Huawei AR G3 Series Enterprise Routers GbE and 10GbE Forwarding and IPsec Throughput Evaluation

Today Tolly (www.tolly.com), the leading global provider of hands-on IT research, published a Huawei AR G3 Series Routers Forwarding and IPsec Performance Evaluation.        

Huawei Technologies commissioned Tolly to evaluate the forwarding/throughput performance of several models of its AR G3 series of enterprise routers.

The Bottom Line:  

1. The AR2201-48FE and AR2202-48FE routers were capable of forwarding 1,986 Mbps using 1500-byte packets
2. AR3260 with SRU100's forwarding rate was up to 10,000 Mbps using 1500-byte packets
3. AR3260 with SRU200's forwarding rate was up to 20,000 Mbps using 1500-byte packets
4. AR3260 with SRU400's forwarding rate was up to 40,000 Mbps using 1500-byte packets  

Click here for the full report...

17 Ways To Speed Up Your Network -- For Free

Learn how to speed up throughput without breaking the bank, by optimizing the network and eliminating unnecessary performance hogs.

By Phil Britt

Got a sluggish network, but don't want to break the bank speeding it up? We've got free and relatively inexpensive help for you. While some of the steps we recommend might include minor hardware upgrades, they are far less expensive than large consulting contracts or "forklift-type" IT upgrades.

To get our tips, we've polled three networking specialists for their advice. They've come up with 17 tips -- here's what they have to say.

Tom Leahy, product marketing manager for IP services at Pittsburg, Pa.-based TelCove, an integrated communications provider that offers Internet, voice, and data solutions, recommends these steps to boost network performance:

1. Assess traffic loads on the network, including the destination and source of all traffic. By moving around some network resources, a company many be able to improve network performance. For example, in a campus environment, if a particular server is being used by people in a common location (i.e., a particular building), the obvious thing to do is to make sure that server is actually located in that building. Otherwise that traffic will bog down other communications that must go between buildings.

2. Optimize IP addressing. This helps minimize the load on routers. The shorter the lookup table a router needs to determine where to send packets, the better.

John Heasley, one of the co-founders of Shrubbery Networks, a Portland, Ore.-based computer and network consulting services company, offers these recommendations:

3. Adjust hosts and network devices to use larger maximum segment size (MSS) at the initial connection or even the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of ~1460 for Ethernet. The old default of 576 is antiquated and most links should support this by now. Just make sure they do not set the DF (Don't Fragment) bit on every frame (Microsoft likes to do this).

In fact, you use IP MTU discovery to increase the MSS over time, but it doesn't help short-lived connections (i.e., for the Web).

4. Turn off IPX. Heasley calls IPX "one of the worst protocols ever." IPX is very chatty, Heasley explains, and, therefore, is very susceptible to any kind of latency. This also reduces overall operating expense because network administrators only have to verify a smaller subset of code for network device software upgrades.

Turning off IPX can also improve overall throughput for networks devices that only support process switching for these (or all) protocols, since these protocols tend to be heavier and less efficient (in terms of overall code efficiency). Netbui can safely be turned off as well.

5. Increase default socket (or streams) send and receive buffer space to at least 64k on all servers and clients.

6. Optimize the router interface access control lists (ACLs). These often become inefficient over time as people add things to existing ACLs and don't delete them when those things are removed from the network.

7. Check Ethernet links for the greatest possible link speed and duplex (mismatches occur) and errors.

8. Increase the overall bandwidth between devices with link bundling (IEEE standard 802.3ad).

9. Use multicast when you can and when it's warranted.

10. Use web browsers that support pipelining. Firefox supports pipelining, but Heasley says that although Internet Explorer supports pipelining, he is not sure that it supports it properly.

