Performance/Network Throughput

Benchmark Description

This benchmark tests throughput over 10 Gbit network connection which can be achieved in a virtualized environments, testing two traffic flow directions:

• from VM/CT to physical client
• from physical client to VM/CT

Implementation

To measure network throughput standard performance test netperf is used. Host with VM/CT and physical client are connected directly using cross cable (without switches, possible other traffic effects etc.)

Testbed Configuration

Hardware:

• Server: 4xHexCore Intel Xeon (2.66 GHz), 32 GB RAM, Intel 82598EB 10-Gigabit network card
• Client: 4xHexCore Intel Xeon (2.136 GHz), 32 GB RAM, Intel 82598EB 10-Gigabit network card
• Network: 10Gbit direct server <-> client optical connection

Platform:

• Virtualization Software: ESXi4.1upd1, XenServer5.6fp1, HyperV (R2), OpenVZ (RH6) 2.6.32-042test006.1.x86_64
• Guest OS: Centos 5.5 x86_64

Software and Tunings:

• netperf v2.4.5
• one VM/CT with netperf configured with 4 vCPU, 4 GB RAM
• where it was possible, we set offloading & hardware checksumming (gro, gso,etc...) and jumbo frames (MTU=9000) features
• netperf run string:
  • Server: netserver -p PORT (5 instances)
  • Client: netperf -p PORT -HOST -t TCP_SENDFILE -l 300 (several instanes)
• Firewall was turned off
• All other tunings were left at default values

Benchmark Results

Summary

• OpenVZ provides near native 10Gbit network throughput: 9.70Gbit on receive and 9.87Gbit on send
• OpenVZ is the only virtualization solution capable to achieve native 10Gbit throughput in both scenarios
• OpenVZ demonstrates >2x times greater performance on receive compared to hypervisors (x2 times faster than ESXi4.1 and x5 times faster than XenServer5.6)

TODO

• record and provide CPU usage details to outline additional low CPU usage in this test case