Internet DRAFT - draft-ietf-bmwg-ngfw-performance
draft-ietf-bmwg-ngfw-performance
Benchmarking Methodology Working Group B. Balarajah
Internet-Draft
Obsoletes: 3511 (if approved) C. Rossenhoevel
Intended status: Informational EANTC AG
Expires: 25 April 2023 B. Monkman
NetSecOPEN
22 October 2022
Benchmarking Methodology for Network Security Device Performance
draft-ietf-bmwg-ngfw-performance-15
Abstract
This document provides benchmarking terminology and methodology for
next-generation network security devices including next-generation
firewalls (NGFW) and next-generation intrusion prevention systems
(NGIPS). The main areas covered in this document are test
terminology, test configuration parameters, and benchmarking
methodology for NGFW and NGIPS. (It is assumed that readers have a
working knowledge of these devices and the security functionality
they contain.) This document aims to improve the applicability,
reproducibility, and transparency of benchmarks and to align the test
methodology with today's increasingly complex layer 7 security-
centric network application use cases. As a result, this document
makes RFC3511 obsolete.
Status of This Memo
This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute
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Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference
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This Internet-Draft will expire on 25 April 2023.
Copyright Notice
Copyright (c) 2022 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
document authors. All rights reserved.
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This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components
extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as
described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are
provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3. Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.1. Testbed Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2. DUT/SUT Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
4.2.1. Security Effectiveness Configuration . . . . . . . . 12
4.3. Test Equipment Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.3.1. Client Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.3.2. Backend Server Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.3.3. Traffic Flow Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
4.3.4. Traffic Load Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5. Testbed Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
6. Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
6.2. Detailed Test Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.3. Benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators . . . . . . . . 23
7. Benchmarking Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.1. Throughput Performance with Application Traffic Mix . . . 25
7.1.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7.1.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.1.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7.1.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 28
7.2. TCP/HTTP Connections Per Second . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
7.2.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 31
7.3. HTTP Throughput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7.3.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 35
7.4. HTTP Transaction Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.4.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.4.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
7.4.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
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7.4.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 38
7.5. Concurrent TCP/HTTP Connection Capacity . . . . . . . . . 39
7.5.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.5.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.5.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.5.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 41
7.6. TCP/QUIC Connections per Second with HTTPS Traffic . . . 42
7.6.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
7.6.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
7.6.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
7.6.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 45
7.7. HTTPS Throughput . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
7.7.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
7.7.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
7.7.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
7.7.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 48
7.8. HTTPS Transaction Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.8.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.8.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.8.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
7.8.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 51
7.9. Concurrent TCP/QUIC Connection Capacity with HTTPS
Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
7.9.1. Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
7.9.2. Test Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
7.9.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
7.9.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . 55
8. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
9. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
10. Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
11. Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
12.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Appendix A. Test Methodology - Security Effectiveness
Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
A.1. Test Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
A.2. Testbed Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.3. Test Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters . . . . . . . 60
A.4. Test Results Validation Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A.5. Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
A.6. Test Procedures and Expected Results . . . . . . . . . . 62
A.6.1. Step 1: Background Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
A.6.2. Step 2: CVE Emulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Appendix B. DUT/SUT Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
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1. Introduction
18 years have passed since IETF initially recommended test
methodology and terminology for firewalls ([RFC3511]). Firewalls
have evolved significantly from the days of simple ACL filters. As
the underlying technology progresses and improves, recommending test
methodology and terminology for firewalls, requirements, and
expectations for network security elements has increased
tremendously. Security function implementations have evolved and
diversified into intrusion detection and prevention, threat
management, analysis of encrypted traffic, and more. In an industry
of growing importance, well-defined and reproducible key performance
indicators (KPIs) are increasingly needed to enable fair and
reasonable comparison of network security functions. These reasons
led to the creation of a new next-generation network security device
benchmarking document, which makes [RFC3511] obsolete. Measurement
of performance for processing of IP fragmented traffic (see
Section 5.9 of [RFC3511]) was not included in this document since IP
fragmentation does today not commonly occur in traffic anymore,
unlike it might have been at the time when [RFC3511] was written. It
should also be noted that [RFC2647] retains significant value and has
been consulted frequently while creating this document.
For a more detailed explanation of what an NGFW is see the Wikipedia
article [Wiki-NGFW].
2. Requirements
The keywords "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
"OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
14 [RFC2119], [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
capitals, as shown here.
3. Scope
This document provides testing terminology and testing methodology
for modern and next-generation network security devices that are
configured in Active ("Inline", see Figure 1 and Figure 2) mode. It
covers the validation of security effectiveness configurations of
network security devices, followed by performance benchmark testing.
This document focuses on advanced, realistic, and reproducible
testing methods. Additionally, it describes testbed environments,
test tool requirements, and test result formats.
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The performance testing methodology described in this document is not
intended for security devices/systems that rely on machine learning
or behavioral analysis. If such features are present in a Device
Under Test/System Under Test (DUT/SUT), they should be disabled.
4. Test Setup
The test setup defined in this document applies to all benchmarking
tests described in Section 7. The test setup MUST be contained
within an Isolated Test Environment (see Section 3 of [RFC6815]).
4.1. Testbed Configuration
Testbed configuration MUST ensure that any performance implications
that are discovered during the benchmark testing aren't due to the
inherent physical network limitations such as the number of physical
links and forwarding performance capabilities (throughput and
latency) of the network devices in the testbed. For this reason,
this document recommends avoiding external devices such as switches
and routers in the testbed wherever possible.
In some deployment scenarios, the network security devices (DUT/SUT)
are connected to routers and switches, which will reduce the number
of entries in MAC or ARP/ND (Address Resolution Protocol/ Neighbor
Discovery) tables of the DUT/SUT. If MAC or ARP/ND tables have many
entries, this may impact the actual DUT/SUT performance due to MAC
and ARP/ND table lookup processes. This document also recommends
using test equipment with the capability of emulating layer 3 routing
functionality instead of adding external routers in the testbed.
The testbed setup Option 1 (Figure 1) is the RECOMMENDED testbed
setup for the benchmarking test.
+-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
| +-------------------+ | +-----------+ | +-------------------+ |
| | Emulated Router(s)| | | | | | Emulated Router(s)| |
| | (Optional) | +----- DUT/SUT +-----+ (Optional) | |
| +-------------------+ | | | | +-------------------+ |
| +-------------------+ | +-----------+ | +-------------------+ |
| | Clients | | | | Servers | |
| +-------------------+ | | +-------------------+ |
| | | |
| Test Equipment | | Test Equipment |
+-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
Figure 1: Testbed Setup - Option 1
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If the test equipment used is not capable of emulating OSI layer 3
routing functionality or if the number of used ports is mismatched
between the test equipment and the DUT/SUT (need for test equipment
port aggregation), the test setup can be configured as shown in
Figure 2.
+-------------------+ +-----------+ +--------------------+
|Aggregation Switch/| | | | Aggregation Switch/|
| Router +------+ DUT/SUT +------+ Router |
| | | | | |
+----------+--------+ +-----------+ +--------+-----------+
| |
| |
+-----------+-----------+ +-----------+-----------+
| | | |
| +-------------------+ | | +-------------------+ |
| | Emulated Router(s)| | | | Emulated Router(s)| |
| | (Optional) | | | | (Optional) | |
| +-------------------+ | | +-------------------+ |
| +-------------------+ | | +-------------------+ |
| | Clients | | | | Servers | |
| +-------------------+ | | +-------------------+ |
| | | |
| Test Equipment | | Test Equipment |
+-----------------------+ +-----------------------+
Figure 2: Testbed Setup - Option 2
4.2. DUT/SUT Configuration
The same DUT/SUT configuration MUST be used for all benchmarking
tests described in Section 7. Since each DUT/SUT will have its own
unique configuration, users MUST configure their devices with the
same parameters and security features that would be used in the
actual deployment of the device or a typical deployment. The DUT/SUT
MUST be configured in "Inline" mode so that the traffic is actively
inspected by the DUT/SUT.
