Can EBU LIST ST2110-21 compliance be achieved using software-only packet generation without ST2110 hardware?

[nassimalikhani-cpu]

Hello EBU LIST developers,

I am testing ST2110-20 streams with EBU LIST.

My setup is:

• Ubuntu VM (VMware)
• Software generated RFC4175 RTP packets
• tcpreplay for transmission
• dumpcap/tcpdump for capture
• Virtual 1Gbps NIC

EBU LIST detects the stream but reports:

ST2110-21 Compliance: Not compliant
Read Schedule: gapped

I would like to know:

1. Is it possible to obtain ST2110-21 compliance using only software tools without dedicated ST2110 hardware/NIC?

2. Can a VM with a virtual NIC achieve compliant packet timing?

3. Is the "gapped" result mainly caused by packet pacing limitations of VMware/virtual NIC, or does it indicate incorrect RTP packet generation?

4. What minimum hardware/network requirements are recommended for EBU LIST compliance testing?

Thank you.

[wvermost]

Hi,

The ST 2110-21 measurement is all about packet pacing/timing.

The packet capture needs to be performed with a high degree of precision. The NIC should be synchronised to PTP and timestamp each packet as accurately as possible upon arrival.

When inspecting the timestamps in Wireshark, you should see nanosecond-level precision (nine digits) rather than microsecond-level precision (six digits).

You can use a ConnectX NIC or a suitable Intel NIC that supports PTP synchronisation and is capable of applying an accurate timestamp to each incoming Ethernet frame.

Hope this helps.