11. Make sure routing is efficient. Use a routing protocol rather than static routes to avoid inefficiencies.

12. Avoid loops in switching topologies. Spanning tree protocol (STP) is not good at choosing the best path.

Tim Hebert, chief operating office of Atrion Networking, Warwick, RI, a systems integrator and network services provider doing Cisco infrastructure since 1987, adds the following advice:

13. Look at multicasting settings, which may not be turned on. Multicasting uses a multicast address to send the same data stream to multiple recipients while using the least bandwidth. Without multicasting, multiple unicast-addressed copies of the data stream would have to be sent to individual recipients. Multicast services can control the distribution of multicasts by determining which switch ports need to participate in multicasts.

14. Consider using a private virtual LAN to give certain applications higher priorities.

Ed Keiper, manager of network services for Lantium, Inc., an Audubon, Pa.-based company that provides network services, consulting, and outsourcing, suggests that network performance may be improved by doing the following:

15. Replace hubs with faster-working switches. The cost of switches has dropped significantly, so the improved performance may be well worth the investment. Lantium estimates that the cost of switches are about a third of the cost of hubs -- an estimated $5.53 per port for switches versus an estimated $15.63 per port for hubs.

16. Ensure that the network's fastest systems run the most demanding applications. Sometimes new, faster PCs are added to the network, but some of the most resource-intensive applications remain on older machines. Total network performance suffers as a result.

17. Make sure that any cable runs are short enough for maximum performance. While a system may theoretically be able to handle a cable run of 300 feet, distances of 100 feet will provide much better performance.

This Article Reprinted Courtesy of http://informationweek.com

Network software bugs: Are Cisco and others doing enough?

by Greg Ferro, Fast Packet Blogger

It seems that the IT Industry is willing to accept that software bugs are unavoidable and that licensing agreements, along with patches, absolve vendors from any responsibility. That may be why there is so little hubbub around what I sense to be an increase in network software problems – and specifically Cisco IOS bugs.

It's not that bugs in general are a new issue. Microsoft releases between 20 to 60 patches per month for critical bugs. But with Cisco IOS software, I have noticed a significant decline in product reliability over the last two or three years, which is suspiciously the same timeframe as the company's financial problems. Maybe I am paranoid, but I have to wonder if Cisco is cutting corners on testing and validation programs in its Indian development centers

I’ve learned that IOS software development is segmented into verticals: BGP, IP Multicast, OSPF, MPLS, etc. All of these are developed in independent teams with their own budgets and management. But there seems to be a gap in end-to-end testing. For example, I wonder if there is testing of BGP and IP Multicast integration or MPLS andOSPF integration.

Why are bugs so troubling in networking?

In an ITIL-compliant world, bugs are an identified risk and projects allocate hundreds or thousands of man hours to testing and validation in an attempt to locate product flaws. The cost of customer-driven network validation and testing has risen dramatically in the last five years. The trend is proven in the wide range of new testing products and solutions.

On one hand, this is not a bad thing as we can now build better networks. But for every bug found, the network is undermined. There is already a significant perception in IT management circles that the network is unreliable and risky. That’s why getting change windows for regular upgrades is almost impossible

When will vendors do more?

Some people say that vendor technical support is here to fix these problems, but that's not why I pay for this service. I pay tech support for hardware failures, software upgrades and configuration support, not to receive a half-finished product.

Which leads to the question: Are vendors delivering faulty products? If customers are going to perform their own testing, locate bugs and then advise the vendors through tech support programs (paid for by the customer), then what motivates the vendor to keep software quality high?

It is true that the complexity of modern products means that some bugs or product flaws will occur. But if vendors scale back their testing programs to save money, who suffers? And who will know?

(Source - http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/)

The Seven Layers of the OSI Reference Model

OSI sounds like the name of a top-secret government agency you hear about only in Tom Clancy novels. What it really stands for in the networking world is Open Systems Interconnection, as in the Open Systems Interconnection Reference Model, affectionately known as the OSI model.

