Simply stated, a testbed is an environment that is created for testing equipment. Testbeds accurately simulate the intended environment to ensure a device meets quality standards. A proper testbed for a third-party OEM compatible optics supplier requires significant capital resources, illustrating a strong commitment to quality assurance.
All networking components are expected to work seamlessly and according to industry specifications. Through testbed investment, third-party compatible optics suppliers demonstrate their commitment to quality and adherence to industry specifications, ensuring expectations are met. To measure up, a third-party supplier should invest in:
- Comprehensive switch equipment inventory
- Environmental testing capabilities, such as spools of fiber at varying distances to test speed, distance, and power
- Experienced staff and abundance of staff to test each device
- Thorough documentation of testing parameters and results
These investments lay the foundation and provide the confidence in purchasing quality compatibles. If you’re wondering how your supplier measures up, here are some questions to ask:
- How many switches do you have in your lab facility?
- Do you test each device or batch test?
- What does your testing documentation look like?
- What is your reliability rating?
- May I visit your testbed facility?
Third-party compatible suppliers should be thorough and transparent when providing their answers. To illustrate, if you were to ask ProLabs these questions, these would be the answers you’d receive:
ProLabs has over 350 switches in their lab facility. Each device is coded and tested in the intended application and within the intended switch environment. ProLabs Data Traveler System provides thorough documentation for every device. ProLabs reliability rating is 99.98% and the lab facility is open to visitors upon appointment.
To view a thorough testbed offering from ProLabs, visit https://www.prolabs.com/knowledge-hub/prolabs-testbedfor a real-time list of switch equipment inventory.