How we tested cloud storage software

We downloaded each vendor's software into our lab, and network operations center. We used scripts running on a virtual Ubuntu 9.10 Server running on ESX 4.0 at our NOC at n|Frame in Carmel, Ind., to test upload and download speeds on Nirvanix, Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloudfiles and Egnyte. We performed two sets of tests with multiple files uploaded and downloaded, first during the day, then at night. The second set was run from our XServe running Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 using the same criteria (day and night uploads/downloads).

Each upload and download test consisted of the following randomly generated files: 20 x 500KB, 20 x 2MB, 10 x 50MB, 3 x 1GB multiple tests were conducted. Approximately 14,487 MB of files were uploaded and 14,487 MB of files were downloaded from each vendor's site. (There were some practice test files uploaded and downloaded from each vendor when learning the APIs).

All the upload/download scripts used were written in the Ruby programming language and bash shell scripts used to launch them. Egnyte does not have an API for its file operations, however, it does allow Webdav requests. We used curl, a Linux http request command line tool, to send Webdav requests to access Egnyte files in our Ubuntu VM.

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We downloaded each vendor's software into our lab, and network operations center. We used scripts running on a virtual Ubuntu 9.10 Server running on ESX 4.0 at our NOC at n|Frame in Carmel, Ind., to test upload and download speeds on Nirvanix, Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloudfiles and Egnyte. We performed two sets of tests with multiple files uploaded and downloaded, first during the day, then at night. The second set was run from our XServe running Mac OS X Server 10.5.8 using the same criteria (day and night uploads/downloads).

Each upload and download test consisted of the following randomly generated files: 20 x 500KB, 20 x 2MB, 10 x 50MB, 3 x 1GB multiple tests were conducted. Approximately 14,487 MB of files were uploaded and 14,487 MB of files were downloaded from each vendor's site. (There were some practice test files uploaded and downloaded from each vendor when learning the APIs).

All the upload/download scripts used were written in the Ruby programming language and bash shell scripts used to launch them. Egnyte does not have an API for its file operations, however, it does allow Webdav requests. We used curl, a Linux http request command line tool, to send Webdav requests to access Egnyte files in our Ubuntu VM.

Because Nasuni did not have an API to use, we couldn't include upload and download data for them. Also, Nasuni's product uses multiple clouds so it works a little differently since there is a local machine running with a cache. Nirvanix has a similar product, CloudNAS, but they also have an API to test, and that's what we used. Both Nirvanix and Nasuni's NAS-type products were tested via VMware ESX 4.0 as virtual machines. For other features such as creating sub-accounts, changing URLs, and data gathering, we used each vendors Web interfaces where available.

Our connection speed from n|Frame is 100Mbps onto their multipeered backbone. We route to a Gigabit Ethernet switch. Servers included an Apple Xserve running Mac OS Server 10.5.8, and an HP 585 G5 server (four sockets/16 cores) running VMware ESX 4.0 and a virtual machine running Ubuntu 9.10 server edition.

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Read more about cloud computing in Network World's Cloud Computing section.