Content
Overview
Iperf is a network tool that measures the bandwidth available between two endpoints. NetBeez's Agents can run tests between Agents or between an Agent and another Iperf server. Iperf reports bandwidth in Mbps, delay jitter in milliseconds, and datagram loss. Iperf can send both TCP and UDP traffic. TCP-based tests generate as much bandwidth as the NetBeez Agent can generate, while UDP-based tests require that you specify the desired bandwidth value.
NetBeez offers two types of Iperf testing, scheduled and ad-hoc.
Scheduled Iperf Tests
With NetBeez, Iperf tests can be configured and scheduled to run at a user-defined interval. On the Iperf Tab under Tests, you can view existing Iperf tests or add a new one.
Scheduled Iperf Test Details
To view the details of a specific scheduled Iperf test, click on the corresponding table entry on the Iperf Tab. This will launch the Scheduled Iperf Test Details.
The Scheduled Iperf Test Details display current and historical data about the test. In the first panel, the visual slider displays aggregate performance data about the test over time and serves as a means to access information on past test runs. For Iperf, the slider’s metrics include bandwidth, packet loss (UDP only), and jitter (UDP only) The default selection is the most recent test run.
The second panel displays per-Agent performance information about the selected test run. Upon clicking on an Agent from the list of Agents in the test, a third panel will open, which displays the historical data of that particular Agent over time.
Multiple Agents To Server Tests
An enhanced interface has been added to multiple agents to server Iperf tests. Agents can be filtered by name, agent groups, agent type, ISP, ASN, bandwidth, jitter (UDP Only), and packet loss (UDP Only). Clicking on an agent in the table will display the agent's historical data in the next section.
In the section 'Draw Graph Based On': if bandwidth, jitter, and packet loss are selected, there will be a checkbox with the option to transform the graph into 3D. Viewing 3D Iperf test results is only available for UDP Iperf tests.
TCP Retransmissions
TCP retransmissions provide you with more detailed information on the performance of your network, particularly in situations where data packets are lost or delayed. TCP retransmissions are only available on TCP/Version 3 Iperf tests.
Setting Up a Scheduled Iperf Test
To create a new scheduled Iperf Test follow these steps to configure your test:
Go to the Tests tab.
Click on the Iperf sub-tab.
Click the Add Scheduled Iperf Test button.
Name: Assign a name to the Iperf scheduled test.
Assign Agents/Destination Server
Select the type of test:
One-to-one: This is an Iperf test between two NetBeez Agents.
Multiple agents to destination server: The is an Iperf test running between many NetBeez Agents and one Iperf server that is not managed by the NetBeez dashboard itself.
Please note: This type of test is not supported in Iperf version 3.
If you selected the One-to-one test type, the following options will appear:
Select Source Agent: Select the Iperf sender, which is a NetBeez Agent.
Select Destination Agent: Select the Iperf receiver, which is a NetBeez Agent.
If you selected the Multiple agents to destination server test type, the following options will appear:
Source Agents: Select the Iperf senders, which are the NetBeez Agents that will send traffic to the server.
Select Destination Server: This is an Iperf server that is not managed by the NetBeez dashboard.
Configure Test: Here select the Iperf configuration settings, including Test Type. Based on what protocol you selected, different configuration options will be enabled.
TCP: The TCP test will send as much bandwidth as the agent can generate. The TCP test parameters are:
Iperf version (required): Select the Iperf version used. By default, version 2 is selected.
Note: Please be aware that supported features differ between Iperf versions 2 and 3. For example, the many-to-one option is not supported by Iperf version 3.Server port (optional): The destination TCP port that traffic should be sent to. By default, TCP 5001 is used.
Test duration (optional): The duration, expressed in seconds, of the bandwidth test. The default value is 10 seconds. Please be aware that the test cannot be stopped during its execution.
Parallel streams (required): This is the number of parallel connections, or streams, that will be run between the sender(s) and receiver.
Bandwidth (optional): Choose bandwidth between Mbps and Kbps. Leave the field empty for max throughput.
TCP window size (optional): The size of the TCP window expressed in MB. By default, this value is 1 MB.
TOS DSCP/PHB Class: If enabled, the IP packets will be marked with a user-defined Type of Service. By default, no ToS value is set on Iperf IP packets.
