IPB: an Internet Protocol Benchmark using simulated traffic

A common shortcoming of many network measurement programs is that their metrics are not expressed in terms directly applicable to applications and users. To address this problem, we have developed the IP Benchmark (IPB), a benchmark program that synthetically generates traffic to simulate the network activity of common Internet applications. It measures the performance experienced by the simulated applications, and expresses that performance in terms of application-specific metrics. After presenting same details of the design and implementation of IPB, we show how we use it to measure HTTP performance along various long-delay, lossy ATM links, such as might be found in satellite or wireless ATM environments. These links themselves are simulated by using a BBN Long Link Emulator which adds delays and errors to local-area OC-3 links. Finally, we present some preliminary results.