Network Performance Testing

One basic manual method to test and check network performance is to transfer a file between two endpoints (typically between a workstation and a server), transfer the file back, and measure the time elapsed for both the upload and download process.

However, while this set of transfers provides a very high level of visibility into network performance, the upload and download speeds can also be impacted by potential hard disk usage and any other issues affecting either device involved. These potential bottlenecks skew results.

Since servers are built to handle greater amounts of transmission data than one workstation can send, having a more holistic and comprehensive view of network performance is often necessary. Using effective network performance monitoring and testing tools can provide a more accurate understanding of current operations, performance, and issues.

Network performance testers work by checking a network’s uplink and downlink speed, which essentially creates a snapshot of how responsive the network is to user inputs and how quickly and efficiently data is being transmitted across the network. This is typically accomplished by sending a data object to and from the network, and then measuring the associated performance metrics, such as upload speed, download speed, throughput, jitter, delay, and others.

Network performance testing tools can perform qualitative and quantitative checks to measure current and historic performance, which can then be used to derive performance baselines, optimal ranges, and critical thresholds when action becomes necessary.

Network performance tests typically focus also on performance from the end user’s perspective—which makes them essential for any business or organization with customer-oriented web services, applications, and databases. Testing network performance is also crucial for ensuring internal employees can carry out routine tasks efficiently.

The goal of a network performance test is to record metrics associated with certain devices and processes, which can allow you to analyze the data for insights and understandings about current activity, usage, and potential issues to optimize performance and ensure network uptime.

Many factors can negatively impact network performance. Using network performance testing tools can allow you to more easily isolate root causes of different performance issues and quickly begin troubleshooting. Network performance testing software is built to make it possible to more easily monitor the performance and dependencies of networked devices and software, applications, and services with far greater effectiveness than can be achieved testing network performance manually.

Network performance testing tools can also enable you to configure acceptable limits and ranges in performance for various critical metrics, then automatically send alerts when performance or resource usage reaches those thresholds. Network performance testing can also be vital to understanding whether IT services are meeting their expected service level agreements.

As networks become increasingly complex, distributed, and hybridized, not only are the demands and baseline expectations placed on these systems also increasing, but the difficulty of adequately monitoring network components is also a greater concern. Network performance testers are a vital part of ensuring properly measured network performance metrics and can help prevent poor device performance from slipping through the cracks.

Implementing proactive network performance testing software that provides ongoing, periodic monitoring of critical parameters is a foundational part of guaranteeing networks are properly provisioned and operating at optimal efficiency. However, measuring performance metrics is only half the battle. Understanding when performance metrics indicate there’s a potential issue within the system is important. Since network performance testing tools are designed to alert on bandwidth and performance issues, you can more easily troubleshoot, identify root cause, and resolve the issue before it creates a crisis and affects business operations. Without network testing tools to help you quickly pinpoint the cause and troubleshoot the issue, networked services are more likely to be impacted.

Ultimately, developing a robust network performance testing practice is integral to troubleshooting issues and improving end user experience.

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (NPM) offers an easy, intuitive, and configurable approach to network performance testing. Out-of-the-box default monitoring templates are built to help ensure you’re able to monitor the most critical metrics and parameters across your systems. Using the PerfStack™ feature, you can also more easily correlate and analyze NPM network metrics on a common timeline with other performance data for the network, systems, virtualization, database, or storage on a common timeline.

The smart alert system in NPM is also configurable, enabling you to select the critical thresholds for vital parameters to trigger notifications—as well as who receives them, when, and how.

NPM is not only a powerful and affordable network performance monitoring tool with testing capabilities, it’s also a highly scalable network performance monitoring solution capable of providing significant benefits to small, medium, and enterprise companies alike as their network monitoring needs expand or change.

NPM offers comprehensive monitoring and analysis tools for your entire network. NPM provides monitoring solutions for SNMP, cloud networks, LANs, and many other network components, including support for multi-vendor monitoring. Fault management and infrastructure monitoring capabilities can also help you ensure the network is performing optimally and the system is adequately supported.

NPM can also maps critical dependencies and relationships, providing valuable insights into problems associated with specific network paths.