ESnet Opens 40G perfSONAR Host for Network Performance Testing

ESnet has deployed the first public 40Gbps production perfSONAR host directly connected to an R&E backbone network, allowing research organizations to test and diagnose the performance of network links up to 40 gigabits per second.

The host, located in Boston, Mass., is available to any organization in the R&E (research and education) networking community. More and more, organizations are setting up their own 40 Gbps data transfer nodes to help systems keep up with the increasing size of research datasets.

 “With a 40G host, you need to do more tuning of the host and to confirm that the tuning is correct, you need another 40G endpoint, which we now have,” said Brian Tierney, head of ESnet’s Advanced Network Technologies Group. “Using our host, institutions can now use throughput tests and confirm they are getting the higher data transfer speeds.

To provide accurate measurement, the host runs perfSONAR, a tool for end-to-end monitoring and troubleshooting of multi-domain network performance.  perfSONAR is a joint effort between ESnet, Internet2, Indiana University, and GEANT, the pan-European research network.

The diagnostic software has more than 1,200 installations on networking hosts around the U.S. and in 29 other countries.

Tierney said the 40G host was installed in response to requests from a number of organizations with new 40G data transfer nodes, and who wanted a host to test to. Sites began using the host as soon as it was put into service.

 For more details on this host, see: http://fasterdata.es.net/performance-testing/perfsonar/esnet-perfsonar-services/esnet-40g-perfsonar-host/