UDP: The UDP test will send the user-specified bandwidth. The UDP test parameters are:
Multicast: Only available on the UDP protocol (multicast is UDP), this test will run a multicast stream from the source Agent (multicast sender) to the destination Agent (multicast server). If enabled, you will need to specify these additional settings:
Multicast group address (required): The multicast group address used for the multicast test.
TTL (optional): The Time To Live of the multicast packets.
Iperf version (required): Select the Iperf version used. By default, version 2 is selected.
Note: Please be aware that supported features differ between Iperf versions 2 and 3. For example, the many-to-one option is not supported by Iperf version 3.Server port (optional): The destination TCP port to which traffic should be sent. By default, TCP 5001 is used.
Test duration (optional): The duration expressed in seconds of the bandwidth test. The default value is 10 seconds. Please be aware that whatever value it is selected, the test cannot be stopped during its execution.
Parallel streams (required): This is the number of parallel connections, or streams, that will be run between the sender(s) and receiver.
Bandwidth (optional): Choose bandwidth between Mbps and Kbps. Leave the field empty for max throughput.
TOS DSCP/PHB Class: If enabled, the IP packets will be marked with a user-defined Type of Service. By default, no ToS value is set on Iperf IP packets.
Schedule Test
Use the scheduling interface to set at what times and how frequently the test will run.
Note: Be sure to double-check the schedule you have entered.
Conditions
Add preferred conditions for the Iperf test.
Use conditions to highlight tests that do not meet certain parameters you define. For Iperf, bandwidth can be used as a filtering parameter.
Click Save
Ad-Hoc Iperf Tests
In addition to scheduled Iperf tests, the NetBeez dashboard also offers ad-hoc Iperf testing via the Ad-Hoc Testing Tab.
To run an ad-hoc Iperf test:
On the Ad-Hoc Testing tab, select Iperf from the test options.
Fill out the following fields:
Source (required): The Agent that will send traffic.
Destination (required): The Agent that will receive traffic.
Test type (required): The transport protocol. The options are TCP and UDP:
TCP: Will send as much as the Agent is able to generate. The TCP test-based parameters are:
Iperf version (required): Select the Iperf version used. By default, version 2 is selected.
Note: Please be aware that supported features differ between Iperf versions 2 and 3. For example, the many-to-one option is not supported by Iperf version 3.Server port (optional): The destination TCP port that traffic should be sent to. By default, TCP port 5001 is used.
Test duration (optional): The duration, expressed in seconds, of the bandwidth test. By default, this value is set to 10 seconds. Please be aware that the test cannot be stopped during its execution.
Result Interval (optional): Enter the result interval in seconds. The default is 1 second.
Parallel streams (optional): This is the number of parallel connections, or streams, that will be run between the sender(s) and receiver.
Bandwidth (optional): Choose bandwidth between Mbps and Kbps. Leave the field empty for max throughput.
TCP window size (optional): The size of the TCP window expressed in MB. By default, this value is 1 MB.
TOS DSCP/PHB Class: If enabled, the IP packets will be marked with a user-defined Type of Service. By default, no ToS value is set on Iperf IP packets.
UDP: Will send the user-specified bandwidth. The UDP test-based parameters are:
Multicast Iperf: Only available on the UDP protocol (multicast is UDP), this test will run a multicast stream from the source Agent (multicast sender) to the destination Agent (multicast server). If enabled, you will need to specify these additional settings:
Multicast group address (required): The multicast group address used for the multicast test.
TTL (optional): The Time To Live of the multicast packets.
Iperf version (required): Select the Iperf version used. By default, version 2 is selected.
Note: Please be aware that supported features differ between Iperf versions 2 and 3. For example, the many-to-one option is not supported by Iperf version 3.Server port (optional): The destination TCP port that traffic should be sent to. By default, TCP port 5001 is used.
Test duration (optional): The duration, expressed in seconds, of the bandwidth test. By default, this value is set to 10 seconds. Please be aware that the test cannot be stopped during its execution.
Result Interval (optional): Enter the result interval in seconds. The default is 1 second.
Parallel streams (optional): This is the number of parallel connections, or streams, that will be run between the sender(s) and receiver.
Bandwidth (optional): Choose bandwidth between Mbps and Kbps. Leave the field empty for max throughput.
TOS DSCP/PHB Class: If enabled, the IP packets will be marked with a user-defined Type of Service. By default, no ToS value is set on Iperf IP packets.
Click Run. The results will appear to the right.