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Step 3: Keep Going

Introduction to Test Agents

Test Agents are what you use to collect measurements in Paragon Active Assurance. Test Agents are deployed at arbitrary locations in your network and consist of software capable of generating, receiving, and analyzing network traffic.

Test Agents come in the following main varieties: Test Agent Appliance and Test Agent Application.

  • Test Agent Appliances are integrated with an optimized Debian Linux OS and is delivered by Juniper Networks in the form of software which can be installed:

    • on the Juniper NFX150 Network Services Platform
    • on customer-provided x86 hardware
    • as a virtual machine (Virtual Test Agent, vTA) on a hypervisor.

  • Test Agent Applications likewise consist of software and can be packaged and delivered by Juniper Networks in two ways:

    • Regular Test Agent Application: Consists of software downloaded by the customer and is installed as an application on a Linux computer.
    • Test Agent Cloud-Native Network Function (TA CNF or cTA): The Test Agent Application can optionally run as a container in any environment that supports it, for example, in routers.

For full details, consult the Paragon Active Assurance in-app help under Test Agents.

Configuring Test Agents

There are two ways to configure Test Agent Appliances in Paragon Active Assurance:

  • From the Paragon Active Assurance web GUI.
  • From the Test Agent local console, accessed from the command line.

Again, the full story is found in the Paragon Active Assurance in-app help under Test Agents.

The two configuration interfaces are partly overlapping with respect to their functionality. Registration of Test Agents, however, must be done from the local console.

Test Agent Applications have no configurable settings other than registration credentials.

Using Test Agents for Measurement

As soon as a Test Agent has been registered, it will appear in the Paragon Active Assurance web GUI. You can then use it for measurement in tests and monitors. For the mechanics, please turn to the in-app help and read the section Tests and monitors.