Network Performance Advisor “The Advisor” Jim Ferguson, NLANR/DAST ferguson@nlanr.net

Goals Provide a GUI-based tool for novices and experts alike to identify and debug network performance and connectivity problems Integrates existing performance measuring tools, instead of writing new ones, whenever possible Works on multiple platforms (Linux and Windows targeted initially)

Design Overview “Advisor” composed of two pieces: Metric Measurement: Responsible for gathering measurements from different applications and exposing them in a uniform manner. Consists of a Data Archiver and performance data collector (PDC) Metric Analysis: Responsible for gathering the measurements, analyzing them, and displaying the results to the user. Consists of UI and Analysis Engine.

Metric Measurement Advisor goal is to allow new measurements and measurement applications to be integrated into the PDC very simply and quickly. Must handle platform differences and unavailability of any given measurement application Via the Data Archiver, expose the measurements in a consistent, uniform, easy to use manner ADF = Application Definition Framework file. Defines how a individual measurement application (iperf, ping, etc.) can be integrated into the Framework.

User Interface GUI consists of three major modes Additional features Expert: Simple table of all metrics Map: Graphical display for routing information and highlights trouble zones Analysis: Deploys the analysis engine Additional features Ability to view/retrieve/print archived data Store data (using data archiver)

Example of Expert GUI

Analysis Engine Design Goal: Analyze metrics & give simple solutions Basic Design Communicates with Data Archiver to retrieve data Simple scripting language to describe network problems is_network_up = hasIP && canPing Network problems represented in a hierarchical nature Only retrieves data as needed Useful for when certain tests in PDC take a significant time to run (ie. Iperf, pchar)

Current Status Prototype of PDC and authentication mechanisms complete. Production version being written. SC 2002 demo of an expert front-end GUI completed. Analysis Engine design underway.

Staff Steve Engelhardt, PDC & Data Archiver Tanya Brethour, Analysis Engine & UI Steven Ko, R.A. Jianzhong Liu, R.A. Jim Ferguson, annoying questions

Related Projects http://www-didc.lbl.gov/NCS/ - Demonstrates start of hop-by-hop network analysis http://miranda.ctd.anl.gov:7123 – Demonstrates beginning of analysis idea, based on Web100 kernel http://noc.greatplains.net/measurement – Demonstrates measurement and (visual, not programmatic) collation of data http://e2epi.internet2.edu/pma01.shtml - I2 Performance Measurement Architecture paper. The measurement back-end can be thought of as an implementation of this paper, but it is still young and immature. http://e2epi.internet2.edu/ - I2 End-to-End Performance Initiative. NLANR is working with the I2 E2E piPEs project to avoid duplicate work and leverage each other’s work.