pktgen.txt

                  HOWTO for the linux packet generator 
                  ------------------------------------

Date: 041221

Enable CONFIG_NET_PKTGEN to compile and build pktgen.o either in kernel
or as module. Module is preferred. insmod pktgen if needed. Once running
pktgen creates a thread on each CPU where each thread has affinty it's CPU.
Monitoring and controlling is done via /proc. Easiest to select a suitable 
a sample script and configure.

On a dual CPU:

ps aux | grep pkt
root       129  0.3  0.0     0    0 ?        SW    2003 523:20 [pktgen/0]
root       130  0.3  0.0     0    0 ?        SW    2003 509:50 [pktgen/1]


For montoring and control pktgen creates:
	/proc/net/pktgen/pgctrl
	/proc/net/pktgen/kpktgend_X
        /proc/net/pktgen/ethX


Viewing threads
===============
/proc/net/pktgen/kpktgend_0 
Name: kpktgend_0  max_before_softirq: 10000
Running: 
Stopped: eth1 
Result: OK: max_before_softirq=10000

Most important the devices assigend to thread. Note! A device can only belong 
to one thread.


Viewing devices
===============

Parm section holds configured info. Current hold running stats. 
Result is printed after run or after interruption. Example:

/proc/net/pktgen/eth1       

Params: count 10000000  min_pkt_size: 60  max_pkt_size: 60
     frags: 0  delay: 0  clone_skb: 1000000  ifname: eth1
     flows: 0 flowlen: 0
     dst_min: 10.10.11.2  dst_max: 
     src_min:   src_max: 
     src_mac: 00:00:00:00:00:00  dst_mac: 00:04:23:AC:FD:82
     udp_src_min: 9  udp_src_max: 9  udp_dst_min: 9  udp_dst_max: 9
     src_mac_count: 0  dst_mac_count: 0 
     Flags: 
Current:
     pkts-sofar: 10000000  errors: 39664
     started: 1103053986245187us  stopped: 1103053999346329us idle: 880401us
     seq_num: 10000011  cur_dst_mac_offset: 0  cur_src_mac_offset: 0
     cur_saddr: 0x10a0a0a  cur_daddr: 0x20b0a0a
     cur_udp_dst: 9  cur_udp_src: 9
     flows: 0
Result: OK: 13101142(c12220741+d880401) usec, 10000000 (60byte,0frags)
  763292pps 390Mb/sec (390805504bps) errors: 39664

Confguring threads and devices
==============================
This is done via the /proc interface easiest done via pgset in the scripts

Examples:

 pgset "clone_skb 1"     sets the number of copies of the same packet
 pgset "clone_skb 0"     use single SKB for all transmits
 pgset "pkt_size 9014"   sets packet size to 9014
 pgset "frags 5"         packet will consist of 5 fragments
 pgset "count 200000"    sets number of packets to send, set to zero
                         for continious sends untill explicitl stopped.

 pgset "delay 5000"      adds delay to hard_start_xmit(). nanoseconds

 pgset "dst 10.0.0.1"    sets IP destination address
                         (BEWARE! This generator is very aggressive!)

 pgset "dst_min 10.0.0.1"            Same as dst
 pgset "dst_max 10.0.0.254"          Set the maximum destination IP.
 pgset "src_min 10.0.0.1"            Set the minimum (or only) source IP.
 pgset "src_max 10.0.0.254"          Set the maximum source IP.
 pgset "dst6 fec0::1"     IPV6 destination address
 pgset "src6 fec0::2"     IPV6 source address
 pgset "dstmac 00:00:00:00:00:00"    sets MAC destination address
 pgset "srcmac 00:00:00:00:00:00"    sets MAC source address

 pgset "src_mac_count 1" Sets the number of MACs we'll range through.  
                         The 'minimum' MAC is what you set with srcmac.

 pgset "dst_mac_count 1" Sets the number of MACs we'll range through.
                         The 'minimum' MAC is what you set with dstmac.

 pgset "flag [name]"     Set a flag to determine behaviour.  Current flags
                         are: IPSRC_RND #IP Source is random (between min/max),
                              IPDST_RND, UDPSRC_RND,
                              UDPDST_RND, MACSRC_RND, MACDST_RND 

 pgset "udp_src_min 9"   set UDP source port min, If < udp_src_max, then
                         cycle through the port range.

 pgset "udp_src_max 9"   set UDP source port max.
 pgset "udp_dst_min 9"   set UDP destination port min, If < udp_dst_max, then
                         cycle through the port range.
 pgset "udp_dst_max 9"   set UDP destination port max.

 pgset stop    	          aborts injection. Also, ^C aborts generator.


Example scripts
===============

A collection of small tutorial scripts for pktgen is in expamples dir.

pktgen.conf-1-1                  # 1 CPU 1 dev 
pktgen.conf-1-2                  # 1 CPU 2 dev
pktgen.conf-2-1                  # 2 CPU's 1 dev 
pktgen.conf-2-2                  # 2 CPU's 2 dev
pktgen.conf-1-1-rdos             # 1 CPU 1 dev w. route DoS 
pktgen.conf-1-1-ip6              # 1 CPU 1 dev ipv6
pktgen.conf-1-1-ip6-rdos         # 1 CPU 1 dev ipv6  w. route DoS
pktgen.conf-1-1-flows            # 1 CPU 1 dev multiple flows.

Run in shell: ./pktgen.conf-X-Y It does all the setup including sending. 


Interrupt affinity
===================
Note when adding devices to a specific CPU there good idea to also assign 
/proc/irq/XX/smp_affinity so the TX-interrupts gets bound to the same CPU.
as this reduces cache bouncing when freeing skb's.


Current commands and configuration options
==========================================

** Pgcontrol commands:

start
stop

** Thread commands:

add_device
rem_device_all
max_before_softirq


** Device commands:

count
clone_skb
debug

frags
delay

src_mac_count
dst_mac_count

pkt_size 
min_pkt_size
max_pkt_size

udp_src_min
udp_src_max

udp_dst_min
udp_dst_max

flag
  IPSRC_RND
  TXSIZE_RND
  IPDST_RND
  UDPSRC_RND
  UDPDST_RND
  MACSRC_RND
  MACDST_RND

dst_min
dst_max

src_min
src_max

dst_mac
src_mac

clear_counters

dst6
src6

flows
flowlen

References:
ftp://robur.slu.se/pub/Linux/net-development/pktgen-testing/
ftp://robur.slu.se/pub/Linux/net-development/pktgen-testing/examples/

Paper from Linux-Kongress in Erlangen 2004.
ftp://robur.slu.se/pub/Linux/net-development/pktgen-testing/pktgen_paper.pdf

Thanks to:
Grant Grundler for testing on IA-64 and parisc, Harald Welte,  Lennert Buytenhek
Stephen Hemminger, Andi Kleen, Dave Miller and many others.


Good luck with the linux net-development.