Network performance provider Accedian partnered with Lanner to deliver a virtualized performance assurance platform — SkyLight — on Lanner’s x86 network platform. The partnership enables service providers to gain insight into their virtual customer premises equipment (vCPE), universal CPE (uCPE), and software-defined wide area networking SD-WAN services.

SkyLight is a virtualized network services (VNS) platform that provides service activation testing, network fault isolation, bandwidth monitoring, and service assurance functions for a network.

Accedian instruments the Lanner box with the SkyLight software so “we can basically do performance monitor testing on what is otherwise a vanilla x86 box,” said Michael Rezek, Accedian’s VP of business development. Service provider customers can establish real-time visibility for managing service level agreements and the cause of performance issues.

According to Rezek, Accedian chose Lanner because of “knowing who they are and what they do.” He noted that SD-WAN is a use case gaining a lot of traction in the market, and “Lanner has been chosen by a number of service providers to deliver an SD-WAN service on their x86 box.” That, and Lanner provides both vCPE and uCPE.

The SkyLight platform applies network functions virtualization (NFV) monitoring capabilities for mesh and hub-spoke active testing. Hub-spoke testing refers to a centralized location or network core, and “spoke” refers to any other remote locations, meaning tests run and are generated from a central location and to each of the customer premise locations. Whereas mesh testing is site-to-site — testing from one location to another in a network.