IP网络性能测量研究现状和进展

Current Research and Future Perspective on IP Network Performance Measurement

网络性能测量是网络测量领域的核心分支,是指遵照一定的方法和技术,利用软、硬件工具来测试、验证及表征网络性能指标的一系列活动总和,是量化网络性能指标、理解和认识网络行为最基本和最有效的手段,在网络建模、网络安全、网络管理和优化等诸多领域均有广泛应用,是计算机网络领域持续的研究热点之一.介绍了该领域的研究现状与进展,重点讨论了带宽、丢包和时延测量等方面的代表性算法,从算法的基本思想、关键技术、实现机理入手,剖析了突发性背景流的时间不确性和多跳网络路径下的空间不确定性对带宽测量的影响、丢包测量中应用流丢包与探测流丢包的区别与联系、时延测量中时钟偏差与时钟频差的相互作用关系等问题,并在此基础上对网络性能测量面临的挑战、发展趋势和进一步研究的方向进行了讨论.

Network performance measurement, which takes advantage of specific methods and techniques to quantify network performance, is the core branch of the network measurement research. Network performance measurement and analysis provides the most effective and fundamental way of quantifying network performance and characterizing network behavior. Network performance measurement has great significance in network modeling, network security, network management and network optimization. Drawing on the latest research progress, this paper presents the principles, characteristics and implementation mechanisms of the representative algorithms for bandwidth measurement, packet loss measurement and delay measurement. The main discussions include temporal uncertainty and spatial uncertainty during bandwidth measurement, the distinctness of application packet loss and probe packet loss, and the relationship between the clock offset and clock skew. Lastly, the paper discusses some challenges and directions in the field network performance measurement study.