excellent contribution on application simulation, and the Mu Dynamics
automated approach of creating test cases with live packet captures.
A quadruple “thumbs up” goes out to the production team for their help with this book.
All of them have been incredibly professional and a pleasure to work with. Thank you for
giving us the flexibility to finish this book while attending to the needs and timeframes
of our own customer testing projects.
Finally, to our wives, for their support and encouragement with this project. Thank you
both for picking up the “parenting slack” that we left during all the nights and weekends
that we spent hunkered around our computers to get this done.

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Contents at a Glance
Part I

Introduction to Enterprise Network Testing

Chapter 1

A Business Case for Enterprise Network Testing

Chapter 2

Testing Throughout the Network Lifecycle

Chapter 3

Testing and Lab Strategy Development

Chapter 4

Crafting the Test Approach

Chapter 5

Executing the Test Plan

Part II

Case Studies

Chapter 6

Proof of Concept Testing Case Study

Chapter 7

Network Readiness Testing Case Study

Chapter 8

Design Verification Testing Case Study

Chapter 9

Migration Plan Testing Case Study

Chapter 10

New Platform and Code Certification Case Study

Chapter 11

Network Ready for Use Testing Case Study

Part III

Test Plans

Chapter 12

Inter-Organization Secure Data Center
Interconnect: Firewall Test Plan 249

Chapter 13

Site-to-Site IPsec Virtual Private Networking: DMVPN
and GET VPN Test Plans 273

Chapter 14

Data Center 3.0 Architecture: Nexus Platform Feature and Performance
Test Plan 323

Chapter 15

IPv6 Functionality Test Plan

Chapter 16

MPLS/VPN: Scalability and Convergence Test Plan

Chapter 17

WAN and Application Optimization: Performance Routing
and Wide Area Application Services Test Plan 433

Chapter 18

Using the Lab for Hands-on Technology Training: Data Center 3.0

Configuration Lab Guide 487
Index

1

3

17

35

61

97

147
149
163
175

191
203

219

241

357
383

587

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Contents
Part I

Introduction to Enterprise Network Testing

Chapter 1

A Business Case for Enterprise Network Testing
Why Testing Is Important

The Cost of Network Downtime

4

5

Network Changes and Downtime

7

Testing in Support of Change Control

7

Testing and the Pursuit of “Five Nines”

9

A Structured Approach to Systems Testing

Summary
Chapter 2

13

14

Step 4: Execution
Step 5: Results

13

13

Step 2: Test Planning
Step 3: Setup

3

3

The Network as a Business Platform

Step 1: Assessment

1

14

14

15

Testing Throughout the Network Lifecycle
Enterprise and Network Architecture Primer

17

17

How the Enterprise Architecture Comes Together
Following a Convergence Vision

19

The Cisco Lifecycle Services Approach (PPDIOO)
PPDIOO Phase 1: Prepare
PPDIOO Phase 2: Plan

18
21

21

21

PPDIOO Phase 3: Design

22

PPDIOO Phase 4: Implement
PPDIOO Phase 5: Operate
PPDIOO Phase 6: Optimize

22
22
22

Testing and the Network Lifecycle

24

Prepare Phase: Design and Test Activities
Customer Requirements Document

24

24

Network Architectural Strategy Development
Business Case Document

25

25

Network Testing and Lab Strategy Development
Facilities Readiness Assessments

26

Plan Phase: Design and Test Activities
Architecture Design Workshops

25

27

27

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Current Architectural Assessment
High-Level Design

27

28

Proof of Concept Testing

28

Network Readiness Testing

28

Network Capacity Planning and Testing
Design Phase: Design and Test Activities
Low-Level Design
Migration Plan

29
29

29

30

Design Verification Testing
Migration Plan Testing

30

31

Implement Phase: Deliverables and Test Activities
Network Implementation Plan

Network Ready for Use Test

31
32

Operate Phase: Deliverables and Test Activities
Hands-On Lab Training

31

32

32

Re-creation of Network Problems

32

Optimize Phase: Deliverables and Test Activities

33

Predeployment Testing for Minor Design Changes
Software Acceptance Testing
Summary
Chapter 3

