VoIP network performance testing can mean the difference between a VoIP system working at a high level QoS and a weak system that runs so poorly customers could take their business elsewhere. This guide discusses why it is important to run regular performance testing and some of the ways it can be done.
Voice over IP (VoIP) technology offers a wide range of benefits — including reduction of telecom costs, management of one network instead of two, simplified provisioning of services to remote locations, and the ability to deploy a new generation of converged applications. But no business can afford to have its voice services compromised. Revenue, relationships and reputation all depend on people being able to speak to each other on the phone with five 9’s reliability.

Thus, every company pursuing the benefits of VoIP must take steps to ensure that their converged network delivers acceptable call quality and non-stop availability.

A virtual network test bed is particularly useful for taking risk out of both initial VoIP deployment and long-term VoIP ownership. Essentially, such a test bed enables application developers, QA specialists, network managers and other IT staff to observe and analyze the behavior of network applications in a lab environment that accurately emulates conditions on the current and/or planned production network. This emulation should encompass all relevant attributes of the network, including:

* All network links and their impairments, such as: physical distance and associated latency, bandwidth, jitter, packet loss, CIR, QoS, MPLS classification schemes, etc.,

* the number and distribution of end users at each remote location and

* application traffic loads.

This kind of test bed is indispensable for modeling the performance of VoIP in the production environment, validating vendor claims, comparing alternative solutions, experimenting with proposed network enhancements, and actually experiencing the call quality that the planned VoIP implementation will deliver.

Following are seven best practices for applying virtual network test bed technology to both initial VoIP deployment and ongoing VoIP management challenges:

1. Capture conditions on the network to define best-case, average-case and worst-case scenarios
Conditions in a test lab won’t reflect conditions in the real-world environment if they are not based on empirical input. That’s why successful VoIP adopters record conditions on the production network over an extended period of time and then play back those conditions in the lab to define best-, average-, and worst-case scenarios. By assessing VoIP performance under these various scenarios, project teams can readily discover any problems that threaten call quality.

2. Use the virtual network to run VoIP services in the testing lab under those real-world scenarios
Once the network’s best-, average-, and worst-case scenarios have been replicated in the test environment, the project team can begin the process of VoIP testing by running voice traffic between every set of endpoints. This can be done by actually connecting phones to the test bed. Call generation tools can also be used to emulate projected call volumes.

A long-forgotten footnote in Win32 history is the set of functions
known as “VLM” for “Very large Memory”.
To understand VLM, you first need to understand the Alpha AXP. The Alpha AXP was a wonderful architecture and I was sad to see it go.
Partly because Read More……(read more)

I’ve been itching to demo this neat little gadget for a while now. A few months ago, I purchased the Microsoft Fingerprint Reader. The Microsoft Fingerprint Reader allows you to replace your standard Windows logon (Username and Password) with your fingerprint. And it works absolutely fantastic with Windows Vista. Anyway, I’ll let the demo do the talking:

Video: Demo: Microsoft Fingerprint Reader on Windows Vista

You can quickly manage your credentials through the software that ships with the Microsoft Fingerprint Reader called DigitalPersona. If you hold your finger down on the fingerprint reader you will get a “One Touch Menu” pop up in the lower right-hand side of your screen giving you all the options you need to manage your credentials.

To manage your logons to various websites, you have a Password Manager that lets you edit the profiles for specific websites you use the fingerprint reader to login.

Using the DigitalPersona software, you are able to import and export data within your Password Manager to other PC’s using Microsoft Fingerprint Readers. Security is a concern here in regards to importing and exporting of data so you are required to use your finger to verify you are you to export or import any data.

If you login in to quite a few websites, the Microsoft Fingerprint Reader is a great way to manage your logins “with the touch of a finger”. Sorry, I couldn’t resist ;-)

If you own a Microsoft Fingerprint Reader - you can download the Windows Vista drivers here. Just select “fingerprint reader” for your product.

For My Vista laptop I love using The Mobility Center because it’s a one-stop tool for network/wireless management, audio controls, presentation settings. You can access the tool to the surface by typing “mobility” into the Start search box and right-click on the Mobility Center. Or Use the fastest way via the Vista shortcut key for the window (Windows + X).

Windows Vista’s Mobility Center gives me the ability to quickly enable or disable for use on an external monitor, enable or disable a wireless adapter, check your battery level, increase and decrease the volume when playing multimedia, and a quick a easy control panel during presentations. ohh and I can even set my power plan through the use of the Mobility Center, Truly a one-stop mobile control panel.