How to untangle test complexity
In a recent interview, Noam Lotan of MRV Communications discussed the growing interest in test automation.
By Larry Maloney, Contributing Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 2/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
 Noam Lotan President and CEO MRV Communications Chatsworth, CA Noam Lotan has served as MRV president and CEO since May 1990. Before that, he was managing director of Fibronics, the UKFontainebleau, France. Lotan also serves as a director for Capstone Turbine. subsidiary of Fibronics International, a manufacturer of fiber-optic communication networks later acquired by MRV. Earlier in his career, Lotan held a variety of sales and marketing positions with Fibronics and Hewlett-Packard. He holds a BS in electrical engineering from the Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, and an MBA from INSEAD (European Institute of Business Administration), Contributing editor Larry Maloney interviewed Lotan by phone on the growing interest in test automation. Read a continuation of this interview. |
Q: How important is test automation?
A: Test automation is no longer a tool for visionaries. It has become essential to maintaining a technological edge and controlling costs. Customers tell us that they get the return on investment from our physical-layer switch in as little as six months. This is due to increased productivity in lab testing, reduced capital expenses from equipment sharing, improved ability to trace problems, and reduced complexity. All this allows companies to get products to market faster at a time when head count may be shrinking. Whenever companies must execute a repeatable test multiple times or test devices with different interfaces in layer one of a network, automated testing is the only way to go.
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Noam Lotan addresses more questions on technology convergence and test partnerships in the continuation of this interview. |
Q: How do MRV’s physical-layer switches change test procedures?
A: Our MCC (Media Cross Connect) family of switches replaces traditional manual patch panels. Engineers can change test configurations with a single software command, eliminating the time-consuming process of physically patching and repatching cables. We call this a “wire-once” solution. It not only eliminates cabling tasks that can consume up to 80% of test work, but it also makes correcting errors easier. With the MCC, engineers can program connections between any ports within the system, and the design is modular, with versions available in 72, 144, and 288 ports.
This tool also allows test equipment to be shared—not just by engineers in a lab, but by colleagues in remote locations through Internet connections. We have network-equipment customers who have engineers in the San Francisco Bay area and in India using the same automated test lab setups on a 24/7 basis. Finally, test automation is a great tool to help resolve conflicts that occur when many engineers use the same lab. Automatic scheduling and priority allocation help you quickly and efficiently reconfigure your test protocols.
Q: Who are your prime customers?
A: First and foremost, network-equipment and storage-equipment manufacturers. They share a common need for automated testing both to speed time to market and to ensure quality in rapidly changing communications devices. Another group of customers consists of major communications carriers as well as large enterprises, such as companies or universities, that must maintain networks across multiple facilities. In all these cases, customers use our automation solutions to validate new gear before it is installed in networks. They also use our equipment to tap into live networks for performance monitoring, such as detecting failures in power or problems with data-transmission rates.
Q: How is the global recession affecting demand for your products?
A: We had a very good 2008. In fact, our network-equipment segment grew by nearly 30% in the first nine months of the year versus the same period in 2007. While we don’t expect that kind of performance in 2009, we are confident that our test-automation products will remain in demand because they help companies maintain productivity despite cutbacks in personnel.
Q: Where is your technology headed?
A: We must stay abreast of the data-storage and high-speed-transmission requirements of our customers, including WiMAX and other wireless infrastructure. In November, we announced an MCC physical-layer chassis and interface blade for high-density 8-Gbps Fibre Channel test-lab applications. We are also working on automation solutions for 10-GigE physical-layer standards. Overall, we are strongly committed to test automation and see it as a growth industry. So, we will be developing products for 40-Gbps and 100-Gbps protocols, as well as new storage interface modules.
Read the continuation of this interview.
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