How to test your network with PerfSONAR?

[51CTO.com quick translation] PerfSONAR (https://www.perfsonar.net/) is a network measurement toolkit used to test and share end-to-end network performance data.

The overall benefit of using a network measurement tool like PerfSONAR is that problems can be identified early. Specifically, having the right answers from the right tools can lead to more rigorous patching, shaping network traffic to speed up connections overall, and improving network infrastructure design.

PerfSONAR is released under the open source Apache 2.0 license, making it more affordable than most tools for performing this type of analysis, a major advantage when network infrastructure budgets are limited.

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PerfSONAR Versions

There are several versions of PerfSONAR:

• Perfsonar-tools: Command-line client version for on-demand testing.
• Perfsonar-testpoint: Adds automated testing and centralized management testing to PerfSONAR-tools. It has archiving capabilities, but must be archived to an external node.
• Perfsonar-core: Includes all the features in the testpoint software, but uses local archives instead of external archives.
• Perfsonar-toolkit: The core software, which includes a web UI with security settings for the entire system.
• Perfsonar-centralmanagement: A completely separate version of PerfSONAR that uses a large grid of nodes to display results. It also has a feature: task templates are pushed to each node, and each node sends measurement results back to the central host.

This tutorial will use the PerfSonar-toolkit; the tools used in this software include iPerf, iPerf3, and OWAMP.

Require

• Recommended OS: CentOS / RHEL7
• ISO: Downloading the full installation ISO is the quickest way to get the software up and running (http://downloads.perfsonar.net/toolkit/pS-Toolkit-4.1.3-CentOS7-FullInstall-x86_64-2018Oct24.iso). There is a Debian version, but it is much more difficult and complicated to use.
• Minimum hardware requirements: 2 cores and 4GB of RAM
• Recommended hardware: 200GB hard drive, 4 cores and 6GB RAM

Install and configure PerfSONAR

The installation is a quick CentOS installation where you select the time zone and configuration for your hard disk and user. Automatic configuration for the hard disk is recommended as you only need to select "Install Toolkit" and follow the prompts.

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Figure 1. PerfSonar welcome screen

Select your language.

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Figure 2. Select your language

Select your destination.

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Figure 3. Select the installation destination

After the basic installation is complete, you will see the Linux login screen.

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Figure 4. Linux login

Once logged in, you will be prompted to create a user ID and password to log into PerfSONAR's web front end - make sure to remember your login information.

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Figure 5. Creating a user account

It also requires you to disable SSH access for root and create a new user for sudo; just follow the steps to create a new user.

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Figure 6. Creating a sudo user account

You can use a configuration service to automatically provide the IP address and hostname. Otherwise, you must set the hostname (optional) and configure the IP address.

Log in to the Web front end

After the basic configuration is complete, you can log in to the web front end at http://ipaddress/toolkit or http://hostname/toolkit. The web front end will display the name or IP address of the device you just set up, a list of tools used, a test results area, host information, a global node directory, and on-demand tests.

These options appear on the right side of the page.

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Figure 7. On-demand testing

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Figure 8. Host information

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Figure 9. PerfSonar network frontend

For single configuration mode, you will need another node to test. To get one, click the global node "Lookup Service Directory" ( http://stats.es.net/ServicesDirectory/ ) link, which will display a list of available nodes.

Select an external node from the pScheduler Server list on the left. (I chose ESnet's Atlanta test server.)

Click the Log In button and enter the User ID and Password created during basic configuration to configure the node.

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Figure 12. Log in to the test node

Next, select Configuration.

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Figure 13. Configuration button

This will take you to the configuration page where you can add tests to other nodes by clicking "Test" and then clicking +Test.

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Figure 14. PerfSonar node configuration

After clicking +Test, you will see a pop-up window with several drop-down options. For the purpose of this tutorial, I am running an One-Way Active Measurement Protocol (OWAMP) test against the ESnet Atlanta node using IPv4 to measure one-way latency.

Sidebar

• OWAMP measures one-way characteristics, such as one-way delay and one-way loss. With more time sources (such as GPS and CDMA), it is possible to measure these one-way IP performance indicators with high accuracy. OWAMP enables interoperability of these measurements.
• IPv4 is the fourth version of the Internet Protocol, which is now the main protocol for most systems on the Internet. The IPv4 protocol defines the rules for computer network operations based on the principle of packet switching. This low-level protocol is responsible for connecting network nodes based on IP addresses.
• The IPv4 node is the perfsonar test node, which only uses the IPv4 protocol for network testing. The perfsonar test node you connect to is the same application built in this document.

The drop-down list should use the server's main interface. Confirm that the test is enabled (the "Test Status" toggle switch is green), then click the "OK" button at the bottom of the window.

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Figure 15. Adding a test

Once you have added your test information, click the "Save" button at the bottom of the page.

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Figure 16. Save button

You will see information about all scheduled tests and the hosts they test. You can click the Settings icon in the Actions column to add more hosts to the test.

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Figure 17. Planned test list

The test interval is automatically set based on the recommended settings. If you test more frequently, the test will still run normally, but your drive may fill up with data faster.

Once the test is complete, click View Public Dashboard to view the data returned. Note that accessing the first set of data may take anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours.

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Figure 18. Viewing the public dashboard

The public dashboard shows a high-level summary of the dataset. If you want more information, click Details.

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Figure 19. Details

You will see a larger graph with the option to expand the graph to show data collected over a single year.

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Figure 20. Expanded detail view

PerfSONAR is now running and testing the network. You can also test two nodes in the network (or one internal network node and one external node).

What can you learn about your network?

I have found the following issues when using PerfSONAR:

• Asymmetric throughput
• Fiber break
• Circuit speed does not comply with contractual agreement
• Internal network speed drops due to misconfiguration
• Incorrect routing

Original title: How to test your network with PerfSONAR, author: Jessica Repka

[Translated by 51CTO. Please indicate the original translator and source as 51CTO.com when reprinting on partner sites]