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Table 2 and Table 3 below describe the RECOMMENDED and OPTIONAL sets
of network security features for NGFW and NGIPS, respectively. If
the recommended security features are not enabled in the DUT/SUT for
any reason, the reason MUST be reported with the benchmarking test
results. For example, one reason for not enabling the anti-virus
feature in NGFW may be that this security feature was not required
for a particular customer deployment scenario. It MUST be also noted
in the benchmarking test report that not enabling the specific
recommended security features may impact the performance of the DUT/
SUT. The selected security features MUST be consistently enabled on
the DUT/SUT for all benchmarking tests described in Section 7.
To improve repeatability, a summary of the DUT/SUT configuration
including a description of all enabled DUT/SUT features MUST be
published with the benchmarking results.
The following table provides a brief description of the security
features and these are approximate taxonomies of features commonly
found in currently deployed NGFW and NGIDS. The features provided by
specific implementations may be named differently and not necessarily
have configuration settings that align with the taxonomy.
+================+================================================+
| DUT/SUT | Description |
| Features | |
+================+================================================+
| TLS Inspection | DUT/SUT intercepts and decrypts inbound HTTPS |
| | traffic between servers and clients. Once the |
| | content inspection has been completed, DUT/SUT |
| | encrypts the HTTPS traffic with ciphers and |
| | keys used by the clients and servers. For |
| | TLS1.3, the DUT works as a middlebox (proxy) |
| | and it holds the certificates and Pre-Shared |
| | Keys (PSK) that are trusted by the client and |
| | represent the identity of the real server. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| IDS/IPS | DUT/SUT detects and blocks exploits targeting |
| | known and unknown vulnerabilities across the |
| | monitored network. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Anti-Malware | DUT/SUT detects and prevents the transmission |
| | of malicious executable code and any |
| | associated communications across the monitored |
| | network. This includes data exfiltration as |
| | well as command and control channels. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Anti-Spyware | Anti-Spyware is a subcategory of Anti Malware. |
| | Spyware transmits information without the |
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| | user's knowledge or permission. DUT/SUT |
| | detects and blocks initial infection or |
| | transmission of data. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Anti-Botnet | DUT/SUT detects and blocks traffic to or from |
| | botnets. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Anti-Evasion | DUT/SUT detects and mitigates attacks that |
| | have been obfuscated in some manner. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Web Filtering | DUT/SUT detects and blocks malicious websites |
| | including defined classifications of websites |
| | across the monitored network. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| DLP | DUT/SUT detects and prevents data breaches and |
| | data exfiltration, or it detects and blocks |
| | the transmission of sensitive data across the |
| | monitored network. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Certificate | DUT/SUT validates certificates used in |
| Validation | encrypted communications across the monitored |
| | network. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Logging and | DUT/SUT logs and reports all traffic at the |
| Reporting | flow level across the monitored network. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| Application | DUT/SUT detects known applications as defined |
| Identification | within the traffic mix selected across the |
| | monitored network. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
| DPI | DUT/SUT inspects the content of the data |
| | packet. |
+----------------+------------------------------------------------+
Table 1: Security Feature Description
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+============================+=============+==========+
| DUT/SUT (NGFW) Features | RECOMMENDED | OPTIONAL |
+============================+=============+==========+
| TLS Inspection | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| IDS/IPS | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Spyware | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Virus | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Botnet | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Evasion | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Web Filtering | | x |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Data Loss Protection (DLP) | | x |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| DDoS Protection | | x |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Certificate Validation | | x |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Application Identification | x | |
+----------------------------+-------------+----------+
Table 2: NGFW Security Features
+==============================+=============+==========+
| DUT/SUT (NGIPS) Features | RECOMMENDED | OPTIONAL |
+==============================+=============+==========+
| TLS Inspection | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Malware | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Spyware | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Botnet | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Application Identification | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
| Anti-Evasion | x | |
+------------------------------+-------------+----------+
Table 3: NGIPS Security Features
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Note: With respect to TLS Inspection, there are scenarios where it
will be optional.
Below is a summary of the DUT/SUT configuration:
* DUT/SUT MUST be configured in "inline" mode.
* "Fail-Open" behavior MUST be disabled.
* All RECOMMENDED security features are enabled.
* Logging and reporting MUST be enabled. DUT/SUT SHOULD log all
traffic at the flow level (5-tuple). If the DUT/SUT is designed
to log all traffic at different levels (e.g. IP packet levels),
it is acceptable to conduct tests. However, this MUST be noted in
the test report. Logging to an external device is permissible.
* Geographical location filtering SHOULD be configured. If the DUT/
SUT is not designed to perform geographical location filtering, it
is acceptable to conduct tests without this feature. However,
this MUST be noted in the test report.
* Application Identification and Control MUST be configured to
trigger applications from the defined traffic mix.
In addition, a realistic number of access control rules (ACL) SHOULD
be configured on the DUT/SUT where ACLs are configurable and
reasonable based on the deployment scenario. For example, it is
acceptable not to configure ACLs in an NGIPS since NGIPS devices do
not require the use of ACLs in most deployment scenarios. This
document determines the number of access policy rules for four
different classes of DUT/SUT: Extra Small (XS), Small (S), Medium
(M), and Large (L). A sample DUT/SUT classification is described in
Appendix B.
The Access Control Rules (ACL) defined in Figure 3 MUST be configured
from top to bottom in the correct order as shown in the table. This
is due to ACL types listed in specificity decreasing order, with
"block" first, followed by "allow", representing a typical ACL-based
security policy. The ACL entries MUST be configured with routable IP
prefixes by the DUT/SUT, where applicable. (Note: There will be
differences between how security vendors implement ACL decision-
making.) The configured ACL MUST NOT block the test traffic used for
the benchmarking tests.
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+---------------+
| DUT/SUT |
| Classification|
| # Rules |
+-----------+-----------+--------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
| | Match | | | | | | |
| Rules Type| Criteria | Description |Action| XS| S | M | L |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Application|Application| Any application | block| 5 | 10| 20| 50|
|layer | | not included in | | | | | |
| | | the measurement | | | | | |
| | | traffic | | | | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Transport |SRC IP and | Any SRC IP prefix | block| 25| 50|100|250|
|layer |TCP/UDP | used and any DST | | | | | |
| |DST ports | ports not used in | | | | | |
| | | the measurement | | | | | |
| | | traffic | | | | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|IP layer |SRC/DST IP | Any SRC/DST IP | block| 25| 50|100|250|
| | | subnet not used | | | | | |
| | | in the measurement | | | | | |
| | | traffic | | | | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Application|Application| Half of the | allow| 10| 10| 10| 10|
|layer | | applications | | | | | |
| | | included in the | | | | | |
| | | measurement traffic| | | | | |
| | |(see the note below)| | | | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Transport |SRC IP and | Half of the SRC | allow| >1| >1| >1| >1|
|layer |TCP/UDP | IPs used and any | | | | | |
| |DST ports | DST ports used in | | | | | |
| | | the measurement | | | | | |
| | | traffic | | | | | |
| | | (one rule per | | | | | |
| | | subnet) | | | | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|IP layer |SRC IP | The rest of the | allow| >1| >1| >1| >1|
| | | SRC IP prefix | | | | | |
| | | range used in the | | | | | |
| | | measurement | | | | | |
| | | traffic | | | | | |
| | | (one rule per | | | | | |
| | | subnet) | | | | | |
+-----------+-----------+--------------------+------+---+---+---+---+
Figure 3: DUT/SUT Access List
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Note 1: Based on the test customer's specific use case, the testers
can increase the number of rules.
Note 2: If half of the applications included in the test traffic is
less than 10, the missing number of ACL entries (dummy rules) can be
configured for any application traffic not included in the test
traffic.
Note 3: In the event, the DUT/SUT is designed to not use ACLs it is
acceptable to conduct tests without them. However, this MUST be
noted in the test report.
4.2.1. Security Effectiveness Configuration
The selected security features (defined in Table 2 and Table 3) of
the DUT/SUT MUST be configured effectively to detect, prevent, and
report the defined security vulnerability sets. This section defines
the selection of the security vulnerability sets from the Common
Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) list for testing. The
vulnerability set should reflect a minimum of 500 CVEs from no older
than 10 calendar years to the current year. These CVEs should be
selected with a focus on in-use software commonly found in business
applications, with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS)
Severity of High (7-10).
This document is primarily focused on performance benchmarking.
