Tests Results With Http And Ftp Transactions; Appendix B - Compaq 117755-003 - ProSignia - 740 White Paper

278A/0497
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HITE APER
(cont.)
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The test runs labeled below correspond to HTTP only tests. These tests are done on the ProLiant
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5000. Test 19 is considered as a base system for HTTP only traffic through the firewall. Again
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the * represents the change from the base system.
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Run Processor
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Type and
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MHz
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19 PP200,512c
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20 PP200,512c
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. . 21 PP200,512c
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22 PP200,512c
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E
V AL U AT I O N O F
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The results of these benchmark tests are categorized by hardware and software differences from
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the base system. The results are calculated in transactions per minute for each run. Failures are
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examined as they provide insight to particular gains or losses. Exactly one hardware or software
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configuration change is made to the base system for each run. Sets of test runs are completed
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using different hardware and software configurations each providing a change to the base system.
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These runs are compared to the base system to determine percent differences between the test
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runs. Percent differences from transactions per minute differences are then evaluated on a
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positive and negative basis to show more clearly the affects the particular hardware or software
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configuration change made to the system. Understanding these positive and negative differences
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from the base system run explains individual hardware or software performance gains or loses in
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the system. Sets of individual performance gains or losses can then be assessed to determine what
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. . can be done to improve total performance of the firewall.
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A high-end system was used as the base line for test runs evaluated in this paper, which allowed
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tests to be run more quickly. Theoretically, the same performance gains or positive percent
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differences from hardware and software configuration changes used in the high-end system can
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be achieved using a low-end system as well, providing the firewall software does not change.
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This allows decisions to be made to increase performance on lower-end systems where it makes
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sense to have a lower end firewall system such as in small companies, branch offices, or schools.
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The goals of this section are to provide and explain the results of the test runs and to help the
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reader gain an understanding of what can be done to improve the performance of the firewall
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system. This section is broken down into two parts based on test runs with HTTP and FTP
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transactions and test runs with HTTP only transactions. In both parts, results of the base run are
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described first, and then the other runs are described and compared to the base run. The results to
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all of the tests can be found in Appendix B.
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Tests results with HTTP and FTP Transactions

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This section first describes the base system results then displays the results and describes the
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effect that each hardware and software characteristic has on the base system. The ordering of
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subsections are based on test runs listed in Table 1 and Table 2 of Test Configurations of the
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. . Firewall section. Subsections are Base System, Memory, NIC Bus Type, DNS Lookups for
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HTTPD, HTTPD Cache, MaxRecieve Buffers for NetFlx-3 Cards, Processor, Network Speed,
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. . Disk Controller, 100 Firewall Rules, Full System, Other Systems and Configurations. The last
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14
RAM NIC Disk/Drive
MB
BUS Controller,
BUS
64 EISA ON BOARD
64 EISA ON BOARD
64 EISA ON BOARD
64 EISA ON BOARD
R
E S U L T S
MaxRecv Network
#Buffers Mb
100 100
100 100
100 100
100 100
HTTP
Cache/ DNS
Lookup-
HTTP/ Rules
on/on/4
on/*off/4
*off/on/4
on/on/*100