InfotecsTech Builds Custom Kubernetes-Based Traffic Generator for NGFW RnD and Performance Testing

InfotecsTech has detailed the development of its proprietary traffic generator designed to accompany NGFW research, development, and performance validation. The project began with the need to test an active-active NGFW cluster and generate diverse data flows without relying on expensive commercial appliances.

Commercial solutions from IXIA and Xinertel were rejected because of prohibitive pricing at hundreds of gigabits, limited flexibility for testing advanced NGFW features, and geopolitical acquisition barriers. Instead, the team created a scalable, automatable platform that integrates directly into the development workflow.

The architecture runs on Kubernetes with minimal hardware requirements of Debian 12, 8 GB RAM per CPU socket, and 1 Gbit/s network interfaces. A master node provides three core services: Registry for Docker images and metadata, Discovery for managing heterogeneous hardware, and Crux as the REST API operator that orchestrates test execution.

Containerized generators include Cisco TRex for stateless and stateful L3-L7 traffic with DSCP marking, an SIPp-based SIP generator supporting TLS and custom failure scenarios, an FTP generator built on pyftpdlib and aioftp, and a Yandex Tank plus Nginx setup for live TLS sessions using various cipher suites. Additional modules cover APT, DDoS, and web attacks plus Selenium-driven legitimate clients against OWASP Juice Shop.

Real-world test scenarios demonstrated peak VoIP call rates, sustained concurrent connections exceeding 160 million, 400 Gbit/s UDP throughput with 1518-byte packets, 5 million connections per second, and IMIX traffic at 300 Gbit/s with 110 million packets per second. The platform also evaluates behavior under packet loss and integrates Camunda for automated policy application and result collection.