RARE user and assistance email list

[Tim Chown <>]

> On 10 Feb 2022, at 14:35, Ivana Golub <> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> yes, it can be a good idea to have all 100G testing efforts in one document,
> 
> adding Pavle, so Pavle and Xavier can start drafting such a document, 

Thanks - another google doc :)

Tim

> 
> best 
> Ivana
> --
> Ivana Golub PhD
> ICHB PAN - PSNC
> GÉANT 4-3 Project
> Network Technologies and Services Development Work Package Leader
> 
> 
> On Thu, 10 Feb 2022 at 15:06, Tim Chown <> wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Tomek is looking at re-running performance tests for RARE at 100G; this was 
> discussed in today’s WB performance call.
> 
> The DMC testing, I don’t think Joseph tested the box explicitly as such, 
> but we have the throughput figures that the teams obtained to/from the UvA 
> DTN.
> 
> I think the idea is a single report from our collective 100G-related 
> testing, for which each of these would be one part.
> 
> Tim
> 
> > On 10 Feb 2022, at 14:00, Ivana Golub <> 
> > wrote:
> > 
> > Hello,
> > 
> > Can we get a report from 100G RARE testing as a part of the DMC21 in the 
> > form of a white paper?
> > 
> > Thanks 
> > Ivana
> > --
> > Ivana Golub PhD
> > ICHB PAN - PSNC
> > GÉANT 4-3 Project
> > Network Technologies and Services Development Work Package Leader
> > 
> > 
> > On Thu, 10 Feb 2022 at 14:10, Tim Chown <> wrote:
> > > On 7 Feb 2022, at 17:57, mc36 <> wrote:
> > > 
> > > hi,
> > > 
> > > On 2/7/22 18:39, Tim Chown wrote:
> > >> Hi,
> > >> Well, our use case is fairly simple.  The Wedge would act as a 100G 
> > >> gateway to host four 100G connected servers that we   d use to test 
> > >> perfSONAR and various data transfers tools on DTNs.  This would be a 
> > >> static setup, with maybe a single v4 and v6 subnet on the server side. 
> > >>   So BGP seems overkill, but our engineers asked what RARE/FreeRtr 
> > >> supports.
> > > basically everything is supported that you expect from a cisco/junos 
> > > box...
> > > if it's bgp, or even bgp-lu, with a single prefix, then that...
> > > if it's isis, then we\re part of geant for a year, part of local nren's 
> > > ospf and fullbgp,
> > > keeping the geant's mdvpn bgp-lu + vpnv4/vpnv6/vpls routes from bmp 
> > > flawlessly,
> > > so have no concerns, let your engs imagine anything, we already support 
> > > it :)
> > 
> > OK, thanks, but that will be overkill :)
> > 
> > >> What matters most is the performance, hence our interest in the tests 
> > >> by PSNC and on the Data Mover Challenge.  We   ve seen high rates from 
> > >> Joseph   s device at UvA, but inconclusive results from PSNC (they 
> > >> probably need to be more tightly defined).  We think in a scenario 
> > >> where there   s generally a limited number of concurrent flows, the 
> > >> small Wedge buffers (16 or 20MB?0 should be OK.
> > > so in psnc they did the measures over lr over cwdm which, in terms of 
> > > inter-packet times and drops are not a good choice...
> > > i remember clearly that initially we had 1 crcing lane out of 4, and 
> > > after the swaps, the levels fairly was under warning...
> > 
> > So what does that mean in practice if we want to use a Wedge running 
> > RARE/FreeRtr as an access device for 100G servers?   The results Jospeh 
> > saw for his device for the Data Mover Challenge were decent.
> > 
> > Tomek is preparing new tests for RARE.
> > 
> > >> There   s no initial need for multicast, PolKa or anything like that.
> > > ahh, pick any profile from the available ones depending on what you 
> > > want to test...
> > > and if your engs complain that this or that table is too small, just 
> > > drop a template
> > > over the fence with your goals and we'll optimize for that too... it's 
> > > about 30m per
> > > profile and need to be done once per p4 change (which is rare nowadays)
> > 
> > OK, I don’t know those requirements yet.  The routing could be static, 
> > really, given the simplicity of the topology.
> > 
> > >> Raul and David are checking QSFPs and cables this week, so we   re 
> > >> getting closer to being ready to deploy.
> > > sounds goods!
> > 
> > Hopefully they’ll be at a Tuesday community call before too long.
> > 
> > Tim
> > 
> > > 
> > > regards,
> > > cs
> > > 
> > > 
> > >> Tim
> > >>> On 7 Feb 2022, at 15:23, mc36 <> wrote:
> > >>> 
> > >>> hi,
> > >>> exactly, it depends on the exact features you need...
> > >>> this is the ultimate source of thruth:
> > > >> https://bitbucket.software.geant.org/projects/RARE/repos/rare/browse/profiles
> > >>> the .tmpl files are the 'golas' that you have to set yourself...
> > >>> it's a two step optimization, first for the tcam, then for the sram...
> > >>> this is an ip-only profile with nothing else but the ipv4/ipv6 fib 
> > >>> enabled:
> > >>> https://bitbucket.software.geant.org/projects/RARE/repos/rare/browse/profiles/profile-rawip.tmpl
> > >>> https://bitbucket.software.geant.org/projects/RARE/repos/rare/browse/profiles/profile-rawip.p4
> > >>> and here is an other with mpls enabled:
> > >>> https://bitbucket.software.geant.org/projects/RARE/repos/rare/browse/profiles/profile-p.tmpl
> > >>> https://bitbucket.software.geant.org/projects/RARE/repos/rare/browse/profiles/profile-p.p4
> > >>> as flou said, you should set your own features and goals and then 
> > >>> it'll optimize for that specific profile...
> > >>> one thing to keep in mind that both sram and tcam table increase 
> > >>> could span to multiple code stages,
> > >>> resulting in lower tables so choose the primary goal according to 
> > >>> your needs and let the secondary
> > >>> goal span the remaining asic code space...
> > >>> regards,
> > >>> cs
> > >>> 
> > >>> 
> > >>> 
> > >>> 
> > >>> 
> > >>> On 2/7/22 15:15, Fr  d  ric LOUI wrote:
> > >>>> Let me add Csaba as he is tweaking RARE profiles at teh moment.
> > >>>> The answer I presume will depends on your use case.
> > >>>>> Le 7 f  vr. 2022    14:51, Tim Chown <> a   
> > >>>>> crit :
> > >>>>> 
> > >>>>> Hi,
> > >>>>> 
> > >>>>> What size BGP table can the Wedge take running RARE?
> > >>>>> 
> > >>>>> i.e. should we suggest our engineers configure static routing?
> > >>>>> 
> > >>>>> Raul and David (our engineer) will be looking at the Wedge, servers 
> > >>>>> and cabling in their current location this week, as the plan to 
> > >>>>> deploy 100G in London gets nearer
> > >>>>> Thanks,
> > >>>>> Tim
> > 
>