However, it is RECOMMENDED to validate the security features
configuration of the DUT/SUT by evaluating the security effectiveness
as a prerequisite for performance benchmarking tests defined in
section 7. In case the benchmarking tests are performed without
evaluating security effectiveness, the test report MUST explain the
implications of this. The methodology for evaluating security
effectiveness is defined in Appendix A.
4.3. Test Equipment Configuration
In general, test equipment allows configuring parameters in different
protocol layers. Extensive proof of concept tests conducted to
support preparation of this document showed that benchmarking results
are strongly affected by the choice of protocol stack parameters;
especially OSI layer 4 transport protocol parameters. For more
information on how TCP and QUIC parameters will impact performance
review [fastly]. To achieve reproducible results that will be
representative for real deployment scenarios, careful specification
and documentation of the parameters are required.
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This section specifies common test equipment configuration parameters
applicable for all benchmarking tests defined in Section 7. Any
benchmarking test specific parameters are described under the test
setup section of each benchmarking test individually.
4.3.1. Client Configuration
This section specifies which parameters should be considered while
configuring emulated client endpoints in the test equipment. Also,
this section specifies the RECOMMENDED values for certain parameters.
The values are the defaults typically used in most of the client
operating system types.
Pre-standard evaluations have shown that it is possible to set a wide
range of arbitrary parameters for OSI layer 4 transport protocols on
test equipment leading to client-specific results optimization;
however, only well-defined common parameter sets help to establish
meaningful and comparable benchmarking results. For these reasons,
this document recommends specific sets of transport protocol
parameters to be configured on test equipment used for benchmarking.
4.3.1.1. TCP Stack Attributes
The TCP stack of the emulated client endpoints MUST fulfill the TCP
requirements defined in [RFC9293] (See Appendix B.). In addition,
this section specifies the RECOMMENDED values for TCP parameters
configured using the following parameters:
The IPv4 and IPv6 Maximum Segment Size (MSS) are set to 1460 bytes
and 1440 bytes respectively. TX and RX initial receive window sizes
are set to 65535 bytes. The client's initial congestion window
should not exceed 10 times the MSS. Delayed ACKs are permitted and
the maximum client delayed ACK should not exceed 10 times of the MSS
before a forced ACK also, the maximum delayed ACK timer is allowed to
be set to 200 ms. Up to three retries are allowed before a timeout
event is declared. TCP PSH flag is set to high in all traffic. The
source port range is in the range of 1024 - 65535. The clients
initiate TCP connections via a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN/ACK,
ACK) and close TCP connections via either a TCP three-way close (FIN,
FIN/ACK, ACK) or a TCP four-way close (FIN, ACK, FIN, ACK).
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4.3.1.2. QUIC Specification
QUIC stack emulation on the test equipment MUST conform to [RFC9000]
and [RFC9001]. This section specifies the RECOMMENDED values for
certain QUIC parameters to be configured on test equipment used for
benchmarking purposes only. QUIC Stream type (defined in section 2.1
of [RFC9000]) is set to "Client-Initiated, Bidirectional". 0-RTT and
early data are Disabled. QUIC Connection termination method is
Immediate close (section 10.2 of [RFC9000]. Flow control is enabled.
UDP payloads are set to datagram size of 1232 bytes for IPv6 and 1252
bytes for IPv4. In addition, transport parameters and default values
defined in section 18.2 of [RFC9000] are RECOMMENDED to configure on
test equipment. Also, this document references Appendixes B.1 and
B.2 of [RFC9002] for congestion control related constants and
variables. Any configured QUIC and UDP parameter(s) MUST be
documented in the test report.
4.3.1.3. Client IP Address Space
The client IP space contains the following attributes.
* If multiple IP blocks are used, they MUST be consist of multiple
unique, discontinuous static address blocks.
* A default gateway MAY be used.
* The DSCP (differentiated services code point) marking should be
set to DF (Default Forwarding) '000000' on IPv4 Type of Service
(ToS) field and IPv6 traffic class field.
* Extension header(s) MAY be used for IPv6 clients. If multiple
extension headers are needed for traffic emulation, this document
references [RFC8200] to choose the correct order of the extension
headers within an IPv6 packet. Testing with extension header(s)
may impact the performance of the DUT. The extension headers MUST
be documented and reported.
The following equation can be used to define the total number of
client IP addresses that need to be configured on the test equipment.
Desired total number of client IP addresses = Target throughput
[Mbit/s] / Average throughput per IP address [Mbit/s]
As shown in the example list below, the value for "Average throughput
per IP address" can be varied depending on the deployment and use
case scenario.
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(Example 1) DUT/SUT deployment scenario 1 : 6-7 Mbit/s per IP (e.g.
1,400-1,700 IPs per 10Gbit/s of throughput)
(Example 2) DUT/SUT deployment scenario 2 : 0.1-0.2 Mbit/s per IP
(e.g. 50,000-100,000 IPs per 10Gbit/s of throughput)
Client IP addresses MUST be distributed between IPv4 and IPv6 based
on deployment and use case scenario. The following options MAY be
considered for a selection of ratios for both IP addresses and
traffic load distribution.
(Option 1) 100 % IPv4, no IPv6
(Option 2) 80 % IPv4, 20% IPv6
(Option 3) 50 % IPv4, 50% IPv6
(Option 4) 20 % IPv4, 80% IPv6
(Option 5) no IPv4, 100% IPv6
Note: IANA has assigned IP address ranges for testing purposes as
described in Section 8. If the test scenario requires more IP
addresses or subnets than IANA has assigned, this document recommends
using private IPv4 address ranges or Unique Local Address (ULA) IPv6
address ranges for the testing.
4.3.1.4. Emulated Web Browser Attributes
The client (emulated web browser) contains attributes that will
materially affect the traffic load. The objective is to emulate
modern, typical browser attributes to improve the relevance of the
result set for typical deployment scenarios.
The emulated browser MUST negotiate HTTP version 1.1 or higher. The
emulated browser SHOULD advertise a User-Agent header. The emulated
browser MUST enforce content length validation. HTTP header
compression MAY be set to enable. If HTTP header compression is
configurable in the test equipment, it MUST be documented if it was
enabled or disabled. Depending on test scenarios and chosen HTTP
version, the emulated browser MAY open multiple TCP or QUIC
connections per Server endpoint IP at any time depending on how many
sequential transactions need to be processed.
For HTTP/2 traffic emulation, the emulated browser opens multiple
concurrent streams per connection (multiplexing). For HTTPS
requests, the emulated browser MUST send "h2" protocol identifier
using the TLS extension Application Layer Protocol Negotiation
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(ALPN). The following default values (see [Undertow]) are the
RECOMMENDED setting for certain HTTP/2 parameters to be configured on
test equipment used for benchmarking purposes only:
* Maximum Frame size: 16384 bytes
* Initial Window size: 65535 bytes
* HPACK Header table size: 4096 bytes
* Server PUSH enable: false (Note: in [Undertow] the default setting
is true. However, for testing purposes, this document recommends
setting the value false for server push.)
This document refers to [RFC9113] for further details of HTTP/2. If
any additional parameters are used to configure the test equipment,
they MUST be documented.
For HTTP/3 traffic emulation, the emulated browsers initiate secure
QUIC connections using TLS 1.3 ([RFC9001] describes how TLS is used
to secure QUIC). This document refers to [RFC9114] for HTTP/3
specifications. The specification for transport protocol parameters
is defined in Section 4.3.1.2. QPACK configuration settings such as
MAX_TABLE_CAPACITY and QPACK_BLOCKED_STREAMS are set to zero
(default) as defined in [RFC9204]. Any HTTP/3 parameters used for
test equipment configuration MUST be documented.
For encrypted traffic, the following attributes are defined as the
negotiated encryption parameters. The test clients MUST use TLS
version 1.2 or higher. The TLS record size MAY be optimized for the
HTTPS response object size up to a record size of 16 KBytes. If
Server Name Indication (SNI) is required (especially if the server is
identified by a domain name), the client endpoint MUST send TLS
extension Server Name Indication (SNI) information when opening a
security tunnel. Each client connection MUST perform a full TLS
handshake and session reuse or resumption MUST be disabled. (Note:
Real web browsers use session reuse or resumption. However, for
testing purposes, this feature must not be used to measure the DUT/
SUT performance in the worst-case scenario.)
