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iPerf3 — Network Performance Testing

Tool: iPerf3 Status: Structure Ready

iPerf3 measures network bandwidth, jitter, and packet loss between cluster nodes and VMs. Use it to validate RDMA/SMB Direct paths, east-west VM bandwidth, and Switch Embedded Teaming (SET) throughput.

Run This Test

Prerequisites

  • iPerf3 binaries available on target nodes (Windows or Linux)
  • RDMA configuration validated (for RDMA-specific tests)
  • Framework prerequisites completed

Step 1 — Install iPerf3 on target nodes

.\tools\iperf\scripts\Install-Iperf.ps1 `
    -ClusterName "hci01.corp.infiniteimprobability.com" `
    -Nodes @("hci01-node1", "hci01-node2", "hci01-node3")

Step 2 — Run a network test

.\tools\iperf\scripts\Start-IperfTest.ps1 `
    -ClusterName "hci01.corp.infiniteimprobability.com" `
    -Nodes @("hci01-node1", "hci01-node2", "hci01-node3") `
    -Profile "tcp-throughput" `
    -DurationSeconds 60

This runs iPerf3 in server mode on each node in turn, with all other nodes as clients, creating a full-mesh bandwidth test.

Step 3 — Collect results

.\tools\iperf\scripts\Collect-IperfResults.ps1 `
    -ClusterName "hci01.corp.infiniteimprobability.com" `
    -Nodes @("hci01-node1", "hci01-node2", "hci01-node3") `
    -RunId "<run-id-from-previous-step>"

When to Use iPerf3

Scenario iPerf3
Validate RDMA / SMB Direct network paths :white_check_mark:
Measure east-west bandwidth between VMs :white_check_mark:
Test Switch Embedded Teaming throughput :white_check_mark:
Baseline network before deploying workloads :white_check_mark:
Detect packet loss or jitter issues :white_check_mark:

Key Capabilities

  • TCP, UDP, and SCTP protocol support
  • Multi-stream parallel connections for saturating links
  • JSON output for automated parsing
  • Server daemon mode for persistent testing endpoints
  • Full-mesh testing across all cluster nodes

What You Get

After a test completes, you will have:

  • JSON output per node-pair with bandwidth (Mbps), jitter (ms), and packet loss (%)
  • Mesh bandwidth matrix showing throughput between every node pair
  • Reports in PDF, DOCX, and/or XLSX format

File Locations

Component Path
Scripts tools/iperf/scripts/
Workload Profiles tools/iperf/config/profiles/
Alert Rules tools/iperf/monitoring/alert-rules.yml
Report Templates tools/iperf/reports/templates/
Tests tools/iperf/tests/
Logs tools/iperf/logs/

Deep Dive

Topic Page
Installation on Windows and Linux Installation
TCP, UDP, and mesh profiles Workload Profiles
Alert rules during test runs Monitoring
Report formats and templates Reporting
Common errors and fixes Troubleshooting

Automate This Test

To run iPerf3 tests on a schedule or as part of a CI/CD workflow, see CI/CD Pipelines. The pipeline calls the same scripts listed above.