TOLLY No September 1999

Transcription

1 NetReality, Inc. WiseWan 200/S1 Product Evaluation T H E TOLLY G R O U P No September 1999 Test Summary Premise: When frame relay was relatively new, it seemed the panacea of consolidation: After all, its inherent multiplexing of many circuits was perfect for maximizing WAN utilization. Customers could collapse multiple, expensive leased lines onto a single private or public frame relay backbone and, so the logic went, guarantee performance through simple circuit configuration. Unfortunately, most frame relay switches are notably ill-equipped to do the sophisticated traffic shaping and policing required to guarantee appropriate levels of service to mission-critical, latencysensitive applications. The result was that non-critical applications often crippled the performance of an enterprise s most important transactions with serious business consequences. In response to this problem, customers look for ways to control traffic flows and ensure performance levels at the edge of the network. This requires products that can (a) monitor the network and report on utilization by circuit, interface, application, etc., and (b) shape the traffic stream to guarantee that the performance of mission-critical traffic does not suffer during periods of congestion. NetReality commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate the frame relay statistical reporting and traffic-shaping capabilities of its WiseWan 200. In addition to monitoring the baseline traffic of the network, engineers tested the traffic-shaping techniques of the Wise- Wan 200, such as prioritization, bandwidth guarantees and bandwidth Throughput (Kbit/s) Test Highlights! Increases the throughput of critical applications dramatically without the need to add bandwidth! Successfully identifies and limits low-priority traffic on the available bandwidth allowing precedence for higher-priority data! Provides network managers with insight into costly WAN bandwidth utilization for layers 2 through 7 Effects of WiseWan Prioritization 57 High-priority traffic combined, no WiseWan Source: The Tolly Group, September High-priority traffic (traffic prioritization) 31 Figure 1a 1999 The Tolly Group Page 1

2 limiting. Testing was performed in July In order to test the effectiveness of the WiseWan 200 in managing bandwidth utilization, engineers first conducted baseline tests for lowand high-priority traffic without the benefit of the WiseWan 200 s capabilities. Engineers simulated mission-critical traffic consisting of SAP R/3, Baan 4.0 and Lotus Notes 4.6 transactions across a frame relay network s T-1 access links. The Tolly Group then contrasted those results against the baseline results. Throughput (Kbit/s) Comparison of the Effects of WiseWan Prioritization Test results show that the WiseWan 200 effectively monitors network utilization, tracks traffic trends and shapes traffic during periods of bandwidth congestion. Results demonstrated that when the Wise- Wan 200 was utilized in monitoring comparisons to actual application throughput, it consistently reported accurate statistics. 0 (Bandwidth Limiting) Low-priority outbound (Bandwidth Guarantees) (Traffic Prioritization) Low-priority inbound The WiseWan 200 delivered 71% of high-priority traffic when configured to support Prioritization, one of three traffic-shaping capabilities tested. In addition, engineers tested the WiseWan 200 s Bandwidth Guarantees and Bandwidth Limiting functions. Results demonstrate that the WiseWan 200 can guarantee that high-priority traffic will receive more than 80% of the available bandwidth during periods of peak congestion. When engineers configured the WiseWan 200 to limit lowpriority traffic streams, results indicated that the WiseWan 200 successfully capped the lower priority and restored the high-priority traffic to more than 80% of its original throughput. Results In monitoring tests, results showed that the WiseWan 200 successfully gathered statistics that demonstrated effective utilization for inbound (DCE to DTE) and outbound (DTE to DCE) traffic across all DLCIs. Source: The Tolly Group, September 1999 In addition, the WiseWan 200 provided an application/protocol distribution report that illustrates both absolute and relative bandwidth utilization by protocol across each of the two DLCIs. Test results show that missioncritical traffic can flow at a rate of 848 Kbit/s, the baseline for testing the mission-critical traffic over the T-1 line (806 Kbit/s outbound and 42 Kbit/s inbound), when engineers established a baseline metric for throughput under ideal conditions with no congestion and no other traffic sharing the access links. When engineers introduced highvolume, non-critical traffic to the network, the 848 Kbit/s throughput of mission-critical traffic plummeted to just 65 Kbit/s (57 Kbit/s outbound and 8 Kbit/s inbound), a 92% reduction. Following this, The Tolly Group deployed the WiseWan 200 in three different schemes to shape the network traffic to favor higher throughput for missioncritical traffic. Prioritization Figure 1b In this traffic-shaping scheme, the WiseWan 200 identifies traffic for preferential treatment but does not guarantee any amount of bandwidth to the high-priority traffic. Results show that when The Tolly Group configured the WiseWan 200 to prioritize high-priority traffic 1 and identify all other forms of traffic as standard-priority traffic 2, 1 High-priority traffic was a mix of the following applications: SAP R/3: Create Sales Order; SAP R/3: Basic Stock Inventory; Lotus Notes 4.6: Indexed Database Lookup; and Baan 4.0: Add Item. 2 Standard- or low-priority traffic used during testing was a mix of HTTP and FTP traffic The Tolly Group Page 2