The following TLS 1.2 supported ciphers and keys are RECOMMENDED for
HTTPS based benchmarking tests defined in Section 7.
1. ECDHE-ECDSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 with Prime256v1 (Signature Hash
Algorithm: ecdsa_secp256r1_sha256 and Supported group: secp256r1)
2. ECDHE-RSA-AES128-GCM-SHA256 with RSA 2048 (Signature Hash
Algorithm: rsa_pkcs1_sha256 and Supported group: secp256r1)
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3. ECDHE-ECDSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 with Secp384r1 (Signature Hash
Algorithm: ecdsa_secp384r1_sha384 and Supported group: secp384r1)
4. ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 with RSA 4096 (Signature Hash
Algorithm: rsa_pkcs1_sha384 and Supported group: secp384r1)
Note: The above ciphers and keys were those commonly used for
enterprise-grade encryption cipher suites for TLS 1.2 as of the time
of publication (2022). Individual certification bodies should use
ciphers and keys that reflect evolving use cases. These choices MUST
be documented in the resulting test reports with detailed information
on the ciphers and keys used along with reasons for the choices.
IANA recommends the following cipher suites for use with TLS 1.3
defined in [RFC8446].
1. TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256
2. TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384
3. TLS_CHACHA20_POLY1305_SHA256
4. TLS_AES_128_CCM_SHA256
4.3.2. Backend Server Configuration
This section specifies which parameters should be considered while
configuring emulated backend servers using test equipment.
4.3.2.1. TCP Stack Attributes
The TCP stack on the server-side MUST be configured similar to the
client-side configuration described in Section 4.3.1.1
4.3.2.2. QUIC Specification
The QUIC parameters on the server-side MUST be configured similar to
the client-side configuration. Any configured QUIC Parameter(s) MUST
be documented in the report.
4.3.2.3. Server Endpoint IP Addressing
The sum of the server IP space MUST contain the following attributes.
* The server IP blocks MUST consist of unique, discontinuous static
address blocks with one IP per server Fully Qualified Domain Name
(FQDN) endpoint per test port.
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* A default gateway is permitted. The DSCP (differentiated services
code point) marking is set to DF (Default Forwarding) '000000' on
IPv4 Type of Service (ToS) field and IPv6 traffic class field.
Extension header(s) for the IPv6 server is permitted. If multiple
extension headers are required, this document referenced [RFC8200]
to choose the correct order of the extension headers within an
IPv6 packet.
* The server IP address distribution between IPv4 and IPv6 MUST be
identical to the client IP address distribution ratio.
Note: The IANA has assigned IP address blocks for the testing purpose
as described in Section 8. If the test scenario requires more IP
addresses or address blocks than the IANA assigned, this document
recommends using private IPv4 address ranges or Unique Local Address
(ULA) IPv6 address ranges for the testing.
4.3.2.4. HTTP / HTTPS Server Pool Endpoint Attributes
The HTTP 1.1 and HTTP/2 server pools listen on TCP ports 80 and 443
for HTTP and HTTPS. HTTP/3 server pool listens on UDP port 443 or
any port. The server MUST emulate the same HTTP version (HTTP 1.1 or
HTTP/2 or HTTP/3) and settings chosen by the client (emulated web
browser). For the HTTPS server, TLS 1.2 or higher MUST be used with
a maximum record size of 16 KByte. Ticket resumption or session ID
reuse MUST NOT be used for TLS 1.2 and also session Ticket or session
cache MUST NOT be used for TLS 1.3. The server MUST serve a
certificate to the client. Cipher suite and key size on the server-
side MUST be configured similar to the client-side configuration
described in Section 4.3.1.4.
4.3.3. Traffic Flow Definition
This section describes the traffic pattern between client and server
endpoints. At the beginning of the test, the server endpoint
initializes and will be ready to accept connection states including
initialization of the TCP or QUIC stack as well as bound HTTP and
HTTPS servers. When a client endpoint is needed, it will initialize
and be given attributes such as a MAC and IP address. The behavior
of the client is to sweep through the given server IP space,
generating a recognizable service by the DUT. Sequential and
pseudorandom sweep methods are acceptable. The method used MUST be
stated in the final report. Thus, a balanced mesh between client
endpoints and server endpoints will be generated in a client IP and
port to server IP and port combination. Each client endpoint
performs the same actions as other endpoints, with the difference
being the source IP of the client endpoint and the target server IP
pool. The client MUST use the server IP address or FQDN in the host
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header.
4.3.3.1. Description of Intra-Client Behavior
Client endpoints are independent of other clients that are
concurrently executing. When a client endpoint initiates traffic,
this section describes how the client steps through different
services. Once the test is initialized, the client endpoints
randomly hold (perform no operation) for a few milliseconds for
better randomization of the start of client traffic. Each client
(HTTP 1.1 or HTTP/2) will either open a new TCP connection or connect
to an HTTP persistent connection still open to that specific server.
HTTP/3 clients will open UDP streams within QUIC connections. At any
point that the traffic profile may require encryption, a TLS
encryption tunnel will form presenting the URL or IP address request
to the server. If using SNI, the server MUST then perform an SNI
name check with the proposed FQDN compared to the domain embedded in
the certificate. Only when correct, will the server process the
HTTPS response object. The initial response object to the server is
based on benchmarking tests described in Section 7. Multiple
additional sub-URLs (response objects on the service page) MAY be
requested simultaneously. This MAY be to the same server IP as the
initial URL. Each sub-object will also use a canonical FQDN and URL
path.
4.3.4. Traffic Load Profile
The loading of traffic is described in this section. The loading of
a traffic load profile has five phases: Init, ramp up, sustain, ramp
down, and collection.
1. Init phase: Testbed devices including the client and server
endpoints should negotiate layer 2-3 connectivity such as MAC
learning and ARP/ND. Only after successful MAC learning or ARP/
ND SHALL the test iteration move to the next phase. No
measurements are made in this phase. The minimum recommended
time for the Init phase is 5 seconds. During this phase, the
emulated clients MUST NOT initiate any sessions with the DUT/SUT,
in contrast, the emulated servers should be ready to accept
requests from DUT/SUT or emulated clients.
2. Ramp up phase: The test equipment MUST start to generate the test
traffic. It MUST use a set of the approximate number of unique
client IP addresses to generate traffic. The traffic MUST ramp
up from zero to desired target objective. The target objective
is defined for each benchmarking test. The duration for the ramp
up phase MUST be configured long enough that the test equipment
does not overwhelm the DUT/SUTs stated performance metrics
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defined in Section 6.3 namely, TCP or QUIC Connections Per
Second, Inspected Throughput, Concurrent TCP or QUIC Connections,
and Application Transactions Per Second. No measurements are
made in this phase.
3. Sustain phase: Starts when all required clients are active and
operating at their desired load condition. In the sustain phase,
the test equipment MUST continue generating traffic to a constant
target value for a constant number of active clients. The
minimum RECOMMENDED time duration for sustain phase is 300
seconds. This is the phase where measurements occur. The test
equipment MUST measure and record statistics continuously. The
sampling interval for collecting the raw results and calculating
the statistics MUST be less than 2 seconds.
4. Ramp down phase: The test traffic slows down from the target
number to 0, and no measurements are made.
5. Collection phase: The last phase is administrative and will occur
when the test equipment merges and collates the report data.
5. Testbed Considerations
This section describes steps for a reference test (pre-test) that
control the test environment including test equipment, focusing on
physical and virtualized environments and as well as test equipment.
Below are the RECOMMENDED steps for the reference test.
1. Perform the reference test either by configuring the DUT/SUT in
the most trivial setup (fast forwarding) or without the presence
of the DUT/SUT.
2. Generate traffic from traffic generator. Choose a traffic
profile used for the HTTP or HTTPS throughput performance test
with the smallest object size.
3. Ensure that any ancillary switching or routing functions added in
the test equipment do not limit the performance by introducing
network metrics such as packet loss and latency. This is
specifically important for virtualized components (e.g.,
vSwitches, vRouters).
4. Verify that the generated traffic (performance) of the test
equipment matches and reasonably exceeds the expected maximum
performance of the DUT/SUT.
5. Record the network performance metrics packet loss and latency
introduced by the test environment (without DUT/SUT).
