thrulay README file

Copyright 2003, Internet2.
Legal conditions are in file LICENSE
(MD5 = ecfa50d1b0bfbb81b658c810d0476a52).


			      Motivation

Popular network capacity testing and traffic injection packages (such
as netperf, iperf, nettest, nuttcp, ttcp, etc.) do not measure
round-trip time in any way.  This program, thrulay, does.  Having delay
information along with goodput information clarifies what is happening
for Reno; but for delay-based TCP variants (such as FAST TCP), it's
even more important.

The output of thrulay is easier to parse by machine than that of iperf.
In fact, it's ready to be used as a data file for gnuplot.

Be aware that the code is intended to be run over high-speed networks.
It won't work nearly as well over, say, a modem, for two reasons:

 (i) delay includes the serialization delay of one data block
     (negligible for high-speed networks, dominating for modems);

(ii) more than a single reporting interval may be spanned by a single
     report line because thrulay requires at least one block to be
     delivered per reporting interval to work as designed.


			     Installation

To build the programs, type the following commands:

  $ ./configure
  $ make

To install the program on your system, type the following command as root:

  # make install

NOTE: If you use a BSD variant other than Mac OS X, you will need
to use `gmake' (GNU make) instead of `make' (BSD make).


			       Running

On the server:	thrulayd	# Messages go to syslog.
On the client:	thrulay server	# Output goes to stdout, errors -- to stderr.

The thrulayd server should be added to system startup scripts.  The
exact preferred location varies from system to system, but /etc/rc.local
is one file that is almost universally honored.


                           Acknowledgement

Google's Summer of Code 2005 program supported this project.
Visit http://code.google.com/summerofcode.html for more information.


			       Feedback

Your feedback is very important for us, especially at this relatively early
stage of the development.  Please see TODO file to get an idea what is
already planned, and send your comments, suggestions, criticism,
patches, and flames to thrulay-users at internet2.edu.

		---Stanislav Shalunov <shalunov@internet2.edu>
		   http://www.internet2.edu/~shalunov/

@(#) $Id: README,v 1.2 2005/10/02 17:34:34 shalunov Exp $