33

33

34

Testing and Lab Strategy Development
Cost Analysis and Resource Planning

35

36

Estimating CAPEX Necessary to Create a New Test Lab
Environmental Considerations

36

Estimated OPEX to Operate a Test Lab
Staffing
Power

36

44

44
44

Physical Facility

45

Maintenance Obligations
Other OPEX

45

46

Test Organization Financing Models
Cost of Business

46

Project-Based Funding

47

Departmental Chargeback

47

Testing as a Business Function
Return on Investment
Outsourced Testing

46

47

47

48

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Test Lab Facilities Design

49

Functional Lab Design: Selecting the Hardware and Software
Physical Design

50

Equipment Cabinet Floor Plan Layout
Test Lab Operations

53

56

Test Organization Charter

56

Team Roles and Responsibilities

Management Systems

57

58

Equipment Inventory System

58

Equipment Scheduling/Lab Checkout Tool
Team Website

Chapter 4

58

58

Other Operational Considerations
Summary

49

59

59

Crafting the Test Approach

61

Motivations for Different Types of Testing
Proof of Concept Testing

62

62

Network Readiness Testing

63

Design Verification Testing

63

Hardware Certification Testing

63

Network Operating System Testing
Migration Plan Testing

64

Network Ready for Use Testing
Test Scoping

64

65

66

Step 1: Categorize the Type of Test to Be Completed
Step 2: Identify Project Stakeholders

67

Step 3: Identify Indicators of Test Success
Network Design Verification Test
Network Ready for Use Test

67

68

68

68

Step 4: Estimate the Resources Required to Complete the Test
Step 5: Identify Risks

Step 6: Identify the Timeline for Completion
Test Planning

69

70
70

71

Design the Functional Prototype Network System

71

Constructing a High-Level Lab Topology Diagram

72

Identifying the Test Suites and Test Cases
Choosing the Right Test Tools

74

75

Stateless Packet Generators (Bit Blasters)

76

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Interfaces

76

Tool Power/Capacity

76

Packet/Traffic Manipulation
Results

77

78

Automation

78

When to Use Stateless Packet Generators
Packet Generator Vendors

78

79

Stateful Packet Generators (Application Simulators)
Stateful Generation Tool Vendors
Results Reporting

80

When to Use Stateful Packet Generators
Network Delay and Impairment Tools
Delay

80

81

81

Impairment

81

Network Modeling and Emulation Tools
Network Modeling Tools

Application Simulation Tools
Security Testing Tools

82

83

84

Network Protocol Analysis Tools
Writing the Test Plan

86

86

Overall Project Scope and Objectives
Test Objectives and Success Criteria
Test Resources Required
Test Schedule

82

82

Network Modeling Tool Vendors

86
87

88

90

Developing the Detailed Test Cases

91

Understanding System Test Execution Methodologies
Conformance Testing

Performance and Scalability Testing

Format for Written Test Case

Chapter 5

92

92

Functional and Interoperability Testing

Summary

79

80

93

94

94

95

Executing the Test Plan

97

Building and Operating the Functional Network Prototype System
Equipment Allocation and Connectivity

Test Lab Telemetry

98

98

100

The Test Engineer’s Toolkit

103

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Understanding Your Test Tools: Quirks and Limitations
Understanding the Different Types of Test Traffic
RFCs Pertaining to Test Execution
Tools to Execute Complex Testing

104

105

108
110

Scale Testing: Simulating Large Networks with Limited Devices
High-Availability Testing: How to Measure Convergence Times
Convergence Testing: How to Trigger a Failover
Testing Using Delay, Jitter, and Errors
Using Cisco IOS Test Tools
Chargen Service

