Network performance toolkit : using open source testing tools

* In these times of reduced corporate budgets, this book shows how to test for performance problems and how to install and run freely available tools, instead of buying costly new hardware and software testing packages * Network performance is the #1 headache for network operators; this book gives IT professionals straightforward guidance * Author is a troubleshooting practitioner, a hands-on networking computer specialist for the Department of Defense Acknowledgments p. xvii Introduction p. xix Part 1 Network Performance Primer p. 1 Chapter 1 Defining Network Performance p. 3 The Elements of Network Performance p. 4 Methods of Collecting Performance Data p. 15 Summary p. 20 Chapter 2 Watching Network Traffic p. 21 Catching All the Traffic p. 21 The tcpdump Program p. 25 The WinDump Program p. 31 Filtering Packets with tcpdump and WinDump p. 33 The Analyzer Program p. 35 The Ethereal Program p. 37 Summary p. 40 Chapter 3 Network Device Utilization p. 41 The net-snmp Package p. 41 Standard Network Performance MIBs p. 49 Using Vendor MIBs p. 52 Summary p. 57 Part 2 Network Performance Tools p. 59 Chapter 4 netperf p. 61 What Is netperf? p. 61 Downloading and Installing netperf p. 63 Running netserver p. 65 netperf Command-Line Options p. 68 Measuring Bulk Network Traffic p. 70 Measuring Request/Response Times p. 72 Using netperf Scripts p. 76 Summary p. 77 Chapter 5 dbs p. 79 dbs Features p. 79 Before Installing dbs p. 81 Downloading and Installing dbs p. 82 Running the dbsd Program p. 84 Configuring Command Files p. 86 Performing Tests p. 90 Summary p. 97 Chapter 6 Iperf p. 99 Iperf Features p. 99 Downloading and Installing Iperf p. 103 Using Iperf p. 105 Summary p. 115 Chapter 7 Pathrate p. 117 Using Statistics to Measure Bandwidth p. 118 Using Pathrate p. 120 Pathrate Test Output p. 123 Using Pathload p. 127 Pathload Output p. 129 Summary p. 134 Chapter 8 Nettest p. 137 What Is Nettest? p. 137 The OpenSSL Package p. 140 Downloading and Installing Nettest p. 142 Creating Certificates and Keys p. 146 Creating the ACLFile File p. 149 Using Nettest p. 150 Summary p. 154 Chapter 9 NetLogger p. 155 What Is NetLogger? p. 156 Downloading and Installing NetLogger p. 158 Using the APIs p. 160 Using nlv p. 165 Summary p. 173 Chapter 10 Tcptrace p. 175 What Is tcptrace? p. 175 Downloading and Installing tcptrace p. 178 Using tcptrace in Console Mode p. 179 Graphical Programs p. 187 Using tcptrace in Graphical Mode p. 189 Summary p. 194 Chapter 11 ntop p. 197 What Is ntop? p. 198 Before Installing ntop p. 202 Downloading and Installing ntop p. 204 Running ntop p. 206 Viewing ntop Data p. 211 Summary p. 215 Chapter 12 Comparing Network Performance Tools p. 217 Tools for Testing the Network p. 218 Analyzing Production Traffic p. 229 Summary p. 237 Part 3 Application Performance Tools p. 239 Chapter 13 Measuring Application Performance p. 241 Methods of Testing Network Applications p. 242 Modeling Network Problems p. 246 Modeling Network Devices p. 251 Summary p. 258 Chapter 14 dummynet p. 259 What Is dummynet? p. 260 The ipfw Application p. 263 dummynet Rules p. 268 Installing dummynet p. 271 Testing dummynet p. 275 Summary p. 277 Chapter 15 NIST Net p. 279 What Is NIST Net? p. 279 Downloading and Installing NIST Net p. 288 Using NIST Net p. 292 Summary p. 298 Chapter 16 Network Traffic Generator p. 301 What Is Network Traffic Generator? p. 301 Generating Network Traffic p. 306 Downloading and Installing the Package p. 308 Using Network Traffic Generator p. 312 Summary p. 320 Chapter 17 ns p. 321 What Is ns? p. 321 Downloading and Installing ns p. 330 Performing a Network Simulation p. 332 Summary p. 340 Chapter 18 SSFNet p. 343 What Is SSF? p. 344 What Is SSFNet? p. 345 Downloading and Installing SSFNet p. 353 Using SSFNet p. 356 Summary p. 364 Chapter 19 Comparing Application Performance Tools p. 365 Modeling the Production Environment p. 365 Using ns p. 368 Using SSFNet p. 374 Using dummynet p. 379 Using NIST Net p. 381 Final Results p. 383 Summary p. 384 Appendix Resources p. 387 Index p. 391