3 the device delivered high-priority traffic at a rate of 602 Kbit/s (571 Kbit/s outbound and 31 Kbit/s inbound). See figure 1a. The WiseWan 200 achieved the highest aggregate utilization for high-priority traffic when tested with the Prioritization scheme. See Figure 1b. This graph also illustrates that the Bandwidth Limiting feature delivers the best overall performance for mission-critical traffic. The difference in mission-critical bandwidth for all three schemes is minimal at less than 15%. Bandwidth Guarantees When the WiseWan 200 is configured in a Bandwidth Guarantees scenario, it guarantees that highpriority traffic will receive a predetermined amount of bandwidth when congestion occurs, so highpriority traffic will receive at least that amount of bandwidth. When the WiseWan 200 was configured to guarantee bandwidth for 700 Kbit/s of full-duplex missioncritical traffic, it offered throughput of 679 Kbit/s (644 Kbit/s outbound and 35 Kbit/s inbound). This demonstrates an average of 80% of the original throughput of 848 Kbit/s of mission-critical traffic. See figure 2. Bandwidth Limiting In a Bandwidth Limiting scheme, a user-configurable ceiling is placed on the amount of bandwidth available to non-critical traffic, whether or not any other traffic is available on the link. When engineers utilized the WiseWan 200 s capability to limit the bandwidth available for noncritical or low-priority traffic to 384 Kbit/s in each direction, the highpriority traffic was restored to 708 Kbit/s (672 Kbit/s outbound and 36 Kbit/s inbound). This result also shows more than 80% of the original 848 Kbit/s baseline performance of NetReality, Inc. WiseWan 200 Performance Evaluation mission-critical traffic across the network. See figure 3. Analysis By employing a WiseWan 200, customers have the ability to control WAN bandwidth with precision, eliminating the need to purchase more frame relay bandwidth. Traffic that traverses the network can be controlled by simply connecting the WiseWan 200 in line with your WAN and configure it with the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the WiseWan 200 NetReality, Inc. WiseWan 200 Product Specifications* Accelerator Platform! WAN-based accelerator prioritizes SAP, Citrix, Baan, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Lotus Notes, more.! Integrated traffic monitoring and shaping - all in one solution.! Wire-speed packet processing! 19" rack mountable hardware or desktop unit! Topology-neutral CPE available with integrated CSU/DSU; deploy anywhere between the router and switch! Standards-based SNMP, controllable by any SNMP manager! RMON 2 compliant WanXplorer Server! Sun/Solaris or MS/Windows NT central management software w/industry-standard SQL database. Easy integration with third-party applications! Multiple accelerators manageable from one location, anywhere on the network.! Standards-based integration with leading management platforms, including HP OpenView, Cisco- Works, Concord! Traffic data automatically stored for trend analysis! Full SLA reporting capability WanShaper Bandwidth Management and Traffic Shaping! Adaptive shaping based on real-time, circuit based application monitoring! Policy-based bandwidth management for integrated voice and data traffic! Prioritize by: users, caller/destination, servers, applications and time of day! Optimized for Frame Relay congestion control WanXplorer and WanShaper GUI! Management console GUI JAVA application can be executed as an application, or through a Web browser WanTel On-the-WAN Voice and Data Traffic Management! Prioritize voice and data transmissions for best bandwidth utilization! Accounting of voice and data by conversation parties, VoIP session type, time-of-day, conversation length and data used For more information contact: NetReality, Inc Mission College Blvd. Suite 900 Santa Clara, CA Tel: Fax: URL: *Vendor-supplied information not verified by The Tolly Group 1999 The Tolly Group Page 3

