4.8 Measuring Effective Throughput
With the use of the communication throughput measurement tool, the
communication speed between two computers can be accurately measured by
actually transferring a large volume of data between the computers. You
can use this communication throughput measurement tool to measure the
communication speed over a physical network or through a VPN. This
section describes how to use the communication throughput measurement
tool.
4.8.1 Using the Communication Throughput Measurement Tool
There is a GUI version and a command line version of the
communication throughput measurement tool. The GUI version can only be
used in Windows. The command line version can be used in Windows, Linux,
or other Unix operating system. In the GUI and command line versions of
the communication throughput measurement tool, because there is a
compatibility in terms of protocols, the computers can connect to each
other and the communication throughput can be measured.
This subsection describes the GUI version of the communication
throughput measurement tool. For information regarding the command line
version of the communication throughput measurement tool, please refer
to 「Chapter 6 Command Line Management Utility Manual」.
Starting the Communication Throughput Measurement Tool (GUI Version)
To start the GUI version of the communication throughput measurement
tool, perform either of the following operations.
- When PacketiX VPN Server is installed
Click [Start] >
[PacketiX VPN Server] > [Communication Throughput Measurement Tool].
- When PacketiX VPN Client is installed
Click [Start] >
[PacketiX VPN Client] > [Communication Throughput Measurement Tool].
Alternatively, click [Communication Throughput Measurement Tool] on
the [Tool] menu of VPN Client Manager.
Starting the Communication Throughput Measurement Tool (Command Line
Version)
To start the command line version of the communication throughput
measurement tool, start the PacketiX VPN Command Line Management Utility
(vpncmd) and select [3. Use VPN Tools Command (Create Certificate or
Measure Communication Throughput)]. Next, add and start the
TrafficClient or TrafficServer command.
4.8.2 Configuring the Communication Throughput Measurement Tool
The communication throughput measurement tool can be operated either
as the measurement server or measurement client. To measure the
communication throughput between two computers, one computer must be the
measurement server and the other computer must be the measurement
client.
Select either [Measuring Server] or [Measuring Client] on the
[Communication Throughput Measurement Tool] window, enter the required
information specified below, and then click [Start].
Figure 4-8-1 Communication Throughput Measurement Tool
Window |
Measurement Server Mode
When the communication throughput measurement tool is operated in
measurement server mode, the specified TCP/IP port on that computer is
opened and the computer waits for a connection from the measurement
client. Once measurement server mode is started, the operation continues
until the user stops it. The only setting required in measurement server
mode is the port number to be used. (By default, this is set to port
9821.)
Measurement Client Mode
In measurement client mode, the computer connects to the measurement
server, sends and receives the maximum allowable number of communication
packets, measures the network throughput between the two computers, and
then displays the results. The following information must be entered in
measurement client mode.
- Destination measurement server host name or IP address and
TCP/IP port number
Specify the host name or IP address and
TCP/IP port of the destination computer running in measurement
server mode.
- Direction of data communication
Specify whether to
download, upload, or perform both. Download and upload here refer to
the direction of data flow as seen from the measurement client
computer.
- Number of parallel TCP/IP connections
To measure the
communication throughput, specify the number of parallel TCP/IP
connections. The maximum number is 32. If both directions are
specified for the direction of data communication, the number of
TCP/IP connections must be an even number.
- Data transfer time (measurement time)
This is the
time period that data is actually transferred and throughput is
measured. Communication throughput is calculated by dividing the
size of the transferred data by the data transfer time.
- Calculate throughput for Layer 2 as Ethernet
When this
setting is enabled, the media type of the network over which the
measurement data is transferred is assumed to be a normal Ethernet,
and the number of bytes of packets physically flowing over that
Ethernet and the throughput are displayed.
- Relay device capacity measurement mode
When this
setting is enabled, the throughput in the measured results is
doubled and then displayed. This option is used to measure the total
throughput capacity handled by a network device located between the
two computers.
Measurement Results Display
The measurement results obtained using the communication throughput
measurement tool are displayed in a window, as shown below.
Figure 4-8-2 Communication Throughput Measurement Tool
Results Window |
4.8.3 Communication Throughput Measurement Precautions
Please note the following precautions when using the communication
throughput measurement tool.
- The communication throughput measurement tool measures the
maximum speed that communication packets flow over a physical
network or VPN that is actually operating. Separate communications
that occur over the network during measurement can affect the
measurement, and the displayed results of the communication
throughput measurement tool may be lower than the actual line
capacity.
-
Before using the communication throughput measurement tool on a
network in an organization, such as a corporate network, obtain the
permission of the network administrator in advance. This tool can
transfer a large volume of data, which can affect normal network
communication operations.
- If the throughput value displayed using this tool is lower than
expected, increasing the number of parallel TCP/IP connections can
improve the throughput.
-
When this tool measures the download throughput, it displays the
amount of data the client actually received from the server as the
measurement result. When this tool measures the upload throughput,
it receives a report from the server of the amount of data the
server actually received from the client and displays the data size
as the measurement result. TCP/IP is used as the communication
protocol for measurement and control.
-
The measurement results obtained using this tool may be lower, but
usually not higher, than the actual network capacity.
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