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6. Assert that the testbed characteristics are stable during the
entire test session. Several factors might influence stability
specifically, for virtualized testbeds. For example, additional
workloads in a virtualized system, load balancing, and movement
of virtual machines during the test, or simple issues such as
additional heat created by high workloads leading to an emergency
CPU performance reduction.
The reference test MUST be performed before the benchmarking tests
(described in section 7) start.
6. Reporting
This section describes how the benchmarking test report should be
formatted and presented. It is RECOMMENDED to include two main
sections in the report: the introduction and the detailed test
results sections.
6.1. Introduction
The following attributes should be present in the introduction
section of the test report.
1. The time and date of the execution of the tests
2. Summary of testbed software and hardware details
a. DUT/SUT hardware/virtual configuration
* This section should clearly identify the make and model of
the DUT/SUT
* The port interfaces, including speed and link information
* If the DUT/SUT is a Virtual Network Function (VNF), host
(server) hardware and software details, interface
acceleration type such as DPDK and SR-IOV, used CPU cores,
used RAM, resource sharing (e.g. Pinning details and NUMA
Node) configuration details, hypervisor version, virtual
switch version
* details of any additional hardware relevant to the DUT/SUT
such as controllers
b. DUT/SUT software
* Operating system name
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* Version
* Specific configuration details (if any)
c. DUT/SUT enabled features
* Configured DUT/SUT features (see Table 2 and Table 3)
* Attributes of the above-mentioned features
* Any additional relevant information about the features
d. Test equipment hardware and software
* Test equipment vendor name
* Hardware details including model number, interface type
* Test equipment firmware and test application software
version
* If the test equipment is a virtual solution, the host
(server) hardware and software details, interface
acceleration type such as DPDK and SR-IOV, used CPU cores,
used RAM, resource sharing (e.g. Pinning details and NUMA
Node) configuration details, hypervisor version, virtual
switch version
e. Key test parameters
* Used cipher suites and keys
* IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distribution
* Number of configured ACL
* TCP, UDP stack parameter if tested
* QUIC, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 parameters if tested
f. Details of application traffic mix used in the benchmarking
test "Throughput Performance with Application Traffic Mix"
(Section 7.1)
* Name of applications and layer 7 protocols
* Percentage of emulated traffic for each application and
layer 7 protocols
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* Percentage of encrypted traffic and used cipher suites and
keys (The RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys are defined in
Section 4.3.1.4)
* Used object sizes for each application and layer 7
protocols
3. Results Summary / Executive Summary
a. Results should be presented with an introduction section
documenting the summary of results in a prominent, easy to
read block.
6.2. Detailed Test Results
In the result section of the test report, the following attributes
should be present for each benchmarking test.
a. KPIs MUST be documented separately for each benchmarking test.
The format of the KPI metrics MUST be presented as described in
Section 6.3.
b. The next level of detail should be graphs showing each of these
metrics over the duration (sustain phase) of the test. This
allows the user to see the measured performance stability changes
over time.
6.3. Benchmarks and Key Performance Indicators
This section lists key performance indicators (KPIs) for overall
benchmarking tests. All KPIs MUST be measured during the sustain
phase of the traffic load profile described in Section 4.3.4. Also,
the KPIs MUST be measured from the result output of test equipment.
* Concurrent TCP Connections
The aggregate number of simultaneous connections between hosts
across the DUT/SUT, or between hosts and the DUT/SUT (defined in
[RFC2647]).
* Concurrent QUIC Connections
The aggregate number of simultaneous connections between hosts
across the DUT/SUT.
* TCP Connections Per Second
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The average number of successfully established TCP connections per
second between hosts across the DUT/SUT, or between hosts and the
DUT/SUT. As described in Section 4.3.1.1, the TCP connections are
initiated by clients via a TCP three-way handshake (SYN, SYN/ACK,
ACK). Then the TCP session data is sent and then the TCP sessions
are closed via either a TCP three-way close (FIN, FIN/ACK, ACK) or
a TCP four-way close (FIN, ACK, FIN, ACK). The TCP sessions MUST
NOT be closed by RST.
* QUIC Connections Per Second
The average number of successfully established QUIC connections
per second between hosts across the DUT/SUT. As described in
Section 4.3.1.2, the QUIC connections are initiated by clients.
Then the data is sent and then the QUIC sessions are closed by
"immediate close" method.
Since QUIC specification defined in Section 4.3.1.2 recommends
disabling 0-RTT and early data, this KPI focused on 1-RTT
handshake. If required, 0-RTT can be also measured in separate
test runs while enabling 0-RTT and early data in the test
equipment.
* Application Transactions Per Second
The average number of successfully completed transactions per
second. For a particular transaction to be considered successful,
all data MUST have been transferred in its entirety. In case of
HTTP(S) transactions, it MUST have a valid status code (200 OK).
* TLS Handshake Rate
The average number of successfully established TLS connections per
second between hosts across the DUT/SUT, or between hosts and the
DUT/SUT.
For TLS1.3 the handshake rate can be measured with 0-RTT or 1-RTT
handshake. The transport protocol can be either TCP or QUIC.
* Inspected Throughput
The number of bits per second of examined and allowed traffic a
network security device is able to transmit to the correct
destination interface(s) in response to a specified offered load.
The throughput benchmarking tests defined in Section 7 SHOULD
measure the average Layer 2 throughput value when the DUT/SUT is
"inspecting" traffic. It is also acceptable to measure other OSI
Layer throughput. However, the measured layer (e.g. Layer 3
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throughput) MUST be noted in the report and the user MUST be aware
of the implication while comparing the throughput performance of
multiple DUT/SUTs measured in different OSI Layers. This document
recommends presenting the inspected throughput value in Gbit/s
rounded to two places of precision with a more specific Kbit/s in
parenthesis.
* Time to First Byte (TTFB)
TTFB is the elapsed time between the start of sending the TCP SYN
packet or QUIC initial Client Hello from the client and the client
receiving the first packet of application data from the server via
DUT/SUT. The benchmarking tests HTTP Transaction Latency
(Section 7.4) and HTTPS Transaction Latency (Section 7.8) measure
the minimum, average and maximum TTFB. The value should be
expressed in milliseconds.
* URL Response time / Time to Last Byte (TTLB)
URL Response time / TTLB is the elapsed time between the start of
sending the TCP SYN packet or QUIC initial Client Hello from the
client and the client receiving the last packet of application
data from the server via DUT/SUT. The benchmarking tests HTTP
Transaction Latency (Section 7.4) and HTTPS Transaction Latency
(Section 7.8) measure the minimum, average and maximum TTLB. The
value should be expressed in milliseconds.
7. Benchmarking Tests
This section mainly focuses on the benchmarking tests with HTTP/1.1
or HTTP/2 traffic which uses TCP as the transport protocol. In
particular, this section does not define specific benchmarking tests
for QUIC or HTTP/3 related KPIs. However, the test methodology
defined in the benchmarking tests TCP/QUIC Connections Per Second
with HTTPS Traffic (Section 7.6), HTTPS Transaction Latency
(Section 7.8), HTTPS Throughput (Section 7.7), and Concurrent TCP/
QUIC Connection Capacity with HTTPS Traffic (Section 7.9) can be used
to test QUIC or HTTP/3 related KPIs. The throughput performance test
with the application traffic mix defined in Section 7.1 can be
performed with any other application traffic including HTTP/3.
7.1. Throughput Performance with Application Traffic Mix
7.1.1. Objective
Using a relevant application traffic mix, determine the sustainable
inspected throughput supported by the DUT/SUT.
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Based on the test customer's specific use case, testers can choose
the relevant application traffic mix for this test. The details
about the traffic mix MUST be documented in the report. At least the
following traffic mix details MUST be documented and reported
together with the test results:
Name of applications and layer 7 protocols
Percentage of emulated traffic for each application and layer 7
protocol
Percentage of encrypted traffic and used cipher suites and keys
(The RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys are defined in Section 4.3.1.4.)
Used object sizes for each application and layer 7 protocols
7.1.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
benchmarking test specific testbed configuration changes MUST be
documented.
7.1.3. Test Parameters
In this section, the benchmarking test specific parameters are
defined.
