Features
Ostinato provides a comprehensive toolset for L2/L3 traffic generation, packet crafting, PCAP replay, protocol testing, and performance validation - across physical networks, virtual labs, and cloud environments.
Some features are available only in certain license tiers. See License Comparison for details.
Traffic Generation and Stream Control
Build and run precise, multi-stream L2/L3 test traffic flows.
- Multi-stream generation on one or more interfaces
- Independent enable/disable, cloning, and sequencing of streams
- Sequential or interleaved (parallel) stream scheduling
- IMIX and custom traffic profiles
- Precise rate control (packets/sec, Mbps, load %)
- Bursts, gaps, continuous or fixed-count transmission
- Multi-port traffic across local and remote Drone agents
Packet Crafting and Editing
Fine-grained control over every packet you create and transmit - like a Wireshark in reverse for crafting traffic.
- Edit any field in any supported protocol header
- Ethernet, IPv4, IPv6, TCP*, UDP, ICMP, ARP/NDP
- VLAN, QinQ, MPLS, GRE, VXLAN encapsulations
- Variable fields (increment, decrement, random)
- Exact frame size control
- Custom protocol headers using hexdump or user scripts
* Stateful TCP connections are not supported
PCAP Editing and Replay
Recreate field-reported problems using captured traffic.
- Edit imported PCAP packets
- Replay any PCAP file
- Preserve or modify inter-packet timing
- Loop or reorder PCAP packets
- Mix PCAP-imported and Ostinato-crafted packets on the same port
- Background traffic generation for stress and soak tests
Protocol Support
Ostinato supports a broad set of L2/L3 protocols commonly used in modern networks, and is extensible for advanced or custom headers.
Native Protocols
- Ethernet II, 802.3, LLC, SNAP
- 802.1Q VLAN, QinQ
- IPv4, IPv6
- UDP, TCP (stateless), ICMP
- ARP, NDP
- IGMP, MLD
- GRE
Additional Protocols
Using custom protocol scripts, raw hexdumps, or Linux virtual interfaces, you can generate additional protocol headers such as:
- MPLS (single or stacked labels)
- VXLAN
- GTP
- HSR/PRP
- User-defined or custom protocols
Traffic Analytics and Statistics
Measure how devices forward, drop, shape, or modify traffic.
- Real-time per-port TX/RX and drop/error counters
- Per-stream TX/RX statistics
- Packet loss detection (per stream)
- Software timestamp-based latency and jitter measurement
- Capture and export traffic to PCAP for analysis in Wireshark
Control-Plane Emulation
Host and control-plane emulation to support functional testing.
- IPv4/IPv6 host emulation
- ARP/NDP solicitation and resolution
- ICMP echo reply (ping responses)
- DHCP client and server (Technical Preview)
- IGMP/MLD host (Technical Preview)
- OSPFv2 and BGP emulation (Technical Preview)
Performance and Scalability
Scale your tests from low-rate functional checks to high-rate performance validation.
- High-performance multi-core traffic engine (Turbo)
- Line rate support up to 400G (Turbo)
- RFC 2544 Performance Benchmarking
- Multiple test ports per agent device
- Distributed testing across local and remote agents
- Scale to large numbers of streams across one or more ports
Automation and API
Automate functional, performance, and regression tests.
- Full Python API
- Programmatically build streams, packets, and test scenarios
- Trigger start/stop, collect counters, and evaluate results
- Integrate with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab, etc.)
- Script repeatable tests (QoS, NAT, multicast, failover etc.)
- Configure tests using the GUI and automate runs with the Python API
Deployment and Lab Integrations
Run Ostinato wherever you test.
- Native apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Headless Drone agent for servers
- Containerized deployment (Docker/Podman)
- Supported in GNS3, EVE-NG, Cisco CML, and Containerlab
- Works on cloud VMs (AWS/Azure) for distributed testing
- Multiple users can reserve ports on a shared Drone agent
For custom deployment options - such as ODM whiteboxes, Raspberry Pi, or any other platforms - contact Professional Services.