4 Effects of WiseWan Prioritization Using Bandwidth Guarantees Percentage of Bandwidth Consumed (Kbit/s) no WiseWan (Bandwidth Guarantees) Low-priority outbound Low-priority inbound Source: The Tolly Group, September 1999 Figure 2 automatically detects Data Link Control Identifiers (DLCIs) and begins to initiate traffic-control schemes. In addition, the monitoring function of the WiseWan 200 delivers realtime statistics in a graphical format at 60-second intervals for such vital information as physical link utilization, DLCI circuit utilization, and application/protocol distribution. Prioritization By allowing traffic to be prioritized, customers can identify what traffic is mission-critical that must be given a high-priority and in turn, is more likely to successfully reach its destination. Customers care more about making sure high-priority traffic arrives safely, than they do about overall aggregate throughput. Bandwidth Guarantees By guaranteeing bandwidth for mission-critical traffic, customers can feel safe that their high-priority traffic will be guaranteed the bandwidth necessary for delivery, even in a congested network. Bandwidth Limiting When limiting the amount of designated low-priority traffic on a WAN, customers can cap less important traffic providing more bandwidth for high-priority traffic. Even when no other traffic is present, the WiseWan 200 limits the low-priority traffic so the network never gets congested. If no high-priority traffic is present, the WiseWan 200 relies on its realtime traffic monitoring and shaping to allow low-priority traffic to flow. Test Configuration and Methodology The system under test was a NetReality, Inc. WiseWan 200, software version 2.1.1, configured with Java Runtime The Wise- Wan 200 was configured to sit between a central office LAN and an ACT Networks, Inc. NetPerformer SDM-9400 Frame Relay Switch, software version v7.1.0 (R1), which also serviced two remote branch office LANs. On the central office LAN side, the WiseWan 200 linked to a Cisco Systems, Inc Series Router, model number 2513, software version 11.3 (3). The Cisco 2500 connected to a 3Com Corp. SuperStack II Ethernet Switch 3300, model number 3C16980 software version 2.0, which connected to a local server running Ganymede Software, Inc. Chariot Console version 2.2 Build 403 application software. The Chariot console resided on a 200-MHz Pentium-based Tyan Computer Corp. PC server with 128 Mbytes of RAM and 2.1 Gbytes of storage, running Microsoft Windows NT Server / Service Pack 3 operating system. The Windows NT/Chariot Console was outfitted with a Compaq Computer Corp. Netelligent 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet adapter, which connected the server to the 3Com switch. On the other side of the WiseWan 200, the device connected to a NetPerformer SDM-9400 Frame Relay Switch, v7.1.0 (R1) over a simulated T-1 connection. The NetPerformer then linked, via T-1, to a pair of branch office LANs, each of which was front-ended to the frame relay network via a Cisco 2500 Series Routers, model number 1999 The Tolly Group Page 4