124

EEM Monitored Events

129

131
132

136

Before You Begin

136

Order of Testing: Getting Organized
Running the Test Cases

142

Organizing the Capture Files
Router Configuration Files

Part II
Chapter 6

137

139

Capturing and Saving Results

Summary

125

130

Using Customized Scripts

Data Archival

123

123

Embedded Event Manager Scripting

Test Execution

121

124

Cisco IOS IP Service-Level Agreements

EEM Actions

110

143
144

144

145

Case Studies

147

Proof of Concept Testing Case Study

149

Background for the Proof of Concept Testing Case Study
Proposed Data Center Architecture
Compute Infrastructure
Storage Infrastructure

149

150

151
152

LAN Infrastructure

152

WAN Infrastructure

153

Virtualization Software

153

Risks of Deploying the Proposed Solution
Proof of Concept Test Strategy
POC Test Objectives
POC Test Topology

153

154

154
154

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Proof of Concept Test Scope
Network Baseline Test

156

156

Application Baseline Test

156

Network and Application Integrity Test
Failure/Recovery Test
Feature Validation Tests

157

Automation Validation Test

157

Performance/Scalability/Capacity Test
Summary of POC Test Cases
Summary
Chapter 7

157

157

157

158

162

Network Readiness Testing Case Study

163

Background for the Network Readiness Testing Case Study
Legacy Network Infrastructure Overview

163

164

Cisco Unified Communications Proposed Solution

164

Risks Associated with Implementing the Proposed Solution
Network Readiness Assessment Approach and Findings
Network Readiness Assessment
Hierarchy and Modularity

IP Routing
QoS

166
167

168

169

169

Network Path Analysis

170

Details of Network Path Analysis Testing
Summary of Recommendations
Summary
Chapter 8

166

166

Utilization and Redundancy
Access Layer Links

165

171

173

174

Design Verification Testing Case Study

175

Background for the Design Verification Testing Case Study

176

High-Level Design for Blue Ridge University MPLS Backbone

177

Low-Level Design for Blue Ridge University MPLS Backbone

178

Risks of Deploying the Proposed Solution
Low-Level Design Verification Test Strategy
Test Objectives
Test Topology

182
182

182
183

Design Verification Test Scope
Network Baseline Test

184

184

Feature/Functionality Tests

184

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Enterprise Network Testing

Negative/Destructive Tests

185

Performance/Scalability Tests

185

Operations/Duty Cycle Tests

185

Summary of Design Verification Test Cases
Summary
Chapter 9

185

190

Migration Plan Testing Case Study

191

Background for the Migration Plan Testing Case Study
Legacy and New Network Design Overview
New Backbone Design

194

High-Level Network Migration Plan

197

198

Summary of Migration Plan Testing
Summary
Chapter 10

192

194

End-State Network Design
Migration Test Plan

192

199

201

New Platform and Code Certification Case Study

203

Background for the New Platform and Code Certification Case Study
Proposed Top-of-Rack Architecture
Hardware for the New Infrastructure

207

Platform and Code Certification Test Plan

210

New Platform Certification Objectives

210

New Software Certification Objectives

210

New Platform and Code Certification Test Topology
New Platform and Code Certification Test Scope
Network and SAN Baseline Tests
Management Functionality Test
Failure/Recovery Test

211

212

212
212

213

Feature Validation Test

213

Performance/Scalability/Capacity Tests

213

Summary of New Platform and Code Certification Test Cases

Summary
End Notes
Chapter 11

204

205

213

217
217

Network Ready for Use Testing Case Study
Background for the NRFU Case Study

219

220

Sports and Entertainment Stadium Network Architecture
Network Topology

221

224

Physical Network Topology
Core Layer Components

225
225

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Distribution Layer Components
Access Layer Components
Multicast Architecture
Stadium HD Video

225

226

226

227

General IP Multicast Topology

228

Additional Infrastructure Considerations
Network Ready for Use Test Strategy
Success Criteria
Test Prerequisites
Test Phases

