1. Network Performance Advisor “The Advisor”
Jim Ferguson, NLANR/DAST

2. 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)

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. Example of Expert GUI

7. 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)

8. 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.

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

10. Related Projects
- Demonstrates start of hop-by-hop network analysis
– Demonstrates beginning of analysis idea, based on Web100 kernel
– Demonstrates measurement and (visual, not programmatic) collation of data
- 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.
- 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.