5 Effects of WiseWan Prioritization Using Bandwidth Limiting Percentage of Bandwidth Consumed (Kbit/s) no WiseWan (Bandwidth Limiting) Low-priority outbound Low-priority inbound Source: The Tolly Group, September 1999 Figure , software version 11.3 (3). Two additional SuperStack II Switch 3300 switches connected the branch offices to the Cisco 2500s. Each branch office was anchored by a Tyan Computer 200-MHz Pentium server with 64 Mbytes of RAM and 2.1 Gbytes of storage. The servers ran Microsoft Windows NT Server operating system version Service Pack 4 and Chariot Endpoints. Branch office LAN #1 supported high-priority traffic consisting of Lotus Notes 4.6 client traffic, SAP R/3 and Baan 4.0 data. Both systems were equipped with Compaq 10/100 Mbit/s Netelligent adapters. Branch office LAN #2 simulated lowpriority traffic, including HTTP and FTP data that originated from the Chariot endpoint. See figure 4. For performance tests, The Tolly Group tested the WiseWan 200 in four different scenarios. Engineers initially conducted baseline tests with no WiseWan 200 shaping enabled in the following three environments: high-priority traffic only, low-priority traffic only, and a mix of high- and low-priority traffic. Engineers simulated mission-critical traffic consisting of SAP R/3, Baan 4.0 and Lotus Notes 4.6 transactions across the frame relay network s T-1 access links. Following this, engineers added high-volume, non-mission-critical traffic consisting of FTP, Web and . Engineers compared throughput statistics of the Wise- Wan 200 to those from the Chariot application to corroborate that the actual monitoring reports of the WiseWan 200 were correct. The WiseWan 200 was then configured to test the bandwidth when engineers gave specific high-priority traffic precedence over other traffic. The WiseWan 200 was also configured in Bandwidth Guarantees and Bandwidth Limiting scenarios. Prioritization Engineers configured the Chariot endpoints to forward traffic and the WiseWan 200 was configured to specify high-priority traffic without limiting or prioritizing any other traffic. Engineers ran three different tests: first, the Chariot endpoint forwarded high-priority traffic only; second, the Chariot endpoints forwarded low-priority traffic only; and third, the Chariot endpoints forwarded both high- and lowpriority traffic. Engineers ran three iterations of each test. Bandwidth Guarantees For Bandwidth Guarantees performance tests, engineers configured the WiseWan 200 to guarantee 700 Kbit/s, out of 768 Kbit/s, of bandwidth for high-priority traffic without granting priority to any type of traffic. Engineers ran three different tests: one with high-priority traffic only, a second with low-priority traffic only and a third with highand low-priority traffic. Bandwidth Limiting When engineers tested the Bandwidth Limiting capabilities of the WiseWan 200, they configured the device to limit low-priority traffic to 384 Kbit/s, out of 768 Kbit/s. Engineers ran three different tests: one with high-priority traffic only; a second with low-priority traffic only; and a third with high- and lowpriority traffic The Tolly Group Page 5

6 Test Bed Source: The Tolly Group, September 1999 Figure 4 The Tolly Group gratefully acknowledges the providers of test equipment used in this project. Vendor Product Web address Ganymede Software, Inc. Chariot Since its inception, The Tolly Group has produced highquality tests that meet three overarching criteria: All tests are objective, fully documented and repeatable. We endeavor to provide complete disclosure of information concerning individual product tests, and multiparty competitive product evaluations. As an independent organization, The Tolly Group does not accept retainer contracts from vendors, nor does it endorse products or suppliers. This open and honest environment assures vendors they are treated fairly, and with the necessary care to guarantee all parties that the results of these tests are accurate and valid. The Tolly Group has codified this into the Fair Testing Charter, which may be viewed at Project Profile Sponsor: NetReality, Inc. Document number: Product class: Traffic shaper Product under test: " WiseWan 200 Testing window: July 1999 Software status: " Readily available For more information on this document, or other services offered by The Tolly Group, visit our World Wide Web site at send to info@tolly.com, call (800) or (732) Internetworking technology is an area of rapid growth and constant change. The Tolly Group conducts engineering-caliber testing in an effort to provide the internetworking industry with valuable information on current products and technology. While great care is taken to assure utmost accuracy, mistakes can occur. In no event shall The Tolly Group be liable for damages of any kind including direct, indirect, special, incidental, and consequential damages which may result from the use of information contained in this document. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The Tolly Group doc rev. clk 21 Sept The Tolly Group Page 6