IPv6 Benchmarking Methodology for Network Interconnect Devices
RFC 5180
Network Working Group C. Popoviciu
Request for Comments: 5180 A. Hamza
Category: Informational G. Van de Velde
Cisco Systems
D. Dugatkin
FastSoft Inc.
May 2008
IPv6 Benchmarking Methodology for Network Interconnect Devices
Status of This Memo
This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does
not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Abstract
The benchmarking methodologies defined in RFC 2544 are IP version
independent. However, RFC 2544 does not address some of the
specificities of IPv6. This document provides additional
benchmarking guidelines, which in conjunction with RFC 2544, lead to
a more complete and realistic evaluation of the IPv6 performance of
network interconnect devices. IPv6 transition mechanisms are outside
the scope of this document.
Popoviciu, et al. Informational [Page 1]
RFC 5180 IPv6 Benchmarking Methodology May 2008
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................2
2. Existing Definitions ............................................3
3. Tests and Results Evaluation ....................................3
4. Test Environment Setup ..........................................3
5. Test Traffic ....................................................4
5.1. Frame Formats and Sizes ....................................4
5.1.1. Frame Sizes to Be Used on Ethernet ..................5
5.1.2. Frame Sizes to Be Used on SONET .....................5
5.2. Protocol Addresses Selection ...............................6
5.2.1. DUT Protocol Addresses ..............................6
5.2.2. Test Traffic Protocol Addresses .....................7
5.3. Traffic with Extension Headers .............................7
5.4. Traffic Setup ..............................................9
6. Modifiers .......................................................9
6.1. Management and Routing Traffic .............................9
6.2. Filters ...................................................10
6.2.1. Filter Format ......................................10
6.2.2. Filter Types .......................................11
7. Benchmarking Tests .............................................12
7.1. Throughput ................................................13
7.2. Latency ...................................................13
7.3. Frame Loss ................................................13
7.4. Back-to-Back Frames .......................................13
7.5. System Recovery ...........................................14
7.6. Reset .....................................................14
8. IANA Considerations ............................................14
9. Security Considerations ........................................14
10. Conclusions ...................................................15
11. Acknowledgements ..............................................15
12. References ....................................................15
12.1. Normative References .....................................15
12.2. Informative References ...................................16
Appendix A. Theoretical Maximum Frame Rates Reference ............17
A.1. Ethernet .................................................17
A.2. Packet over SONET ........................................18
1. Introduction
The benchmarking methodologies defined by RFC 2544 [9] are proving to
be useful in consistently evaluating IPv4 forwarding performance of
network elements. Adherence to these testing and result analysis
procedures facilitates objective comparison of IPv4 performance data
measured on various products and by various individuals. While the
principles behind the methodologies introduced in RFC 2544 are
largely IP version independent, the protocol has continued to evolve,
particularly in its version 6 (IPv6).
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RFC 5180 IPv6 Benchmarking Methodology May 2008
This document provides benchmarking methodology recommendations that
address IPv6-specific aspects, such as evaluating the forwarding
performance of traffic containing extension headers, as defined in
RFC 2460 [2]. These recommendations are defined within the RFC 2544
framework, and they complement the test and result analysis
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