* TWAMP could provide an effective measure of IP performance among two devices
Protocol measures IP performance
By Kaynam Hedayat
Measuring the performance of IP networks through the use of standard protocols has always been a challenge. The inventors of IP provided some tools, such as Internet Control Messaging Protocol ping, Traceroute and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) Echo, as part of the TCP/IP suite of protocols. However, these tools were not intended to conduct overall performance measurements but were designed for simple troubleshooting of IP networks. As a result, there’s a need for standards-based, effective performance-monitoring tools within enterprise networks.
The IETF aims to fill that need with a new draft standard developed by the organization’s IP Performance Metrics working group. The Two-Way Active Measurement Protocol (TWAMP) defines a flexible method for measuring round-trip IP performance among any two devices in a network that support the standard. With TWAMP, enterprise IT managers can effectively measure the complete IP performance of underlying transport through cooperation between network elements that have already been deployed.
In the past, protocols were proprietary. As such, there was no interoperability among devices from multiple vendors. This approach worked well for equipment providers, as it forced their IT customers to purchase and deploy their products throughout the network.
TWAMP provides operators of large enterprise networks a flexible choice of solutions and full visibility into network performance via interoperability among all devices deployed in their networks. It works by measuring core and edge IP performance through cooperation between the routers and switches in the network.
Any two endpoints can interoperate and therefore obviate the need for managers to deploy systems with closed proprietary protocols for measuring performance.
For more on TWAMP, click here.
