Load Testing of a Communication Protocol for a Networking Solutions Provider

Summary

A networking solutions provider developed a communication protocol to eliminate data transfer errors and improve transfer speed between server and client, and needed an independent benchmark of its performance against TCP/IP, QUIC, and SRT. INNERLUXES carried out four stages of load testing in an isolated network — using Apache HTTP Server, cURL, and the NetEm network emulator to simulate delay, packet loss, and duplication — and proved that the new protocol dramatically outperformed TCP/IP under adverse network conditions.

About the Client

The Client is a provider of networking solutions that help increase the efficiency and security of data transfer across WLAN and LAN networks.

The Challenge

Aiming to eliminate data transfer errors and improve data transfer speed between a server and a client, the Client developed a communication protocol. The Client needed to test how well the protocol performed in comparison with TCP/IP, QUIC, and SRT, and searched for a third-party load testing services provider to carry out the task.

The Solution

INNERLUXES's network engineer carried out load testing in four stages in an isolated network, with the latency value defined by the Client.

The testing environment comprised a server (Apache HTTP Server) and a client (cURL) communicating via a selected communication protocol, with a network emulator (NetEm) placed between the server and the client. The emulator was used to generate data transfer errors such as delay, packet loss, and duplication.

During the first and second stages, the performance of the Client's protocol was tested against TCP/IP using a large file of 250 MB and small files of 5, 10, and 15 MB. The files were transferred from the test server to the client while the network emulator imitated data transfer errors.

The third and fourth stages verified the performance of the Client's protocol against QUIC and SRT — communication protocols optimized for video transfer.

The network engineer recorded network bandwidth, latency, and packet loss rates for the tested protocols. The Client's protocol proved to deliver considerably higher performance. For instance, with a delay of 40 milliseconds and a packet loss rate of 40%, it took 13 minutes to transfer the 250 MB file via the Client's protocol, while transferring the same file via TCP/IP required 8.5 hours.

After all four stages were completed, the network engineer compiled a test results report comparing the protocols' performance rates.

The Results

• The Client was assured that the communication protocol it had developed considerably improved data transfer speed under network delays and packet losses.
• Backed by the independent benchmark, the Client presented the protocol to the market.

Technologies and Tools

NetEm, Apache HTTP Server, cURL.