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Re: Measuring PoP to PoP latency--tools to use?

  • From: Grant A. Kirkwood
  • Date: Wed Aug 22 22:05:10 2001

Sean Donelan wrote:
> 
> On Wed, 22 August 2001, k claffy wrote:
> > On Wed, Aug 22, 2001 at 06:08:15PM +0200, Adam Obszynski wrote:
> >   > What tools exist that will periodically log into multiple routers and run
> >   > ping tests
> >   > to various destinations and then record the results in graphical form?
> >
> >   maybe the RTR cisco router feature for sonde-like probing ?
> 
> InternetMCI(purchased by Cable & Wireless) and AT&T spent a lot of
> effort developing their tools.  I haven't seen any commercially available
> systems which come close.  C&W and AT&T seem to be unique among huge backbone
> providers in publishing their network performance.
> 
> However, an alternative for measuring round-trip times with ICMP is
> setting up a full mesh of NTP assocations.  As part of the calculations
> of the "time" get an ongoing measurement of network delay between the
> routers.  You can use your favorite tool to read the NTP associations
> table, and generate a nice web page.  I believe this is how UUNET use
> to do their version.

There used to be a site somewhere (I think Andover or Keynote sucked up
the domain, but it was a while ago) that had a very nice little script
that pinged IP addresses and presented the visitor with average latency
to those addresses. Looked something like this:

UUNet (x.x.x.x) -> 38 ms (green)
C&W (x.x.x.x) -> 68 ms (yellow)
AOL (x.x.x.x) -> 400 ms (red)

It was cheesy, and not particularly scientific, but I've been trying to
find something like that to implement for the marketing folk. It could
probably be adapted into something more useful to us though. Suffice it
to say, I haven't found anything, and I'm about to dive into a week-long
coding spree writing my own. If anyone can connect me with something
that'll work, I'd be happy to send a case of their choice of beer. ;)

Grant