The Network Speed Monitor is used to test the available bandwidth or the speed of a transaction between ipMonitor and another point on a network.
To perform this test, the Network Speed Monitor requires a Character Generator service to be installed on the target server.
ipMonitor opens a connection to the Character Generator Service, which then responds by sending a stream of data that continues until ipMonitor terminates the connection. The stream is typically a recognizable pattern of printable ASCII characters.
ipMonitor measures the length of time it takes to download the "Sample Size" you specify, and then performs a kilobytes per second calculation to determine if the test passes or fails.
The Test Parameters dialog box is used to specify the location of the server you want to Monitor, and any parameters required to connect to it.
Server Name / Primary IP Address
Specify the location of the computer or device you want to monitor. Both IP Address and Domain Name are valid entries.
Examples of valid Domain Names are: www.ipmonitor.com and ipmonitor.com
An example of a valid IP address is: 10.200.50.1
Note: Entering an IP address will eliminate any variables introduced by performing a lookup on the DNS server.
If your network uses DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to dynamically assign IP addresses for the target resource, ideally the Network Speed Monitor will connect to a Character Generator installed on a server with a reserved IP address that is not reassigned by the DHCP server.
TCP Port
Specify the Port Number that the Character Generator Service responds on. By default, the standard Port Number used by a Character Generator Service (Port 19) is already entered.
Download Sample Size
The Sample Size is the amount of content ipMonitor will accept from the Character Generator before it records the time taken to receive the data, and then terminates the connection.
The Network Speed Monitor is considered to be a bandwidth heavy Monitor, therefore, we suggest specifying small sample sizes. For example, the default entry is 20 kilobytes. Bandwidth usage can be further minimized by choosing conservative Delays Between Tests While in Up, Warn, Down and Lost states.
Required Download Rate
ipMonitor determines whether a test passes or fails by comparing its calculated download rate to the Required Download Rate you enter. The calculation is determined by measuring the length of time it takes to download the Sample Size. Choose between displaying data in KB/s (1024 bytes per second) or kb/s (1000 bits per second).
The Character Generator Protocol (RFC 864) is intended for IP debugging and measurement.
The Windows Simple TCP/IP Services component contains the Character Generator (CHARGEN), Daytime, Discard, Echo, and Quote of the Day (QUOTE) Services. These protocol Services need to be specifically installed to support communication with other systems such as ipMonitor.
To install the Simple TCP/IP Services component on a Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 machine:
- Log in to the server ipMonitor will connect to
- Open Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel
- Click Add/Remove Windows Components
- Click Networking Services
- Click Details
- Select Simple TCP/IP Services
- Click OK, Next, then Finish to complete the Wizard
The Simple TCP/IP Services Service should now be installed.
When the Monitor is in an Up state, test results are reported as shown in the example below:
rtt - Round-Trip Time. This value indicates the time it took the test packet to reach the monitored resource and return a response to ipMonitor. Round-trip time is measured in milliseconds (ms).
kb/s - This value indicates the network's transfer data rate, displayed in kb/s (1000 bits per second).
KB/s - This value indicates the network's transfer data rate, displayed in KB/s (1024 bytes per second).
When the Monitor is in a Warn, Down, or Lost state, the Last Result field indicates the problem encountered. Different Monitor types generate specific Error Codes in accordance with the technical capabilities of the Monitor. Refer to the Error Codes section of this document for details.
We recommend that the Network Speed Monitor only be used in the safe zone of networks that are secured with a firewall. If the transaction between the Character Generator and ipMonitor traverses the firewall, it could be interpreted as a denial of service attack.
For information on settings common to all Monitor types, such as Identification, Timing, Notification Control and Recovery Parameters, refer to General Monitor Settings.
The following error codes are generated by the Network Speed Monitor. Error codes are displayed in Real-time and Historical Reports. They can also be added to Alerts using Tokens.
| Message | Details |
|---|---|
| Configuration information for this item is missing some required fields | A required element(s) for Monitor connectivity or testing was not supplied to ipMonitor. |
| Unable to connect to the remote device | The specified address to the connection based service is unavailable. |
| Could not obtain an IP address for the remote device | The supplied address was not a valid IP address OR the Server Domain Name could not be translated into an IP address. The Server Domain Name may refer to a local machine name, or a fully qualified domain name. |
| The remote device timed out before sending a response | The resource being monitored did not respond within the maximum allowable time. |
| Unexpected disconnection from the remote device | The server disconnected during the test transaction. |
| The remote device did not keep up with the expected transmission rate | The transmission rate dropped below the value specified in the Monitor configuration. |
For information on other features and concepts related to those discussed in this article, refer to the following ipMonitor resources:
< Back
Last Updated: March 30, 2007 | What did you think of this topic?