Connecting devices for testing
Ensuring the connectivity of our devices for tests is important for obtaining a proper network environment for testing. There are several different ways to connect devices for testing, such as physical cables and software. Physical cables always have two caveats – they require technical personnel at the site and take time to implement. Via software, there is only one limitation – the maximum data throughput, which is normally a fraction of a physical cable. Therefore, if your tests require high data throughput, you might need to use physical wires instead. There is a workaround to this limitation that we are going to explain later in this chapter when we look at advanced techniques.
The environment for using devices for testing is also known as a network testing laboratory or just a network lab. To explain how we can connect devices in our lab, let’s describe the three possible ways to connect devices in a lab.