Test Tools

230

230
231

231
232

Summary of NRFU Test Cases
Summary

230

232

240

Part III

Test Plans

Chapter 12

Inter-Organization Secure Data Center Interconnect:
Firewall Test Plan 249
Background

241

249

Physical and Logical Test Topology
Test Objectives
Test Case Summary

251

Detailed Test Cases
Chapter 13

252

Site-to-Site IPsec Virtual Private Networking: DMVPN
and GET VPN Test Plans 273
Background

274

Physical and Logical Test Topology
Test Objectives

274

279

DMVPN Test Cases Summary

279

Detailed DMVPN Test Cases

280

GET VPN Test Cases Summary
Detailed GET VPN Test Cases
Chapter 14

250

251

302
302

Data Center 3.0 Architecture: Nexus Platform Feature and
Performance Test Plan 323
Background

324

Physical and Logical Test Topology
Test Objectives

325

328

Traffic Flows for All Tests

328

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Test Case Summary

328

Detailed Test Cases

329

End Note
Chapter 15

356

IPv6 Functionality Test Plan
The IPv6 Specification

357

357

Considerations for IPv6 Testing
IPv6 Header Format

358

358

IPv6 Address Scopes

359

IPv6 Extension Headers

361

IPv6 Source Address Selection
ICMPv6

362

363

IPv6 Neighbor Discovery
IPv6 Autoconfiguration
IPv6 PMTUD
IPv6 Security

363
364

365
365

Physical and Logical Test Topology
Test Objectives
Test Case Summary

368

Detailed Test Cases

368

End Notes
Chapter 16

366

368

382

MPLS/VPN: Scalability and Convergence Test Plan
Background

384

Physical and Logical Test Topology

386

Technical Details of the Test Topology
Emulated Control Plane Scale
Test Objectives

387

388

Control Plane Scale Methodology

389

389

Test Case Summary

390

Detailed Test Cases
Chapter 17

383

391

WAN and Application Optimization: Performance Routing
and Wide Area Application Services Test Plan 433
Background

434

Physical and Logical Test Topology
Test Traffic

434

438

Test Objectives

440

Test Case Summary

440

Detailed Test Cases

441

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Chapter 18

Using the Lab for Hands-on Technology Training: Data Center 3.0
Configuration Lab Guide 487

Background

488

Physical and Logical Lab Topology
Lab Objectives

489

490

Detailed Hands-on Lab

490

Step 1: Log In to Your Assigned Pod

490

Lab 1: Configuring Unified Computing System Ethernet Ports and Named
VLANs Using Unified Computing System Manager 490
Step 1: Launch UCSM from a Web Browser

493

Step 2: Enable the Server Ports Between the UCS 6100 Fabric
Interconnect and the UCS Chassis 493
Step 3: Enable the Uplink Ports Between the UCS 6100 Fabric
Interconnect and the Nexus 7000 Switches 496
Step 4: Configure Named VLANs on the UCS

498

Lab 2: Configuring UCS Network and Server-Related Pools

500

Step 1: Configure an IP Pool for External Blade Management
Step 2: Create a MAC Address Pool for the UCS

501

503

Lab 3: Creating Virtual PortChannels on
the Nexus 7000 Series Switches 505
Virtual Device Context Overview
Virtual PortChannel Overview
vPC Terminology

505

506

507

Step 1: Create VLANs on the Nexus 7000s

507

Step 2: Create a vPC on the Nexus 7000s for Connectivity
to Your UCS Chassis 509
Step 3: Create a 40-Gbps PortChannel on the UCS 6100 Fabric
Interconnect for Connectivity to the Nexus 7000 Pair 517
Step 4: Verify PortChannel and vPC on the Nexus 7000

519

Lab 4: Creating a VSAN and Enabling Fibre Channel Connectivity Between
the UCS 6100 Fabric Interconnect and MDS 9506 521
Terminology