7.1.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented. In case the DUT/SUT is
configured without TLS inspection, the test report MUST explain the
implications of this to the relevant application traffic mix
encrypted traffic.
7.1.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
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Target inspected throughput: Aggregated line rate of the
interface(s) used in the DUT/SUT or the value defined based on the
requirement for a specific deployment scenario
Initial throughput: 10% of the "Target inspected throughput" Note:
Initial throughput is not a KPI to report. This value is
configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1:
"Test Initialization and Qualification" described under
Section 7.1.4.
One of the ciphers and keys defined in Section 4.3.1.4 are
RECOMMENDED to use for this benchmarking test.
7.1.3.3. Traffic Profile
Traffic profile: This test MUST be run with a relevant application
traffic mix profile.
7.1.3.4. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions MUST be less than
0.001% (1 out of 100,000 transactions) of total attempted
transactions.
b. Number of Terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections.
c. If HTTP/3 is used, the number of failed QUIC connections due to
unexpected HTTP/3 error codes MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of
100,000 connections) of total initiated QUIC connections.
7.1.3.5. Measurement
The following KPI metrics MUST be reported for this benchmarking
test:
Mandatory KPIs (benchmarks): Inspected Throughput and Application
Transactions Per Second
Note: TTLB MUST be reported along with the object size used in the
traffic profile.
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Optional TCP stack related KPIs: TCP Connections Per Second, TLS
Handshake Rate, TTFB (minimum, average, and maximum), TTLB (minimum,
average, and maximum)
Optional QUIC stack related KPIs: QUIC connection per second and
concurrent QUIC connections
7.1.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedures are designed to measure the inspected throughput
performance of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the traffic
load profile. The test procedure consists of three major steps: Step
1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value (initial
throughput) and meets the test results validation criteria when it
was very minimally utilized. Step 2 determines whether the DUT/SUT
is able to reach the target performance value within the test results
validation criteria. Step 3 determines the maximum achievable
performance value within the test results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
types: IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
distribution.
7.1.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to generate
test traffic at the "Initial throughput" rate as described in
Section 7.1.3.2. The test equipment MUST follow the traffic load
profile definition as described in Section 4.3.4. The DUT/SUT MUST
reach the "Initial throughput" during the sustain phase. Measure all
KPI as defined in Section 7.1.3.5. The measured KPIs during the
sustain phase MUST meet all the test results validation criteria
defined in Section 7.1.3.4.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to step 2.
7.1.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to generate traffic at the "Target inspected
throughput" rate defined in Section 7.1.3.2. The test equipment MUST
follow the traffic load profile definition as described in
Section 4.3.4. The test equipment MUST start to measure and record
all specified KPIs. Continue the test until all traffic profile
phases are completed.
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Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective ("Target inspected
throughput") in the sustain phase. Follow step 3, if the measured
value does not meet the target value or does not fulfill the test
results validation criteria.
7.1.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable average inspected throughput within the test
results validation criteria. The final test iteration MUST be
performed for the test duration defined in Section 4.3.4.
7.2. TCP/HTTP Connections Per Second
7.2.1. Objective
Using HTTP traffic, determine the sustainable TCP connection
establishment rate supported by the DUT/SUT under different
throughput load conditions.
To measure connections per second, test iterations MUST use different
fixed HTTP response object sizes (the different load conditions)
defined in Section 7.2.3.2.
7.2.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.2.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
7.2.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.2.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
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Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
Target connections per second: Initial value from product datasheet
or the value defined based on the requirement for a specific
deployment scenario
Initial connections per second: 10% of "Target connections per
second" (Note: Initial connections per second is not a KPI to report.
This value is configured on the traffic generator and used to perform
Step1: "Test Initialization and Qualification" described under
Section 7.2.4.)
The client MUST negotiate HTTP and close the connection with FIN
immediately after the completion of one transaction. In each test
iteration, the client MUST send a GET request requesting a fixed HTTP
response object size.
The RECOMMENDED response object sizes are 1, 2, 4, 16, and 64 KByte.
7.2.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
Test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of total attempted transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections.
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
d. Concurrent TCP connections MUST be constant during steady state
and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be less than
10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes TCP connections at
approximately the same rate.
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7.2.3.4. Measurement
TCP Connections Per Second MUST be reported for each test iteration
(for each object size).
7.2.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure the TCP connections per
second rate of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the traffic
load profile. The test procedure consists of three major steps: Step
1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value (Initial
connections per second) and meets the test results validation
criteria when it was very minimally utilized. Step 2 determines
whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target performance value
within the test results validation criteria. Step 3 determines the
maximum achievable performance value within the test results
validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
types: IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
distribution.
7.2.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
"Initial connections per second" as defined in Section 7.2.3.2. The
traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.
The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial connections per second" before
the sustain phase. The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST
meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
Section 7.2.3.3.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT continue to "Step 2".
7.2.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
connections per second") defined in Section 7.2.3.2. The test
equipment MUST follow the traffic load profile definition as
described in Section 4.3.4.
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During the ramp up and sustain phase of each test iteration, other
KPIs such as inspected throughput, concurrent TCP connections, and
application transactions per second MUST NOT reach the maximum value
the DUT/SUT can support. The test results for specific test
iterations MUST NOT be reported as valid results if the above
mentioned KPI (especially inspected throughput) reaches the maximum
value. (Example: If the test iteration with 64 KByte of HTTP
response object size reached the maximum inspected throughput
limitation of the DUT/SUT, the test iteration MAY be interrupted and
the result for 64 KByte must not be reported.)
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
KPIs. Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
completed.
Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective ("Target
connections per second") in the sustain phase. Follow step 3, if the
measured value does not meet the target value or does not fulfill the
test results validation criteria.
7.2.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable TCP connections per second within the test
results validation criteria.
7.3. HTTP Throughput
7.3.1. Objective
Determine the sustainable inspected throughput of the DUT/SUT for
HTTP transactions varying the HTTP response object size.
7.3.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.3.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
7.3.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
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7.3.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
Target inspected throughput: Aggregated line rate of the interface(s)
used in the DUT/SUT or the value defined based on the requirement for
a specific deployment scenario
Initial throughput: 10% of "Target inspected throughput" Note:
Initial throughput is not a KPI to report. This value is configured
on the traffic generator and used to perform Step 1: "Test
Initialization and Qualification" described under Section 7.3.4.
Number of HTTP response object requests (transactions) per
connection: 10
RECOMMENDED HTTP response object size: 1, 16, 64, 256 KByte, and
mixed objects defined in Table 4.
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+=====================+============================+
| Object size (KByte) | Number of requests/ Weight |
+=====================+============================+
| 0.2 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 6 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 8 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 9 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 10 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 25 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 26 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 35 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 59 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
| 347 | 1 |
+---------------------+----------------------------+
Table 4: Mixed Objects
7.3.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of attempt transactions.
b. Traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant rate (considered as a
constant rate if any deviation of traffic forwarding rate is less
than 5%).
c. Concurrent TCP connections MUST be constant during steady state
and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be less than
10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes TCP connections at
approximately the same rate.
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7.3.3.4. Measurement
Inspected Throughput and HTTP Transactions per Second MUST be
reported for each object size.
7.3.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure HTTP throughput of the DUT/
SUT. The test procedure consists of three major steps: Step 1
ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value (Initial
throughput) and meets the test results validation criteria when it
was very minimal utilized. Step 2 determines whether the DUT/SUT is
able to reach the target performance value within the test results
validation criteria. Step 3 determines the maximum achievable
performance value within the test results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distribution and HTTP response object sizes.
7.3.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
"Initial inspected throughput" as defined in Section 7.3.3.2.
The traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in
Section 4.3.4. The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial inspected
throughput" during the sustain phase. Measure all KPI as defined in
Section 7.3.3.4.
The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet the test results
validation criteria "a" defined in Section 7.3.3.3. The test results
validation criteria "b" and "c" are OPTIONAL for step 1.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.3.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
inspected throughput") defined in Section 7.3.3.2. The test
equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified KPIs.
Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are completed.
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Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
phase. Follow step 3, if the measured value does not meet the target
value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.
7.3.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable inspected throughput within the test results
validation criteria and measure the KPI metric Transactions per
Second. The final test iteration MUST be performed for the test
duration defined in Section 4.3.4.
