Set up in less than fifteen minutes Control from anywhere on the network Script or web page driven Invoke rate limitation Change settings "on the fly" without restarting  Layer 2 device, acts like a bridge -- no special configuration

Training & Learning

What is the effect on SAN devices when parallel routing paths that create re-ordering?

Use Mini Maxwell network emulator to augment training classes with hands-on lab sessions. Students or the instructor can study the question above, or emulate a satellite connection, create a denial of service attack, or any other network condition.  Students then correlate network behavior with causes of that behavior and learn how networks operate.  For product training, students can gain experience with your product to see how it behaves under adverse network conditions.  This provides deeper product knowledge and inspires more confidence for product support.

Demonstrations & Tradeshows

How does the new VoIP phone perform when 10 ms of jitter is applied to the voice traffic?  Can you still hear clearly?

Use the Mini Maxwell network emulator to demonstrate your product.  The Mini Maxwell network emulator system emulates the real-world network.  You set the conditions (misconfigured routers, congestion, and timeouts) and the Mini Maxwell emulator emulates the network experience.  Customers can then visualize your product and see it perform.  Best of all, the Mini Maxwell network emulator system fits into your laptop bag or carry-on. Set it up in your tradeshow booth or in the customer's conference room in just a few minutes.  Get everyone's attention on the key benefits of your product, not the network setup.

Testing, Validation & Troubleshooting

Was it the misconfigured router that caused the server to slow down or was it a bug in the server?

Use the Mini Maxwell network emulation system to test and replicate bugs in BETA releases and at customer sites. Recreate intractable and intermittent bugs.  Show the customer the real cause of the problem.  Avoid finger pointing and provide conclusive proof of network problems, such as misconfigured routers, long queues in switching devices as well as transient routing loops, inadequate compensation algorithms in VoIP devices ,or tunnels with inadequate MTUs. Mini Maxwell's network emulation system low power and quiet operation lets you quickly set it up in a wide variety of environments.

Mini Maxwell network emulation system is an easy to use, portable, low cost, network emulator.  Attach Mini Maxwell at any point in the network without any special configuration.   From a web interface, introduce adverse condition or bandwidth limited conditions and network impairments.  Then observe the behavior on applications and devices.

In this way, you can quickly and efficiently determine how resilient your product is to the unfavorable conditions that occur with frequency on real-world networks. 

Optimize Application Performance

Emulate your network with new applications, adverse conditions, and anything else you can think of with Mini Maxwell.  The Mini Maxwell network emulator will create the same real-world conditions that affect production networks in your lab or on your desktop, so you can visualize and understand the effects. The Mini Maxwell network emulator is well suited to training and learning environments, demonstrations and trade shows, and testing, validation and troubleshooting.

• Test, diagnose and remediate application performance in new releases by replicating the production network in the lab.
• Learn how your app will perform in mobile, cloud, and WAN networks.

Find Problems Before Anyone Else

As network applications proliferate and users attach new types of devices to networks, the need for high QoS and better packet compensation algorithms increases. Through use of a network simulator, you can discover hidden problems that only reveal themselves at the worst possible moments and fix them, saving time, money, and your reputation. Let us help add the Maxwell Network Emulator to your lab!

Technical Specifications

Multiple Bands for Better Network Emulations:

• User-defined packet filters sort traffic into five bands in each directions (ten bands total)
• Unfiltered packets (e.g. ARP, DHCP) go into a default band
• Different impairments maybe imposed onto each band
• Bands may be used for many purposes such as:
  • Traffic between one or multiple source-destination pairs
  • Protocol specific traffic (e.g. SIP, HTTP)
• Packets with QoS
• Small packets
• Different impairments may be defined for each direction
• Impairment and filtering changes occur when submitted, no need to restart
• Applies standard packet impairments to user defined traffic "bands", including drop/lose, duplicate, delay(latency), jitter, reorder, and corruption (single bit errors).
• Applies Rate Limitation to emulate slow links.

Packets into Bands

• Operates at Layer 2 - like a "bump on the wire" or a Layer 2 bridge.  No special configuration required.
• Creates steady state or burst impairments.
• Selectively filters traffic into bands using pattern-matching filters.
• Uses pre-written filters or you can create your own.
• Alters filters and/or impairments without restarting.
• Imports and Exports (Saves and Reloads) configuration files.
• Provides access and control from a web-based user interface anywhere on the network.

Packet Filters:

• IPv4 source address
• IPv4 destination address
• Layer 3 (e.g. TCP/UDP) Source port (e.g. HTTP, DNS, SIP)
• Layer 3 Destination port
• Protocol (e.g. TCP, UDP, ICMP)
• All packets / no packets
• Bit Pattern
• MAC Address{rokzoom album=|Mini Maxwell|title=|Filter Sequence|}images/stories/product_info/05_mm2-filtseq2.png{/rokzoom}
• IP ToS
• ICMP type
• Several pre-defined packet filters
• Users may create own filters
• "nexthdr" works with IP options.
• Filter sequence is under user control.

Remote Access:

• Web-based network emulation graphical user interface
• Access and control from a web browser anywhere on the network.

Automated Operation:

• Use a spreadsheet, define an emulation, run and repeat for minutes, hours, or days.
• Run the automation as fast as five times real-time or as slow as 1% of real time.
• Save and reload at a later date.

Layer 2 Device:

• Mini Maxwell provides three Ethernet interfaces:
  • one for control and diagnostics
  • two for carrying the traffic to be impaired

Mini Maxwell operates on packets arriving on the two data interfaces.  Depending on the settings, the packets may be passed to the other data interface unchanged or may undergo modifications, replications, delays, and other transformations.  Except for these transformations  Mini Maxwell is invisible at layer 2 and above.

Thus, the MAC addresses and headers, and all higher level addresses and headers are not affected by Mini Maxwell unless some configured transformation is performed. Thus Mini Maxwell may be inserted into a network at any point where one would use a simple category 5 Ethernet cable.  Typically Mini Maxwell is placed in a test network at some point where it is carrying the traffic that one wants Mini Maxwell to transform.