February 22, 2012

Auto-Tester Offers Six Key Exams

The LinkRunner AT Network Auto-Tester for frontline technicians and IT managers looking to troubleshoot or verify Ethernet connectivity is the newest device from Fluke Networks.

“With one touch of a button, the LinkRunner AT performs six essential connectivity tests and returns the results to the user in less than 10 seconds, paying for itself in about a month,” the company says.

Fluke Networks identified six key Ethernet connectivity tests for the AutoTest feature: continuity, link/speed/duplex, DHCP and DNS server availability and performance, key resource connectivity through TCP port open or ping, nearest switch and port identification and Power over Ethernet (PoE) performance (with TruePower line loading technology).

The LinkRunner AT also features a color ¼-VGA display, and it can store as many as 50 test results for documentation of results and escalation of issues to other teams. In addition, it offers a profile function that allows any organization to create a custom testing methodology with a variety of tests, and it standardizes those tests as one or more profiles on a single tester (or fleet of testers) for more consistent results.



“This device just ‘gets me.’ It understands what my workflow truly is and what type of information I need to do my job,” comments Charles Morris, senior consultant at ACS, A Xerox Company. “Its functionality, including the AutoTest feature and ability to create custom testing sets, is like having an engineer in the palm of your hand. I love this device.”

Adds Gary Ger, vice president and general manager at Fluke Networks, when developing LinkRunner AT, support for new technologies like PoE and IPv6 testing capabilities was critical: “With trends like VoIP phones and security cameras relying on PoE, and new government mandates about the use of IPv6 driving industry adoption of the standard, this tool ensures we’re ahead of our customer’s testing needs in the market.”