7.4. HTTP Transaction Latency
7.4.1. Objective
Using HTTP traffic, determine the HTTP transaction latency when DUT
is running with sustainable HTTP transactions per second supported by
the DUT/SUT under different HTTP response object sizes.
Test iterations MUST be performed with different HTTP response object
sizes in two different scenarios. One with a single transaction and
the other with multiple transactions within a single TCP connection.
For consistency, both the single and multiple transaction tests MUST
be configured with the same HTTP version
Scenario 1: The client MUST negotiate HTTP and close the connection
with FIN immediately after the completion of a single transaction
(GET and RESPONSE).
Scenario 2: The client MUST negotiate HTTP and close the connection
FIN immediately after the completion of 10 transactions (GET and
RESPONSE) within a single TCP connection.
7.4.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.4.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
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7.4.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.4.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
Target objective for scenario 1: 50% of the connections per second
measured in benchmarking test TCP/HTTP Connections Per Second
(Section 7.2)
Target objective for scenario 2: 50% of the inspected throughput
measured in benchmarking test HTTP Throughput (Section 7.3)
Initial objective for scenario 1: 10% of "Target objective for
scenario 1"
Initial objective for scenario 2: 10% of "Target objective for
scenario 2"
Note: The Initial objectives are not a KPI to report. These values
are configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step1:
"Test Initialization and Qualification" described under
Section 7.4.4.
HTTP transaction per TCP connection: Test scenario 1 with a single
transaction and test scenario 2 with 10 transactions.
HTTP with GET request requesting a single object. The RECOMMENDED
object sizes are 1, 16, and 64 KByte. For each test iteration, the
client MUST request a single HTTP response object size.
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7.4.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
Test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of attempt transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections.
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
d. Concurrent TCP connections MUST be constant during steady state
and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be less than
10%. This confirms the DUT opens and closes TCP connections at
approximately the same rate.
e. After ramp up the DUT MUST achieve the "Target objective" defined
in Section 7.4.3.2 and remain in that state for the entire test
duration (sustain phase).
7.4.3.4. Measurement
TTFB (minimum, average, and maximum) and TTLB (minimum, average, and
maximum) MUST be reported for each object size.
7.4.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure TTFB or TTLB when the DUT/
SUT is operating close to 50% of its maximum achievable connections
per second or inspected throughput. The test procedure consists of
two major steps: Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the
initial performance values and meets the test results validation
criteria when it was very minimally utilized. Step 2 measures the
latency values within the test results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
types (IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
distribution), HTTP response object sizes, and single and multiple
transactions per connection scenarios.
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7.4.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
the "Initial objective" as defined in Section 7.4.3.2. The traffic
load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.
The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial objective" before the sustain
phase. The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet all the
test results validation criteria defined in Section 7.4.3.3.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.4.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the "Target objective" defined
in Section 7.4.3.2. The test equipment MUST follow the traffic load
profile definition as described in Section 4.3.4.
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
KPIs. Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
completed.
Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT MUST reach
the desired value of the target objective in the sustain phase.
Measure the minimum, average, and maximum values of TTFB and TTLB.
7.5. Concurrent TCP/HTTP Connection Capacity
7.5.1. Objective
Determine the number of concurrent TCP connections that the DUT/ SUT
sustains when using HTTP traffic.
7.5.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.5.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
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7.5.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.5.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be noted for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
Target concurrent connection: Initial value from product datasheet
or the value defined based on the requirement for a specific
deployment scenario.
Initial concurrent connection: 10% of "Target concurrent
connection" Note: Initial concurrent connection is not a KPI to
report. This value is configured on the traffic generator and
used to perform Step1: "Test Initialization and Qualification"
described under Section 7.5.4.
Maximum connections per second during ramp up phase: 50% of
maximum connections per second measured in benchmarking test TCP/
HTTP Connections per second (Section 7.2)
Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Target concurrent
connection"): "Target concurrent connection" / "Maximum
connections per second during ramp up phase"
Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Initial concurrent
connection"): "Initial concurrent connection" / "Maximum
connections per second during ramp up phase"
The client MUST negotiate HTTP and each client MAY open multiple
concurrent TCP connections per server endpoint IP.
Each client sends 10 GET requests requesting 1 KByte HTTP response
object in the same TCP connection (10 transactions/TCP connection)
and the delay (think time) between each transaction MUST be X
seconds.
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X = ("Ramp up time" + "steady state time") /10
The established connections MUST remain open until the ramp down
phase of the test. During the ramp down phase, all connections MUST
be successfully closed with FIN.
7.5.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
Test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of total attempted transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections.
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
7.5.3.4. Measurement
Average Concurrent TCP Connections MUST be reported for this
benchmarking test.
7.5.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure the concurrent TCP
connection capacity of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the
traffic load profile. The test procedure consists of three major
steps: Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance
value (Initial concurrent connection) and meets the test results
validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized. Step 2
determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
performance value within the test results validation criteria. Step
3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions.
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7.5.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure test equipment to establish "Initial concurrent TCP
connections" defined in Section 7.5.3.2. Except ramp up time, the
traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.
During the sustain phase, the DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial
concurrent TCP connections". The measured KPIs during the sustain
phase MUST meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
Section 7.5.3.3.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.5.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
concurrent TCP connections"). The test equipment MUST follow the
traffic load profile definition (except ramp up time) as described in
Section 4.3.4.
During the ramp up and sustain phase, the other KPIs such as
inspected throughput, TCP connections per second, and application
transactions per second MUST NOT reach the maximum value the DUT/SUT
can support.
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record KPIs defined in
Section 7.5.3.4. Continue the test until all traffic profile phases
are completed.
Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
phase. Follow step 3, if the measured value does not meet the target
value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.
7.5.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable concurrent TCP connections capacity within
the test results validation criteria.
7.6. TCP/QUIC Connections per Second with HTTPS Traffic
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7.6.1. Objective
Using HTTPS traffic, determine the sustainable TLS session
establishment rate supported by the DUT/SUT under different
throughput load conditions.
Test iterations MUST include common cipher suites and key strengths
as well as forward looking stronger keys. Specific test iterations
MUST include ciphers and keys defined in Section 7.6.3.2.
For each cipher suite and key strengths, test iterations MUST use a
single HTTPS response object size defined in Section 7.6.3.2 to
measure connections per second performance under a variety of DUT/SUT
security inspection load conditions.
7.6.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.6.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
7.6.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.6.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
Target connections per second: Initial value from product datasheet
or the value defined based on the requirement for a specific
deployment scenario.
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Initial connections per second: 10% of "Target connections per
second" (Note: Initial connections per second is not a KPI to report.
This value is configured on the traffic generator and used to perform
Step1: "Test Initialization and Qualification" described under
Section 7.6.4.)
RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys defined in Section 4.3.1.4
The client MUST negotiate HTTPS and close the connection without
error immediately after the completion of one transaction. In each
test iteration, the client MUST send a GET request requesting a fixed
HTTPS response object size. The RECOMMENDED object sizes are 1, 2,
4, 16, and 64 KByte.
7.6.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
test duration.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of attempt transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections. If HTTP/3 is
used, the number of terminated QUIC connections due to unexpected
errors MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000 connections) of
total initiated QUIC connections.
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
d. Concurrent TCP connections generation rate MUST be constant
during steady state and any deviation of concurrent TCP
connections MUST be less than 10%. If HTTP/3 is used, the
concurrent QUIC connections generation rate MUST be constant
during steady state and any deviation of concurrent QUIC
connections MUST be less than 10%. This confirms the DUT opens
and closes connections at approximately the same rate.
7.6.3.4. Measurement
If HTTP 1.1 or HTTP/2 is used, TCP connections per second MUST be
reported for each test iteration (for each object size).
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If HTTP/3 is used, QUIC connections per second MUST be measured and
reported for each test iteration (for each object size).
The KPI metric TLS Handshake Rate can be measured in the test using 1
KByte object size.
7.6.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure the TCP or QUIC connections
per second rate of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the
traffic load profile. The test procedure consists of three major
steps: Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance
value (Initial connections per second) and meets the test results
validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized. Step 2
determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
performance value within the test results validation criteria. Step
3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions.
