Comparative Analysis of ISP Link Performance: iperf3 Versions 3.1.1 vs. 3.17.1

[doublebaung]

Hi All

I conducted tests on my ISP link using iperf3 version 3.17.1 and 3.1.1 to evaluate the upload bandwidth required for a streaming application. This application needs a minimum upload bandwidth of 50 Mbps to send 10 parallel streams, each requiring 5 Mbps, to a server in Singapore.

During the test with iperf3 version 3.1.1, I experienced significant packet loss. However, when I tested with version 3.17.1, there was no packet loss. Below are the test results from both versions:

Version 3.1.1 Result

iperf3 -c 89.187.162.1 -u -b 5M -P 10 -t 15
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 4] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 4.486 ms 223/1134 (20%)
[ 6] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 4.418 ms 204/978 (21%)
[ 8] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 6.191 ms 274/1135 (24%)
[ 10] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 4.573 ms 254/1134 (22%)
[ 12] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 6.870 ms 273/1135 (24%)
[ 14] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 6.025 ms 383/1135 (34%)
[ 16] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 5.236 ms 320/1135 (28%)
[ 18] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 6.310 ms 330/1135 (29%)
[ 20] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 6.264 ms 436/1135 (38%)
[ 22] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.89 MBytes 4.97 Mbits/sec 4.667 ms 363/1135 (32%)
[SUM] 0.00-15.01 sec 88.9 MBytes 49.7 Mbits/sec 5.504 ms 3060/11191 (27%)

Version 3.17.1 Result

iperf3 -c 89.187.162.1 -u -b 5M -P 10 -t 15
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Jitter Lost/Total Datagrams
[ 5] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 5] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.24 MBytes 4.03 Mbits/sec 0.997 ms 0/6418 (0%) receiver
[ 7] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 7] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.06 MBytes 3.93 Mbits/sec 0.793 ms 0/6416 (0%) receiver
[ 9] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 9] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.20 MBytes 4.01 Mbits/sec 0.728 ms 0/6417 (0%) receiver
[ 11] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 11] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.22 MBytes 4.02 Mbits/sec 1.023 ms 0/6418 (0%) receiver
[ 13] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 13] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.34 MBytes 4.09 Mbits/sec 1.094 ms 0/6418 (0%) receiver
[ 15] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 15] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.36 MBytes 4.10 Mbits/sec 0.885 ms 0/6414 (0%) receiver
[ 17] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 17] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.44 MBytes 4.14 Mbits/sec 1.050 ms 0/6418 (0%) receiver
[ 19] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 19] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.18 MBytes 4.00 Mbits/sec 1.019 ms 0/6418 (0%) receiver
[ 21] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 21] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.31 MBytes 4.07 Mbits/sec 1.003 ms 0/6414 (0%) receiver
[ 23] 0.00-15.01 sec 8.94 MBytes 5.00 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/6418 (0%) sender
[ 23] 0.00-15.05 sec 7.43 MBytes 4.14 Mbits/sec 1.036 ms 0/6416 (0%) receiver
[SUM] 0.00-15.01 sec 89.4 MBytes 50.0 Mbits/sec 0.000 ms 0/64180 (0%) sender
[SUM] 0.00-15.05 sec 72.8 MBytes 40.5 Mbits/sec 0.963 ms 0/64167 (0%) receiver

I want to understand whether the results indicate that my internet bandwidth is sufficient for the streaming application requiring 50 Mbps upload bandwidth, with 5 Mbps allocated for each stream.

The 3.1.1 version shows significant packet loss (27% total loss), suggesting that the network may not be capable of handling the required upload bandwidth effectively during the test.
In contrast, the 3.17.1 version demonstrates no packet loss and maintains the required throughput, indicating that the network can support the upload demands of the application.
This discrepancy raises questions about the reliability of iperf3 version 3.1.1 in accurately measuring network performance compared to version 3.17.1.

[bmah888]

This appears to be the same as #1749. Closing this.