Unified Cloud Fabric for Lab Automation
Wire once and never re-cable with virtualized layer 1 switching and cross connects
Unified Cloud Fabric for Lab Automation (VirtualWire) is an integrated physical layer feature set for the Netvisor® ONE Operating System (OS) that enables native Layer 1 switching capabilities on Open Networking hardware switches. With VirtualWire, you can quickly build new topologies in software in a matter of minutes with visibility and troubleshooting built-in, all at a fraction of the cost of traditional Layer 1 switches.
Wire Once and Never Re-Cable
A significant amount of lab testing time is spent planning and re-cabling the Layer 1 physical topology before any testing even occurs.
Plus, the process of monitoring the health of your infrastructure and troubleshooting connectivity issues can be cumbersome. Not to mention expensive lab equipment like signal generators can be underutilized, and lab setup can be prone to human error.
With Pluribus VirtualWire for lab automation solutions, you can quickly build new topologies in software in a matter of minutes with visibility and troubleshooting built-in, all at a fraction of the cost of traditional Layer 1 matrix switches.
Manage Lab Connectivity and Troubleshooting Virtually
The Pluribus VirtualWire layer 1 switch is a highly flexible, highly-scalable physical layer non-blocking switching matrix powered by the Pluribus Netvisor® OS. It is designed to build dynamic, high-performance lab connectivity with packet/application/link layer visibility
VirtualWire enables an engineer to conserve time, maximize productivity, reduce costs and eliminate errors associated with manual patching. VirtualWire also allows users to store well-known physical configurations and reproduce the configurations at will for subsequent testing. VirtualWire also offers a powerful RESTful API to integrate with a customer’s own management and orchestration tools.
Features and Benefits
Efficient Tool Sharing
After initial wiring, Pluribus VirtualWire acts as a virtual patch panel that can be reconfigured in software, without changing any wiring. Create new test connections in seconds from anywhere.
Software-based Configuration
Share expensive test tools (e.g. traffic generators) efficiently and dynamically re-assign them to different test environments with a software command. Ports can be associated 1:1, 1:n or n:1 to increase sharing flexibility.Layer 1 Switching Transparency
After initial wiring, Pluribus VirtualWire acts as a virtual patch panel that can be reconfigured in software, without changing any wiring. Create new test connections in seconds from anywhereSpeed and Media Conversion
Connect test tools to devices under test with any mix of port speeds and media (copper, multi-mode fiber, single-mode fiber). No need to throw away older tools or buy expensive new test ports to work with newer devices.Programmability
VirtualWire switches and fabrics are highly programmable for rapid test development and execution. An entire fabric can be managed and programmed from any switch. Choose CLI, REST API or Python or leverage pre-tested integrations with popular lab orchestration software such as Quali CloudShell.Flexible Scaling
Add switches to the VirtualWire fabric as needed to add higher speed ports, scale up overall port capacity, or scale out to additional sites.Repeatable Configuration
Save any configuration of virtual connections for future re-use to enable rapid test repeatability.End-to-end Visibility
Leverage fabric-wide visibility into flows, packets, and link-layer status to accelerate troubleshooting of connectivity and performance issues.CapEx Savings
VirtualWire runs on open network switching hardware, offering significant CapEx savings versus traditional Layer 1 switches – often only 1/10th the cost!Software-based Configuration
After initial wiring, Pluribus VirtualWire acts as a virtual patch panel that can be reconfigured in software, without changing any wiring. Create new test connections in seconds from anywhere
Efficient Tool Sharing
Share expensive test tools (e.g. traffic generators) efficiently and dynamically re-assign them to different test environments with a software command. Ports can be associated 1:1, 1:n or n:1 to increase sharing flexibility.
Layer 1 Switching Transparency
VirtualWire is transparent to the entire Ethernet frame and L2 control protocols and can be configured to pass errored and runt frames. Link up/down status can be tracked and reflected from end to end, even across a multi-switch VirtualWire fabric.
Speed and Media Conversion
Connect test tools to devices under test with any mix of port speeds and media (copper, multi-mode fiber, single-mode fiber). No need to throw away older tools or buy expensive new test ports to work with newer devices.
Programmability
VirtualWire switches and fabrics are highly programmable for rapid test development and execution. An entire fabric can be managed and programmed from any switch. Choose CLI, REST API or Python or leverage pre-tested integrations with popular lab orchestration software such as Quali CloudShell.
Flexible Scaling
Add switches to the VirtualWire fabric as needed to add higher speed ports, scale up overall port capacity, or scale out to additional sites.
Repeatable Configuration
Save any configuration of virtual connections for future re-use to enable rapid test repeatability.
End-to-end Visibility
Leverage fabric-wide visibility into flows, packets, and link-layer status to accelerate troubleshooting of connectivity and performance issues.
CapEx Savings
VirtualWire runs on open network switching hardware, offering significant CapEx savings versus traditional Layer 1 switches – often only 1/10th the cost!
See how you can decrease test cycle time, improve lab utilitization and lower cost
Use Cases
Pluribus VirtualWire is ideal for lab automation and many other uses
Lab Automation
Manual cabling is time-consuming, error-prone and inflexible as it is limited by device proximity and transceiver/media/speed capabilities. Intra-rack cabling requirements are topology specific and difficult to organize. Reconnecting the same devices in a different topology involves inefficient manual effort. Plus, it is difficult and time-consuming to reproduce previously created topologies.
Instead, with Pluribus VirtualWire you program virtual cables between devices. Your lab is physically cabled only once, optimally. Thereafter, logical test connections are created and reconfigured completely in software, and connection topologies can be saved for later re-use.
Efficient Lab Equipment Sharing
Lab service provisioning is usually very manual. Each test engineer has to contact the lab owner and all relevant equipment owners to reserve the equipment they need. Long lead times and lab downtime are required for both setup and dismantling of tests. This highly manual, time-consuming effort leads to needless reserving of entire blocks/racks, or test teams buying redundant equipment to circumvent the bottlenecks, both of which result in highly inefficient use of lab resources.
Pluribus VirtualWire eliminates those obstacles to enable efficient lab equipment sharing. Devices to be tested can be racked and connected anywhere a port is available, and need not be located near specific test equipment. Test teams reserve only the equipment they need, and any available test tool that is connected to the fabric can be used, even equipment racked in a remote lab, without worrying about matching port speed or media. As soon as test equipment becomes available, connections to the next device under test can be programmed in seconds, virtually eliminating idle time.
The result is equipment utilization increases – in many cases by 300% or more – resulting in fewer purchases of redundant equipment and lower total costs.
High Availability Lab Testing
Testing equipment for high availability and resilience to failures is challenging when equipment is located in multiple locations, possibly even across borders. Hiring dedicated lab staff in multiple sites can be cost prohibitive, while sending a test engineer to a remote data center just to pull out a cable may not be practical.
A Pluribus VirtualWire fabric that stretches between geographically separated locations allows testing teams who are centrally located to configure and run tests in any location without physically being on site. This avoids the cost of local staff and testing assets in every site, eliminates barriers of geography and travel, and enables remote testing in labs that are hard to access due to factors such as visa, cyber-security or local health restrictions.