521

Step 1: Enable NPIV Mode, Create a VSAN, and Associate the Fibre
Channel Ports of the MDS to the New VSAN 523
Step 2: Create a New VSAN on the UCS

525

Step 3: Associate Fibre Channel Interfaces with the UCS VSAN
Lab 5: Configuring UCS Service Profiles
Terminology for Service Profiles
Step 1: Create a vNIC Template

526

526

528

529

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Enterprise Network Testing

Step 2: Create a SAN Pool and vHBA Template

531

Step 3: Configure Server Boot Policies (SAN and LAN)
Step 4: Create an IPMI Profile

538

Step 5: Create a Local Disk Configuration Policy
Step 6: Create a Serial over LAN Policy
Step 7: Create a UUID Suffix Pool
Step 8: Create a Server Pool

534

539

540

540

542

Step 9: Create a Service Profile Template

543

Step 10: Create Service Profiles from a Service Profile Template
Step 11: Clone and Manually Associate a Service Profile

552

554

Lab 6: Configuring SAN Zoning and Core Switch Connectivity
on the MDS 9506 556
Step 1: Record UCS Service Profile WWPN Assignments

557

Step 2: Create a Zone for each Service Profile on the MDS

559

Step 3: Place the Zones in a Zoneset for Your POD/VSAN 901
Step 4: Activate the Zoneset on the MDS

561

562

Step 5: Configure MDS Connectivity to the Core SAN

562

Lab 7: Enabling IP and Routing Features on
the Nexus 7000 Series Switches 564
Step 1: Configure Layer 3 VLAN Interfaces with IPv4 Addressing
Step 2: Configure Hot Standby Router Protocol

565

567

Step 3: Configure OSPF Routing on Core and VLAN Interfaces
Step 4: Enable OSPF Routing on the VLAN Interfaces

570

572

Step 5: Add a Redundant Path to the Core—Add OSPF Adjacency
Between Nexus 7000s Across the PortChannel Trunk 573
Lab 8: Verifying the Blade Servers Boot VMware ESX 4.0

576

Step 1: Connect to Server KVM Console and Verify Boot Status
Step 2: Verify ESX Service Console IP Connectivity

Lab 9: Adding the UCS Blade Servers into VMware vCenter
Index

576

578
580

587

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Icons Used in This Book

Communication
Server

PC

PC with
Software

Terminal

File
Server

Sun
Workstation

Macintosh

Access
Server

ISDN/Frame Relay
Switch

Ciscoworks
Workstation

ATM
Switch

Modem

Token
Ring
Token Ring

Printer

Laptop

Web
Server

IBM
Mainframe

Front End
Processor

Cluster
Controller

Multilayer
Switch

FDDI
Gateway

Router

Network Cloud

Bridge

Line: Ethernet

Hub

DSU/CSU
DSU/CSU

Line: Serial

FDDI

Catalyst
Switch

Line: Switched Serial

Command Syntax Conventions
The conventions used to present command syntax in this book are the same conventions
used in the Cisco IOS Command Reference, which describes these conventions as follows:
■

Boldface indicates commands and keywords that are entered literally as shown. In
actual configuration examples and output (not general command syntax), boldface
indicates commands that are manually input by the user (such as a show command).

■

Italics indicate arguments for which you supply actual values.

■

Vertical bars (|) separate alternative, mutually exclusive elements.

■

Square brackets [ ] indicate optional elements.

■

Braces { } indicate a required choice.

■

Braces within brackets [{ }] indicate a required choice within an optional element.

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Introduction
As many as 17 billion devices are projected to be connected to the Internet by 2014,
fueled by more and more computing tasks now being handled online, from phone calls to
personalized searches to downloading entertainment. In an effort to enhance the value of
user transactions, corporations are increasingly transforming their network infrastructures from “packet plumbing” into “business platforms,” converging ever more application
and network functions along the way. This transformation has placed unprecedented pressures on network managers, now charged with meeting application service-level agreements for uptime and performance dictated to them by leaders of the business. Once
considered an optional activity, network testing has become mandatory in many organizations and is a critical step toward meeting the expectations of near-zero downtime.

