Agilent/Keysight E4206A

The Agilent/Keysight E4206A is a hardware module for testing frame-based protocols up to 2 Mb/s within the Agilent Broadband Series Test System (BSTS). It has two integrated T1/E1 physical interfaces with dual-port capability for simultaneous monitoring of both communication link sides. The module captures and decodes traffic, generates statistics, and identifies alarms and framing errors across unchannelized, channelized, and fractional T1/E1 operations.

Technical Specifications

• Frame-based protocol testing up to 2 Mb/s


• Two integrated T1/E1 physical interfaces with RJ-48 and mini-bantam front-panel connectors


• Unchannelized, channelized, and fractional T1/E1 operation modes Timeslot & Stream Capabilities


• T1: Up to 24 timeslots mergeable into one stream


• E1: Up to 30 timeslots mergeable into one stream


• Subrate selection: m × 8 Kb/s multiples (m = 1 to 8, yielding 8 Kb/s to 64 Kb/s)


• Flexible bit stream selection: 56/64 kbps and n × 56/64 kbps configurations Measurement & Analysis


• Over 20 real-time measurements including frame rate, frame size extrema, and physical layer framing errors


• Dual-port simultaneous traffic monitoring


• Real-time frame capture with subsequent analysis capability


• Automatic error detection with explanatory messaging


• Event timestamping for port-to-port correlation


• Sophisticated filtering and triggering for traffic isolation and intermittent event capture


• Protocol decoding with English-language display using standard terminology Traffic Generation


• Up to eight independently distributed traffic streams


• Scalable architecture: two-port increments via additional modules


• Maximum configurations: five modules (10 ports) per BSTS E4200 chassis; seven modules (14 ports) per BSTS E4210 chassis

Key Features

• Integrated T1/E1 interfaces eliminate separate line interface module requirements


• Simultaneous dual-port monitoring under heavy load


• Advanced bit stream selection and timeslot merging


• Comprehensive error identification and alarm detection

Typical Applications

• T1/E1 link testing and validation


• Multi-timeslot traffic analysis and circuit verification


• Fractional T1/E1 network diagnostics


• Protocol compliance and interoperability testing

Compatibility & Integration The E4206A integrates into BSTS chassis platforms requiring a UNIX controller and optional test software. System scalability supports up to 10 or 14 total ports depending on E4200 or E4210 chassis selection.