OTS was created as a sample high bandwidth collaborative application for exercising ATM-based networks. Due to this fact, OTS has the ability to collect and store detailed information about its network I/O performance. This feature was used to conduct several tests of the MAGIC wide area ATM/SONET network with various ATM switches and network loads. The results of these tests have helped to identify many of the strengths and weaknesses of current networks. Data rates ranging from approximately 1 Mb/s up to 34 Mb/s have been measured, based on the frame update rates selected by the user.
The OTS application is being deployed in the multimedia classroom facilities in three buildings separated by several kilometers on the University of Kansas campus. These teaching facilities are linked by a 622 Mb/s ATM/SONET infrastructure. It is anticipated that the aggregate traffic generated by use of the OTS tool by groups of instructors and students will stress this network and provide further insight into the design of broadband networks.