[fireperf.git] / man / fireperf.txt

= fireperf(8)

== NAME
fireperf - A Network Benchmarking Tool

== SYNOPSIS
[verse]
`fireperf --server ...`
`fireperf --client ADDRESS ...`

== DESCRIPTION
`fireperf` can perform network benchmarks to test throughput and quality of
a network between a fireperf client and fireperf server.


== COMMON OPTIONS

-d::
	Enables debugging output
	+
	If `fireperf` has been compiled with debugging support, this command will print
	various debug messages that will help to find bugs in the program.

--parallel=N::
-P N::
	If this option is set on the client side, it will instruct the client to open N
	connections and keep them open.
	+
	On the server side, it will set a limit how many connections the server is willing
	to accept.

--port=N::
-p N::
--port=N:M::
-p N:M::
	Both server and client take a single port (N) or a port range (N:M).
	+
	The server will open a listening socket the port given or each port in the range
	and waits for the client to connect.
	+
	The client will for each connection randomly select a port in the range or use the
	specified port to connect to the server.

--version::
-V::
	Prints the version of this program

--close::
-x::
	If set, all connections will be closed as soon as they have been established.
	No data will be sent.
	+
	This is useful to test how many TCP handshakes per second are possible.

--zero::
-z::
	Instead of sending random data, this option will set the client to send packets
	filled with zeroes.
	+
	This is useful for testing compression between the client and server.


== SERVER-SPECIFIC OPTIONS

--server::
-s::
	This starts the program in server mode which makes it connect to the specified
	port and waits for clients to connect.

--keepalive::
-k::
	Instead of sending data, this will configure fireperf to only send keepalive
	packets.
	+
	If a large number of connections is being created, it might become undesirable to
	saturate the link between client and server. This option will send some packets to
	keep the connection alive through for example NAT gateways.


== CLIENT-SPECIFIC OPTIONS

--client ADDRESS::
-c ADDRESS::
	This starts the program in client mode. In this mode, the client will connect to
	the server at ADDRESS and start a throughput test.

--duplex::
-D::
	Duplex mode enables the client to send data instead of only receiving it from the
	server. The same TCP connection will be used for traffic in both directions.

--timeout=T::
-t T::
	If set, the client will automatically terminate itself after T seconds.
	Otherwise it will run for forever.


== BUGS
Please report all bugs to the bugtracker at https://bugzilla.ipfire.org/

== AUTHORS
Michael Tremer
Commit	Line	Data
47fd5a8a MT	1	= fireperf(8)
	2
	3	== NAME
	4	fireperf - A Network Benchmarking Tool
	5
	6	== SYNOPSIS
	7	[verse]
	8	`fireperf --server ...`
	9	`fireperf --client ADDRESS ...`
	10
	11	== DESCRIPTION
	12	`fireperf` can perform network benchmarks to test throughput and quality of
	13	a network between a fireperf client and fireperf server.
	14
	15
	16	== COMMON OPTIONS
	17
	18	-d::
	19	Enables debugging output
	20	+
	21	If `fireperf` has been compiled with debugging support, this command will print
	22	various debug messages that will help to find bugs in the program.
	23
	24	--parallel=N::
	25	-P N::
	26	If this option is set on the client side, it will instruct the client to open N
	27	connections and keep them open.
	28	+
	29	On the server side, it will set a limit how many connections the server is willing
	30	to accept.
	31
	32	--port=N::
	33	-p N::
	34	--port=N:M::
	35	-p N:M::
	36	Both server and client take a single port (N) or a port range (N:M).
	37	+
	38	The server will open a listening socket the port given or each port in the range
	39	and waits for the client to connect.
	40	+
	41	The client will for each connection randomly select a port in the range or use the
	42	specified port to connect to the server.
	43
	44	--version::
	45	-V::
	46	Prints the version of this program
	47
4138d26c MT	48	--close::
	49	-x::
	50	If set, all connections will be closed as soon as they have been established.
	51	No data will be sent.
	52	+
	53	This is useful to test how many TCP handshakes per second are possible.
	54
837d7224 MT	55	--zero::
	56	-z::
	57	Instead of sending random data, this option will set the client to send packets
	58	filled with zeroes.
	59	+
	60	This is useful for testing compression between the client and server.
	61
47fd5a8a MT	62
	63	== SERVER-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
	64
	65	--server::
	66	-s::
	67	This starts the program in server mode which makes it connect to the specified
	68	port and waits for clients to connect.
	69
bad844cf MT	70	--keepalive::
	71	-k::
	72	Instead of sending data, this will configure fireperf to only send keepalive
	73	packets.
	74	+
	75	If a large number of connections is being created, it might become undesirable to
	76	saturate the link between client and server. This option will send some packets to
	77	keep the connection alive through for example NAT gateways.
	78
47fd5a8a MT	79
	80	== CLIENT-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
	81
	82	--client ADDRESS::
	83	-c ADDRESS::
	84	This starts the program in client mode. In this mode, the client will connect to
	85	the server at ADDRESS and start a throughput test.
	86
3b339909 MT	87	--duplex::
	88	-D::
	89	Duplex mode enables the client to send data instead of only receiving it from the
	90	server. The same TCP connection will be used for traffic in both directions.
	91
47fd5a8a MT	92	--timeout=T::
	93	-t T::
	94	If set, the client will automatically terminate itself after T seconds.
	95	Otherwise it will run for forever.
	96
47fd5a8a MT	97
	98	== BUGS
	99	Please report all bugs to the bugtracker at https://bugzilla.ipfire.org/
	100
	101	== AUTHORS
	102	Michael Tremer