The OSI model breaks the various aspects of a computer network into seven distinct layers. These layers are kind of like the layers of an onion: Each successive layer envelops the layer beneath it, hiding its details from the levels above. The OSI model is also like an onion in that if you start to peel it apart to have a look inside, you’re bound to shed a few tears.

The OSI model is not a networking standard in the same sense that Ethernet and Token Ring are networking standards. Rather, the OSI model is a framework into which the various networking standards can fit. The OSI model specifies what aspects of a network’s operation can be addressed by various network standards. So, in a sense, the OSI model is sort of a standard of standards.

The first three layers are sometimes called the lower layers. They deal with the mechanics of how information is sent from one computer to another over a network. Layers 4 through 7 are sometimes called the upper layers. They deal with how applications programs relate to the network through application programming interfaces.

The IT Department Functions - Becoming Increasingly Important!

I thinks in my opinion the IT department has several responsibilities such as:

(a) Ensuring that an IT Plan and strategy have been developed for the university and that the plan and strategy are kept current as the university evolves.

(b) Working with university to acquire or develop and implement needed new applications

(c) Provide day-to-day support of users: for example, fixing broken PC,fixing broken network connectivity, responding to questions about applications use,training new users etc.

(d) Managing the IT infrastructures ( performing backup of databases, installing network connections etc).

(e) Examining the role and relevance of emerging information technologies.

Within these 5 responsibilities , there are several sub-function

(i) Data center management - make sure the data center up-time 99.98% per year

(ii) Network management - make sure the connectivity of the network up-time 99.98% per year

(iii) Server management - manage server inside data center in top condition

(iv) Database management - manage database integrity and reliability

(v) Security - active directory, firewall, audit trail,ssh-vpn ,

(vi) Help desk - Support user all the time

(vii) Deployment - install new workstation, printers, new network point, wireless etc.

(viii) Training - train new user to use the application installed etc.

Once all of these function and sub function fulfilled, then then only the IT department will gain the credibility and respect from users.

Convergence Voice, Video & Data : Ke Mana Halatuju UiTM?

Seperti yang telah saya sebutkan dalam post "UiTM dihatiku:Fasa Dua" UiTM mengamalkan pengurusan ICT cara traditional. Maksudnya voice, video dan data diurus oleh Jabatan yang berlainan, berasingan dan berbeza. Telefon(voice) diurus dan diselenggara oleh Pejabat Pengurusan Fasiliti(PPF), audiovisual diurus dan diselenggara oleh Institut Pengurusan Kualiti(ILQAM) manakala data diurus dan diselenggara oleh Pusat Sistem Maklumat Bersepadu (PSMB).

Jika anda ingin memohon talian telefon di UiTM anda perlu mendapat kelulusan daripada Jawatankuasa Telekomunikasi UiTM, jika anda ingin membeli peralatan alat pandang dengar anda perlu mendapat kelulusan Jawatankuasa Alat Pendang Dengar UiTM dan jika anda perlu internet pula anda perlu mendapatkan kelulusan Jawatankuasa Penilaian dan Penggunaan Komputer (JPPK) UiTM. Begitulah lebih kurang cara ICT diurus di UiTM.

Menurut seorang pensyarah dalam bidang pengurusan teknologi, beliau berpendapat teknologi perlu diurus dengan berkesan untuk memanfaatkan penggunaan teknologi secara optimum kepada pengguna. Kita perlu memahami substance teknologi, justeru, pada pendapat saya UiTM perlu menyemak, mengkaji dan menilai semula mekanisme governan ICT sediada di UiTM supaya ia selari dengan perkembangan teknologi ICT pada masa kini.

Jika tidak kita akan semakin jauh ketinggalan. Telah tiba masanya UiTM mengamalkan cara pengurusan teknologi ICT secara moden dimana voice, video dan data telah digabungkan didalam satu insfrastruktur. Itulah yang diistilahkan sebagai converge network dan unified communication system. Dari situlah datangnya VoIP.