Configuring and Using PerfSONAR for Network Throughput Testing

- perfSONAR is a bundle of open source software that is utilized for performing, documenting, displaying, and sending “end-to-end” network profiling measurements.

- perfSONAR is a network measurement toolkit designed to provide federated coverage of paths, and help to establish end-to-end usage expectations.

Overview (from perfSONAR docs)

Overview

- There are 1000s of perfSONAR instances deployed world wide, many of which are available for open testing of key measures of network performance.

- This global infrastructure helps to identify and isolate problems as they happen, making the role of supporting network users easier for engineering teams, and increasing productivity when utilizing network resources.

Overview

- Identification of problems, when they happen, is best served by active measurement against a predefined notion of success.

- The performance probes that perform the measurements must be available along paths of interest: at campus endpoints, demarcations between networks, within carrier points of presence, at exchange points, and near data resources such as storage and computing elements.

Overview

Overview - perfSONAR toolkit

Initial Student Team Ideas

- Intra-campus network mapping- Hearst museum project- Projects for future teams

Goals

● perfSONAR installation process● Configure the toolkit● Run basic testing suite● Documentation for future reuse

○ For future team projects

Hardware/Software

● The main hardware options:○ dedicated Macbook computers○ FIONAs (Flash I/O Network Appliance)○ FIONette boxes.

● FIONAs/FIONettes better suited to host perfSONAR○ But is expensive and difficult to set up/manufacture

● Dedicated Macbook computers are a viable alternative

Hardware/Software

perfSONAR requires centOS as the operating system

● Offers great security - powerful firewall● Runs only the most stable versions of packaged software.

○ Greatly reduces risk of crashes and errors.● Stability and security allows for less frequent OS/hardware

upgrades● In short, centOS is a lightweight, fast, reliable OS

Hardware/SoftwareTwo options for installation:

Dual Boot w/ USB*Recommended Option

Mac Virtual Machine

Set Up Process - Dual Boot w/ USB

● Burn a USB with an ISO from the perfSonar website● Convert Hard Drive space on Mac to Free Space

○ recommend to configure with more than 100GB free space

● Select ISO as boot drive● centOS installation● Future teams: installation on Berkeley FIONA boxes

Set Up Process - Mac Virtual Machine

● Download Oracle Virtual Box● Download centOS 7 and its VM image● Allocate RAM to the system● Install a live VM image of CentOS● Install perfSONAR toolkit onto the image

Quick, Easy, Requires Very Little MemoryHowever, Performance Issues

Testing Examples

Testing Examples

Results

Testing Example - Command Line

Testing Example - Command Line

Future

We hope that this documentation becomes a good reference for perfSONAR installation and network testing!

Documentation can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uv_GRqQ1FGEwxvaBYTLIAeuhyFcsr2nv6DT04O0s_n8/edit?usp=sharing

Questions/Concerns?