all Of The Tools You’ll Need To Ensure That Your Network And Its Applications Are Performing Properly For Your Environment

as A Network Administrator, You Are The First Person Customers Come To Whenever There Are Performance Issues With The Network. You Have To Keep The Customers Satisfied, But The Complaints Don’t Make Your Job Any Easier. However, Once You’re Armed With The Techniques And Options Presented In This Hands-on Book, You’ll Be Able To Identify And Fix Network Problems Before Your Customers Even Notice! Troubleshooting Expert Richard Blum Takes You Through Some Of The Basic Elements That Affect Network Performance And Then Supplies You With Information About The Open Source Tools Used For Monitoring The Network To Uncover Any Of These Problems.

in Addition, He Shows You How To Use Application Performance Tools To Analyze How Network Applications Behave In Different Environments And Determine Potential Conflicts. All Of The Tools Discussed Are Freely Available, Eliminating The Need To Purchase Costly New Hardware And Software Testing Packages. In Addition, Blum Provides You With Clear Instructions On How To Install And Properly Use Each One.

with This Complete Toolkit, You’ll Discover How To Keep Your Network Running At Peak Performance. You’ll Gain The Necessary Skills To:

• determine The Cause Of Network Performance Issues In The Production Network
• uncover Any Bottlenecks In Network Traffic
• install, Configure, And Use Various Open Source Tools, Including Netperf, Dbs, And Ntop
• monitor Network Performance Using Select Programs
• use Emulators And Simulators To See How Network Applications Will Perform

Modern Antenna Design, Second Edition continues the practical approach that marked the popular first edition by distilling theory to the essentials of antenna design without becoming buried in mathematics. Written by an expert antenna designer whose designs have been used on NASA missions to explore Mars and Venus, the book emphasizes and demonstrates real-world applications across a variety of fields, including telecommunications, remote sensing, and broadcasting.The Second Edition reflects developments in antenna design and incorporates the author's hands-on experience teaching antenna courses. The book begins with a basic discussion of the properties of antennas that every designer needs to know and then moves on to specific design topics, including: Radiation structures and numerical methods, Aperture distributions and array synthesis, Dipoles, slots, loops, and microstrip patches, Gaussian beam analysis and waveguide horns, Reflector antennas, Traveling wave antennas, Frequency independent antennas, Phased arrays.With its focus on real-world design, the author includes discussions of such issues as mounting antennas and using nearby structures to enhance their response. This is the one book that antenna designers in all fields of industry and communications need to refine their technique, develop new applications, and help design the next generation of antennas. As a network administrator, you are the first person customers come to whenever there are performance issues with the network. You have to keep the customers satisfied, but the complaints don't make your job any easier. However, once you're armed with the techniques and options presented in this hands-on book, you'll be able to identify and fix network problems before your customers even notice! Troubleshooting expert Richard Blum takes you through some of the basic elements that affect network performance and then supplies you with information about the Open Source tools used for monitoring the network to uncover any of these problems. In addition, he shows you how to use application performance tools to analyze how network applications behave in different environments and determine potential conflicts. All of the tools discussed are freely available, eliminating the need to purchase costly new hardware and software testing packages. In addition, Blum provides you with clear instructions on how to install and properly use each one. With this complete toolkit, you'll discover how to keep your network running at peak performance. "A practical book written for engineers who design and use antennas The author has many years of hands on experience designing antennas that were used in such applications as the Venus and Mars missions of NASA The book covers all important topics of modern antenna design for communications Numerical methods will be included but only as much as are needed for practical applications."--Publisher's website