Y.1564

Y.1564 is an Ethernet Service Activation Test (SAM) methodology. It is an ITU-T standard for turning up, installing and troubleshooting Ethenet-based services. It is the only standard test methodology that allows for complete validation of Ethernet Service-Level agreements (SLAs) in a single test. ITU-T Y.1564 is designed around three key objectives:

1. To serve as a network Service Level Agreement (SLA) validation tool, ensuring that a service meets its guaranteed performance settings in a controlled test time.
2. To ensure that all services carried by the network meet their SLA objectives at their maximum committed rate, proving that under maximum load, networks can support all the traffic as designed.
3. To perform medium and long-term service testing, confirming that network elements can properly carry all services while under stress during a soaking period.

ITU-T Y.1564 defines an out-of-service test methodology to assess the proper configuration and performance of an Ethernet service prior to customer notification and delivery.