iperf3

Command-line network throughput measurement tool. Run between two machines it establishes what a link actually delivers, which is the fastest way to settle whether a network can carry a media load.

Networking utilitiesESnet / Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBSD-3-ClauseOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxReported

What to watch for

Throughput is not the same as suitability for media. A link can pass a gigabit of TCP and still be useless for PTP-locked audio if it is queueing badly.

Test in both directions and with UDP as well as TCP. Asymmetric faults and multicast problems do not show up in a single default TCP run.

A default test saturates the link. Do not run it on a live show network.

Typical use

Proving a fibre run before the show rack depends on it
Testing a venue link before committing to media over IP
Finding the switch or cable that is negotiating at 100 Mbit

Sources

iperf3 — ESnet primary
esnet/iperf on GitHub — GitHub

Understand the mechanism

Show networks How a one gets down a wire

Something wrong, or missing?

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