CPU utilization measurement tools/methods for network performance tests

CPU utilization measurement tools/methods for network performance tests

[Alex Tsariounov]

Hello:

I am currently using netperf to measure performance of a couple of
network drivers on ia64/2.6.7 and am having a trying time measuring
CPU utilization.

Does anyone have a dependable tool or method to measure CPU
utilization, especially over a minute/two-minute-long measurement
interval?

I'd like to get a little more accurate and dependable result than just
eye-balling top for the run.  Also, something that does not interfere
with the test would be important.

The CPU utilization measurement methods provided by netperf produce
different results depending on which one is used and I'd like to use a
secondary method to confirm them.

Thank you,
Alex

Re: CPU utilization measurement tools/methods for network performance tests

[Peter Chubb]

>>>>> "Alex" = Alex Tsariounov <alext@fc.hp.com> writes:

Alex> Hello: I am currently using netperf to measure performance of a
Alex> couple of network drivers on ia64/2.6.7 and am having a trying
Alex> time measuring CPU utilization.

I suggest you check out ipbench (http://ipbench.sf.net) which in its
latency measurement has an accurate CPU-usage measurement algorithm,
at least for uniprocessors.  Because so much network handling happens
at interrupt time, the usual system and user times are useless for
this purpose.

There's going to be a new release of ipbench sometime soon now, a
complete rewrite using Python to drive the system, that should be a
lot more stabole and usable than the current version.



-- 
Dr Peter Chubb  http://www.gelato.unsw.edu.au  peterc AT gelato.unsw.edu.au
The technical we do immediately,  the political takes *forever*