Article Number: 000114193

How to test performance on PowerEdge servers with Iometer

Summary: How to test the performance of Dell PowerEdge servers with IOMeter

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Article Content

Instructions

Iometer is both a workload generator (it performs I/O operations in order to stress the system) and a measurement tool (it examines and records the performance of its I/O operations and their impact on the system). It can be configured to emulate the disk or network I/O load of any program or benchmark, or can be used to generate entirely synthetic I/O loads. It can generate and measure loads on single or multiple (networked) systems.

1. Description

The tool consists of two programs, Iometer and Dynamo.

Iometer is the controlling program. Using Iometer's graphical user interface, you configure the workload, set operating parameters, and start and stop tests. Iometer tells Dynamo what to do, collects the resulting data, and summarizes the results in output files. Only one copy of Iometer should be running at a time; it is typically run on the server machine.

Dynamo is the workload generator. It has no user interface. At Iometer 's command, Dynamo performs I/O operations and records performance information, then returns the data to Iometer. There can be more than one copy of Dynamo running at a time; typically one copy runs on the server machine and one additional copy runs on each client machine.

For testing the performance on Windows systems, Iometer can be installed and started directly.
An additional installation of Dynamo is not necessary. Below you find instructions for installing the tool and for starting the test procedure.

Installation of Iometer

First, you have to download Iometer from Iometer.org.

Note: For Windows 2008 and above, download Version 1.1.0. For older Windows editions use Version 2006.07.27.

Figure 1.1: Iometer download page
Right click the setup file and then click on Run as administrator

Figure 1.2: Iometer file on the desktop
Accept the UAC request.

Figure 1.3: UAC request
Click Next > on the Welcome screen.

Figure 1.4: Welcome screen
Agree license agreement

Figure 1.5: license agreement
Select the componentes that should be installed and click Next

Figure 1.6: Choose Components
Select the installation destination and click Install

Figure 1.7: Define destination folder
When installation is done, click on Finish

Figure 1.8: Finished installation

Start the test procedure in Iometer

Start Iometer
Agree to the license conditions

Figure 2.1: License conditions
Click on the folder button

Figure 2.2: Folder button in the upper left corner
Download a test configuration file or create one and open it with Iometer.

Figure 2.3: Choose configuration file
Choose the device to be tested

Warning: Unless instructed otherwise, use Iometer only on filesystems or data loss might occur!

Figure 2.4: Choose the device to be tested
Start the test by clicking on the green flag button

Figure 2.5: Green flag button in the upper middle
Define the destination where to save the results file

Figure 2.6: Choose destination for results
Now the test starts and will run for about 10-15 minutes

Figure 2.7: Running test

The program Iometer only runs on Windows OS. So on Linux systems the tool Dynamo is used for sending the relevant information to a Windows system, where Iometer is installed.
This means an installation of Iometer on a Windows system or Windows emulator is necessary for testing a system with Linux installed. Download Iometer from Iometer.org.

Note: The matching Dynamo files are included in the Iometer archives on Iometer.org.

Installation of Iometer and Dynamo

First Install Iometer on a windows system in the same network as the server you want to test.
If there is no Windows client available to run the Iometer .exe, it can be run with WinE emulator as well.

Figure 3.1: Iometer GUI
Connect via SSH to Linux server (e.g. via Putty)

Figure 3.2: Putty

Figure 3.3: Click Yes
Login into the server

Figure 3.4: Console via Putty
Use uname -i to receive information about the hardware platform, which is necessary to choose the right version of Dynamo.

Figure 3.5: Check hardware version
With rpm -qa|grep -i glibc you check the installed version of glibc

Note: glibc 2.15 or above is needed to run with Iometer 1.1.0. Otherwise, use 2006.07.27

Figure 3.6: Command output
Switch to the /tmp folder

Figure 3.7: /tmp folder
Uncompress the downloaded Iometer file with tar xvf Iometer -1.1.0-linux.x86_64-bin.tar.bz2

Figure 3.8: Uncompress the dynamo file

Start the test procedure

Check the IP address of the Windows system by using the CLI command ipconfig

Figure 4.1: Check IP of Windows system
Check the IP addresses of the Linux system with ip addr show or ifconfig -a

Figure 4.2: Check IP of Linux system
Stop the Linux firewall to allow communication between Dynamo and Iometer

Note: Commands to stop the Linux Firewall are:
SuSE based: rcSuSEfirewall2 stop
RHEL based: service iptables stop or systemctl stop firewalld
Debian based: service iptables stop
Ubuntu based: ufw disable

Figure 4.3: Stop firewall on Linux system
Type vi /etc/hosts to make changes to the host file for the name resolving

Figure 4.4: Open /etc/hosts
Add the IP address and the name of the Linux system

Figure 4.5: Add IP and name
Now connect dynamo with Iometer by using the command:
dynamo -i <IP of machine with Iometer = windows system> -m <IP of machine to run workload = linux system>

Figure 4.6: Connect dynamo to Iometer

Figure 4.7: Connection established
In Iometer now the Linux server is visible

Figure 4.8: Linux system listed in Iometer
Before loading the test template some changes must be done on the file.

Open the file in an editor (e.g. Notepad). Change the Manager name and Manager network address by using the information you used in step 5. Save the file when changes are done.

Figure 4.9: Search MANAGER LIST

Figure 4.10: Add Linux server name

Figure 4.11: Add Linux server IP address and save file
Load the changed template

Figure 4.12: Load configuration file
Choose the device to be tested

Warning: Unless instructed otherwise, use Iometer only on filesystems or data loss might occur!

Figure 4.13: Choose the device to be tested
Start the test by clicking the green flag button

Figure 4.14: Green flag in the upper middle
Choose the destination where the results shall be saved after testing.

Figure 4.15: Choose destination for results
Now the test starts

Figure 4.16: Running test
When the test is done..

Figure 4.17: Finished test in the console view

…do not forget to re-activate the firewall, delete the information from /etc/host (undo step 5) and exit.

Figure 4.18: Exit console