Goals and Methods
There is currently a void in publications that address test methodologies as they relate to
the enterprise network lifecycle, particularly in the area of advanced technologies.
Existing test publications, such as IETF RFCs and vendor test tool documentation, focus
on test procedures for particular products and technologies, as opposed to complete network systems. While these are well known and used throughout the industry, they do not
offer a complete blueprint to an organization that wants to know when, what, and exactly
how to test products, solutions, and advanced technologies to keep its business up and
running.
The primary goal of this book is to help you understand how you can develop effective

test methods to discover in your network designs flaws or weaknesses that could potentially bring down your network. The intent is that this will be accomplished through the
following methods:
■

Establishing the importance of structured systems testing as a fundamental component of an enterprise architecture strategy

■

Explaining the different types of testing that complement decision making during
the various phases of a network’s lifecycle

■

Outlining a business and technical blueprint for developing a testing organization
and lab facility

■

Providing a series of customer case studies that reinforces the benefits of testing in
the various phases of the networks lifecycle

■

Providing test plan templates for various technical solutions that can be customized
and used by readers in their own testing

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Who Should Read This Book?
This book is intended to be read by network professionals who want to understand what
structured system testing is, and how to effectively test complex network systems and
technologies. The sample test plans included in this book are intended to be used as a
reference, and can be customized for individual use.

How This Book Is Organized
Although this book could be read cover to cover, it is designed to be flexible and to
allow you to easily move between chapters and sections of chapters to cover just the
material that you need more work with. Part I, “Introduction to Enterprise Network
Testing” (Chapters 1 through 5), is an introduction to systems testing, covering fundamental concepts with a focus on the relationship of testing to an enterprise architecture
and design process. These chapters are mainly nontechnical, setting the stage for the case
studies (Part II) and test plans (Part III) that follow in Chapters 6 through 18, which are
the core chapters and can be covered in any order. If you intend to read them all, the
order in the book is an excellent sequence to use.
Chapters 1 through 18 cover the following topics:
■

Chapter 1, “A Business Case for Enterprise Network Testing”—This chapter introduces fundamental concepts of network testing and its critical role in validating
design and making sound deployment decisions. The chapter begins with a discussion of why IT dollars should be spent on testing, and the evolution of the network
as a platform for business. This is followed by a discourse on the cost of network
downtime to the business, and how testing can be used to improve availability by
validating design and reducing human error. The chapter concludes with an introduction to the different types of testing and a discussion about a structured
approach to testing.

■

Chapter 2, “Testing Throughout the Network Lifecycle”—This chapter builds upon
the concepts introduced in Chapter 1 by explaining how a structured testing program complements the architecture and design process of the enterprise. An introduction to the Cisco Lifecycle Services approach of Plan, Prepare, Design,

Implement, Operate, and Optimize (PPDIOO) follows, with examples of the different kinds of test activities that would commonly occur in each phase.

■

Chapter 3, “Testing and Lab Strategy Development”—This chapter examines many
of the business and technical considerations when developing an organizational testing strategy. The chapter includes a business cost analysis of building, staffing, and
operating a lab, presenting the reader with various possible funding models. Best
practices for test lab facility design and an estimate of the resources (equipment,
tools, and people) that are necessary to sustain it are presented in depth, so that the
reader can make an intelligent decision about whether it makes sense to build a lab
or outsource testing.

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Enterprise Network Testing

■

Chapter 4, “Crafting the Test Approach”—This chapter walks through the details
of a structured approach to handling, scoping, and planning for different types of
test requests. It begins with a suggested approach for assessing and scoping a test
project, and offers guidance on how to identify the test scenarios, design and build a
lab topology, select appropriate test tools, and write a detailed and concise test plan.

