02-08-2010 06:37 PM - edited 03-04-2019 07:26 AM
WAN connection is via 1gbps connections to a 20+ gbps (yes 20 gig) layer 3 network, latency point to point is less than 10ms. GRE performance over the entire setup is measuring round 10mbps. My memory says that measured performance to the test system was 6-10 times the current 10mbps.
I can find nothing wrong, devices outside the layer 3 network (both ends of the tunnel) are well below 50% memory and CPU. All interfaces are below 25% utilization.
What else can I check? where else can i check?
Keep in mind the connection does work....just really low performance for the hardware used, and i can't see where the limit on the perfomance is.
Basic diagram via ASCII
Client <-> 3000 or higher cisco switch that is a GRE end point <-> really fast layer 3 network <-> another 3000 or higher cisco switch another GRE end point <-> Speed mesurement server
02-08-2010 06:46 PM
Forgot to add.....already doing "IP TCP ADJUST-MSS" in order do resolve those issues. And a just for fun reducing that size resulted in no improvement.
02-08-2010 09:37 PM
Brent
If the GRE thoughput was 10mbps and before GRE it was 10 times that rate then it was doing 100 mbps on a 1 gbps connection it souds like throughput was impaired before. You do not provide much detail on the connections. But I wonder if it is possible that there is something like a duplex mismatch between end device and switch.
My other question would be about the end points of the GRE. You seem to indicate that the GRE terminates on some switch, described only as 3000 or higher. So we can not know whether the switch has support for GRE done in hardware or done in software (processed by CPU = process switched = slow).
HTH
Rick
02-09-2010 08:00 AM
Thanks for the reply,
Sorry for the confusion.
The connection measured 100mb upon imlementing GRE, there was no solution in place prior. Speed has DROPPED, hence my thinking there is something wrong.
Speed measures 100mb on a 1gb system, after overhead, latency, limitations of the speed testing system...and so on. We all know a 1gb system will never measure at 1.0gb
If speed measured 100mb, I'd be a happy!
One GRE is a 6500 endpoint to a 4500 Sup V endpoint.
Correct this functionality is implented in software.
I will check speed/duplex, but it should all be auto/auto on cisco-cisco 1gb connections, I thought those issues ussually showed up in the logs... Good idea to check though!!!!
MY QUESTION IS.....
If implented in software and that is the limit shouldn't I see fairly high CPU utilization? Since in that case the CPU would be the limit? Or is there another limit?
Right now a "Sh proc cpu hist" shows the CPU on my 4500 at 20% utilized....I don't belive that this issue is due to the software implentation of GRE on that product line. Or am I missing something important?
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100
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20 **********************************************************
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CPU% per second (last 60 seconds)
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CPU% per hour (last 72 hours)
* = maximum CPU% # = average CPU%
02-08-2010 11:19 PM
Hello Brent,
>> 3000 or higher cisco switch that is a GRE end point
multilayer switches perform very poorly with GRE because they do it in software.
The only exception should be C6500 with sup720.
ISR sw based routers have not very high performance work in SW and so they don't suffer dramatic performance penalties when using GRE tunnels like it happens for multilayer switches.
Hope to help
Giuseppe
02-09-2010 08:03 AM
Thanks for the reply,
Like my other response to the other poster, I understand that it's a software implentation, and possibly not supported.
BUT....
If it is a limit of being done in software, should I not see HIGH CPU utilization? At 20%, I don't belive that is the issue.
What can i do to check the health of a GRE???
02-09-2010 08:14 AM
Giuseppe is correct, you should not enable GRE on switches.
The CPU utilization is not relevant, some internal mechanism may prevent GRE from monopolizing CPU.
02-09-2010 08:16 AM
I've seen that note on 3550's being unsupported, however i didn't think that was the case on a 4500????
02-09-2010 08:18 AM
The point is not if it is supported or not. The point is that anything that runs in software on switches, will give poor performances. This is because they use slow CPUs.
02-09-2010 08:38 AM
Thanks for the input.
I fully agree, that software implentation will often be a bottleneck.
However I'm too much of a geek to accpt the thought that there is some magical-random-hidden-mysterical force that makes it slow.
If the CPU or RAM was at a high utilization, i'd say fine it's a limit of the device.
If there is some other choke point, there must be a way to "see" or monitor that point.
I can accept that it's a limit.....I can't accept not being able to "see" that limit.
Thanks again!
02-09-2010 08:43 AM
As mentioned above. There could be some scheduling mechanism to prevent a single process from starving others. That is a good thing.
Bottom line doesn't change, use routers for tunnelling (and many other things).
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