Increasing Global Adoption
During 2004, the End-to-End Performance Initiative Performance Environment System (piPEs) took significant steps towards becoming a broadly deployed framework and toolset for identifying, locating, and resolving network performance problems between sites in the Internet2 community. New versions of several piPEs software components and tools were developed, released, and deployed in research networks, on campuses, at Internet2 Technology Evaluation Centers (ITECs), and by research projects around the world. Current piPEs deployments include networks and sites in Asia, Europe, South America, and North America.
Among the new software releases included the Bandwidth Control (BWCTL) tool, which assists in scheduling network tests; the One-Way Latency Measurement (OWAMP) software, which determines one-way latencies between computers; and the Network Diagnostic Tool (NDT), which provides network configuration and performance testing for a desktop or laptop computer. To support the use of these tools, the piPEs team established a directory of publicly accessible testing servers, which assist in diagnosing network performance problems by providing end points for testing at different locations throughout the network. The team also maintains a separate list of NDT testing servers that are not part of the piPEs effort.
By the end of 2004, Internet2 observed an estimated 2,000 downloads of the piPEs software. A concerted outreach effort by the piPEs team at conferences throughout the year spurred much of the interest and adoption. In addition to the Internet2 Member Meetings and Joint Techs Workshops, the piPES team presented at the Asia-Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) conference, the Global Grid Forum 10 (GGF) conference, the Trans-European Research and Education Networking Association (TERENA) conference, and the SC2004 conference on high-performance computing and networking.
In July 2004, the team began work on the next generation of the piPEs framework software in conjunction with DANTE, the organization deploying GÉANT2, the next-generation, high-performance network for research and education across Europe. Collaborations such as this will help ensure the interoperability and compatibility of the measurement infrastructures and data of research and education networks around the world. This interoperability is crucial to effectively analyzing the performance of international network links that are increasingly critical to large-scale science projects and international education efforts.