Data transfer performance measuring system and method

• US 20030033118A1
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: QNAP Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Peddanna, Shashijeevan Midde
• Granted Patent: US 6,609,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3414 Workload generation, e.g. scripts, playback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3428 Benchmarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A system is disclosed for benchmarking data transfers using different transport mechanisms between processes run on various nodes of a network. A central manager component interfaces with a user and reports benchmark results, and an agent component under control of the manager component is provided on each of the nodes. The agent components conduct the benchmarking tests under instruction from the manager component and report the results to the manager component. The manager component may enable the automatic reproduction of tests through a repository of logged scripts. The invention provides a simple to use and centralised control of testing, with measurement techniques independent of reporting. The framework is extensible to the benchmarking of new transport mechanisms, and allows testing of Inter-node transfers and Intra-node transfers through the same interface.

Claims

1. A system for testing data transfer between a plurality of processes run on one or more nodes of a network, the system including a central manager component, and an agent component associated with each of the nodes, wherein the manager component instructs the agent components to conduct data transfer tests, and wherein the manager component receives the results of the tests from the agent components.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager component is remote from the nodes between which the tests are conducted.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager component communicates with the agent components using CORBA.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent components create said processes between which data is to be transferred.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the manager component passes control parameters to agent components involved in a test, and wherein said agent components create said processes based on said parameters.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said parameters include a role parameter to indicate the role of a process.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein said parameters include a transfer mechanism parameter to determine which transfer mechanism a process is to use to transfer data.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein said parameters include a communications parameter to control the data transfer for the specific transfer mechanism involved.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein said parameters include benchmarking parameters to indicate the number of messages to be transferred and/or the size of the messages to be transferred.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager component provides synchronising instructions to the agent components for starting said processes.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein on completion of said tests, said agent components send the results to the manager component.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the manager component registers a callback with the agent components, which the agent components use to inform the manager component of the results after completion of the tests

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said manager component polls said agent components for the results of said tests.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager component computes a metric from the data transfer test results.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein data transfer takes place between processes running on at least two different nodes.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein data transfer takes place between processes running on the same node.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein data transfer takes place between a server process and a client process, and the manager component instructs the agent component of a node which is to exchange data as to whether to create a client or server process.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the manager component stores test instructions in a script repository for the automated reproduction of tests.

19. A method for testing data transfer between a plurality of processes run on one or more nodes of a network, the method including the steps of:

providing a central manager component, and

providing an agent component associated with each of the nodes, wherein

the manager component instructs the agent components to conduct data transfer tests, and

the manager component receives the results of the tests from the agent components.

20. Computer software for testing data transfer between a plurality of processes run on one or more nodes of a network, the software including a manager component located on a machine remote from the node or nodes and an agent component associated with each of the nodes, wherein the manager component instructs the agent components to conduct data transfer tests, and wherein the manager component receives the results of the tests from the agent components.