■

Chapter 5, “Executing the Test Plan”—This chapter delves into many of the lowlevel details associated with system-level testing. Best practices for building a functional prototype of a network design are discussed, including methodologies for

accommodating scale testing with the minimal amount of equipment. An introduction to several commercial, free, and Cisco IOS test tools is included, with tips on
how to best leverage them for different types of testing.

■

Chapter 6, “Proof of Concept Testing Case Study”—This chapter walks through a
case study of how a financial customer leveraged proof of concept (POC) testing to
gain confidence in a new network architecture that was proposed as part of a data
center centralization/consolidation strategy.

■

Chapter 7 “Network Readiness Testing Case Study”—This chapter walks through a
,
case study of how a software development company leveraged network readiness
testing on its production network to identify gaps and gauge readiness for a planned
Unified Communications deployment.

■

Chapter 8, “Design Verification Testing Case Study”—This chapter walks through
a case study of how a university leveraged design verification testing to validate and
refine a low-level design (LLD) for a new MPLS backbone infrastructure.

■

Chapter 9, “Migration Plan Testing Case Study”—This chapter walks through a
case study of how a university leveraged testing to validate the low-level steps and
device configurations necessary to incrementally migrate its legacy IP network to a
new MPLS/VPN network.

■

Chapter 10, “New Platform and Code Certification Case Study”—This chapter
walks through a case study of how a financial organization leveraged predeployment
acceptance testing to certify new hardware, operating systems, and software features
as part of a corporate change management compliance policy.

■

Chapter 11, “Network Ready for Use Testing Case Study”—This chapter walks
through a case study of how network ready for use (NRFU) testing was used as a
final check to certify that a newly opened sports and entertainment complex was
functional and ready to offer IP services to the staff and public on opening day.

■

Chapter 12, “Inter-Organization Secure Data Center Interconnect: Firewall Test
Plan”—This chapter introduces a technical solution for securely interconnecting the
data centers of two separate enterprise networks, and then presents a detailed test
plan for validating its performance and scalability.

■

Chapter 13, “Site-to-Site IPsec Virtual Private Networking: DMVPN and GET
VPN Test Plans”—This chapter discusses the motivation and details of two different
site-to-site VPN designs based on IPsec technologies, and then presents detailed test
plans to validate the functionality and scale of each.

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Chapter 14, “Data Center 3.0 Architecture: Nexus Platform Feature and
Performance Test Plan”—This chapter discusses the low-level details of a next-generation data center solution built upon on the Nexus family of switches. A test plan
is provided to validate the platform and system functionality of the solution components, which include: Nexus 5000 End-of-Row (EoR) Switches, Nexus 2000 Top-ofRack (ToR) Fabric Extenders, Nexus 7000 core switches, and MDS 9500 Directorclass SAN switches.

■

Chapter 15, “IPv6 Functionality Test Plan”—This chapter includes an IPv6 technology primer and functionality test plan for some of its basic features.

■

Chapter 16, “MPLS/VPN: Scalability and Convergence Test Plan”—This chapter
discusses the low-level details of a hierarchical MPLS/VPN design that securely segments a global enterprise network. A systems test plan is provided to validate the
solution, focusing on fast convergence, scalability, and high availability features.

■

Chapter 17 “WAN and Application Optimization: Performance Routing and Wide
,
Area Application Services Test Plan”—This chapter discusses a solution that
includes PfR and WAAS features to optimize application performance across a
WAN. A test plan is provided to validate the feature functionality and scalability, and
to quantify the performance gains of deploying PfR and WAAS on the WAN.

■

Chapter 18, “Using the Lab for Hands-on Technology Training: Data Center 3.0
Configuration Lab Guide”—This chapter illustrates how an enterprise lab can be
used as a field enablement resource for hands-on training. A sample lab guide showing step-by-step Nexus 7000, MDS, and Unified Computing System provisioning
tasks is provided as an example of how training materials should be structured to
facilitate self-study using a custom-built lab topology.

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