Challenges in Achieving Optimal End-to-End Network Performance

Overview:

This presentation will describe the work being undertaken within the Janet End-to-End Performance Initiative, which aims to assist UK research and education communities achieve optimal use of their Janet network connections. The talk will cover the rationale and drivers for increased dependency on the network by campus, research, and other user communities, and describe the multiple and nuanced dependencies that exist in achieving optimal network performance (end system configuration/tuning, application behaviour, network protocols, campus/LAN architectures, firewalls, etc). We will present some examples of existing good practices (e.g. from the GridPP community) and cases encountered to date, and the approaches to resolving these, and we will give guidance and recommendations to attendees on resources and tools that are available to them, including pointers to the eduPERT knowledgebase and relevant network performance measurement tools.

Target Audience:

The target audience would include users, network operators and network researchers, specifically research or education communities with network-intensive applications, campus and NREN network operators supporting those communities, and researchers with interest in innovations in network protocols and services that may be used by such applications. The topic may also be of interest to those at a CIO level, seeking to understand their organisation's medium term networking requirements.

Benefits for Audience:

Attendees should gain knowledge and understanding of the issues involved in obtaining optimal end-to-end (network) performance for network-intensive applications, what is possible (i.e. expectation management), and current examples of 'high water marks' being achieved. They will also learn of sources of assistance when attempting to run such applications, and the tools and resources they can draw on, with examples of current best practices. Pointers will be given to the eduPERT knowledgebase, and the GEANT SIG-PMV that is being formed at the time of writing to study performance measurement and validation.

Topic 2: Services enabling research