7.6.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
"Initial connections per second" as defined in Section 7.6.3.2. The
traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.
The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial connections per second" before
the sustain phase. The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST
meet all the test results validation criteria defined in
Section 7.6.3.3.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.6.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish "Target connections per second"
as defined in Section 7.6.3.2. The test equipment MUST follow the
traffic load profile definition as described in Section 4.3.4.
During the ramp up and sustain phase, other KPIs such as inspected
throughput, concurrent TCP/QUIC connections, and application
transactions per second MUST NOT reach the maximum value the DUT/SUT
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can support. The test results for the specific test iteration MUST
NOT be reported as valid results, if the above mentioned KPI
(especially inspected throughput) reaches the maximum value.
(Example: If the test iteration with 64 KByte of HTTPS response
object size reached the maximum inspected throughput limitation of
the DUT, the test iteration MAY be interrupted, and the result for 64
KByte should not be reported).
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
KPIs. Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
completed.
Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective ("Target
connections per second") in the sustain phase. Follow step 3, if the
measured value does not meet the target value or does not fulfill the
test results validation criteria.
7.6.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable connections per second within the test
results validation criteria.
7.7. HTTPS Throughput
7.7.1. Objective
Determine the sustainable inspected throughput of the DUT/SUT for
HTTPS transactions varying the HTTPS response object size.
Test iterations MUST include common cipher suites and key strengths
as well as forward looking stronger keys. Specific test iterations
MUST include the ciphers and keys defined in Section 7.7.3.2.
7.7.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.7.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
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7.7.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.7.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
Target inspected throughput: Aggregated line rate of the interface(s)
used in the DUT/SUT or the value defined based on the requirement for
a specific deployment scenario.
Initial throughput: 10% of "Target inspected throughput" Note:
Initial throughput is not a KPI to report. This value is configured
on the traffic generator and used to perform Step1: "Test
Initialization and Qualification" described under Section 7.7.4.
Number of HTTPS response object requests (transactions) per
connection: 10
RECOMMENDED ciphers and keys defined in Section 4.3.1.4
RECOMMENDED HTTPS response object size: 1, 16, 64, 256 KByte, and
mixed objects defined in Table 4 under Section 7.3.3.2.
7.7.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed Application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of attempt transactions.
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b. Traffic MUST be generated at a constant rate (considered as a
constant rate if any deviation of traffic forwarding rate is less
than 5%).
c. Concurrent generated TCP connections MUST be constant during
steady state and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST
be less than 10%. If HTTP/3 is used, the concurrent generated
QUIC connections MUST be constant during steady state and any
deviation of concurrent QUIC connections MUST be less than 10%.
This confirms the DUT opens and closes connections at
approximately the same rate.
7.7.3.4. Measurement
Inspected Throughput and HTTPS Transactions per Second MUST be
reported for each object size.
7.7.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure consists of three major steps: Step 1 ensures the
DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance value (Initial throughput)
and meets the test results validation criteria when it was very
minimally utilized. Step 2 determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to
reach the target performance value within the test results validation
criteria. Step 3 determines the maximum achievable performance value
within the test results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distribution and HTTPS response object sizes.
7.7.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
"Initial throughput" as defined in Section 7.7.3.2.
The traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in
Section 4.3.4. The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial throughput"
during the sustain phase. Measure all KPI as defined in
Section 7.7.3.4.
The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet the test results
validation criteria "a" defined in Section 7.7.3.3. The test results
validation criteria "b", and "c" are OPTIONAL for step 1.
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If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.7.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
inspected throughput") defined in Section 7.7.3.2. The test
equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified KPIs.
Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are completed.
Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
phase. Follow step 3, if the measured value does not meet the target
value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.
7.7.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable average inspected throughput within the test
results validation criteria. The final test iteration MUST be
performed for the test duration defined in Section 4.3.4.
7.8. HTTPS Transaction Latency
7.8.1. Objective
Using HTTPS traffic, determine the HTTPS transaction latency when
DUT/SUT is running with sustainable HTTPS transactions per second
supported by the DUT/SUT under different HTTPS response object sizes.
Scenario 1: The client MUST negotiate HTTPS and close the connection
immediately after the completion of a single transaction (GET and
RESPONSE).
Scenario 2: The client MUST negotiate HTTPS and close the connection
immediately after the completion of 10 transactions (GET and
RESPONSE) within a single TCP or QUIC connection.
7.8.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
7.8.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
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7.8.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.8.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
RECOMMENDED cipher suites and key sizes defined in Section 4.3.1.4
Target objective for scenario 1: 50% of the connections per second
measured in benchmarking test TCP/QUIC Connections per Second with
HTTPS Traffic (Section 7.6)
Target objective for scenario 2: 50% of the inspected throughput
measured in benchmarking test HTTPS Throughput (Section 7.7)
Initial objective for scenario 1: 10% of "Target objective for
scenario 1"
Initial objective for scenario 2: 10% of "Target objective for
scenario 2"
Note: The Initial objectives are not a KPI to report. These values
are configured on the traffic generator and used to perform Step1:
"Test Initialization and Qualification" described under
Section 7.8.4.
HTTPS transaction per TCP or QUIC connection: Test scenario 1 with a
single transaction and scenario 2 with 10 transactions
HTTPS with GET request requesting a single object. The RECOMMENDED
object sizes are 1, 16, and 64 KByte. For each test iteration, the
client MUST request a single HTTPS response object size.
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7.8.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
Test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of attempt transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections. If HTTP/3 is
used, the number of terminated QUIC connections due to unexpected
errors MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000 connections) of
total initiated QUIC connections.
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
d. Concurrent TCP or QUIC connections MUST be constant during steady
state and any deviation of concurrent TCP connections MUST be
less than 10%. If HTTP/3 is used, the concurrent generated QUIC
connections MUST be constant during steady state and any
deviation of concurrent QUIC connections MUST be less than 10%.
This confirms the DUT opens and closes connections at
approximately the same rate.
e. After ramp up the DUT/SUT MUST achieve the "Target objective"
defined in the parameter Section 7.8.3.2 and remain in that state
for the entire test duration (sustain phase).
7.8.3.4. Measurement
TTFB (minimum, average, and maximum) and TTLB (minimum, average, and
maximum) MUST be reported for each object size.
7.8.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure TTFB or TTLB when the DUT/
SUT is operating close to 50% of its maximum achievable connections
per second or inspected throughput. The test procedure consists of
two major steps: Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the
initial performance values and meets the test results validation
criteria when it was very minimally utilized. Step 2 measures the
latency values within the test results validation criteria.
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This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different IP
types (IPv4 only, IPv6 only, and IPv4 and IPv6 mixed traffic
distribution), HTTPS response object sizes, and single, and multiple
transactions per connection scenarios.
7.8.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure the traffic load profile of the test equipment to establish
the "Initial objective" as defined in Section 7.8.3.2. The traffic
load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.
The DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial objective" before the sustain
phase. The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet all the
test results validation criteria defined in Section 7.8.3.3.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.8.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the "Target objective" defined
in Section 7.8.3.2. The test equipment MUST follow the traffic load
profile definition as described in Section 4.3.4.
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
KPIs. Continue the test until all traffic profile phases are
completed.
Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT MUST reach
the desired value of the target objective in the sustain phase.
Measure the minimum, average, and maximum values of TTFB and TTLB.
7.9. Concurrent TCP/QUIC Connection Capacity with HTTPS Traffic
7.9.1. Objective
Determine the number of concurrent TCP/QUIC connections the DUT/SUT
sustains when using HTTPS traffic.
7.9.2. Test Setup
Testbed setup MUST be configured as defined in Section 4. Any
specific testbed configuration changes (number of interfaces and
interface type, etc.) MUST be documented.
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7.9.3. Test Parameters
In this section, benchmarking test specific parameters are defined.
7.9.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT parameters MUST conform to the requirements defined in
Section 4.2. Any configuration changes for this specific
benchmarking test MUST be documented.
7.9.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The following parameters MUST
be documented for this benchmarking test:
Client IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.1.3
Server IP address ranges defined in Section 4.3.2.3
Traffic distribution ratio between IPv4 and IPv6 defined in
Section 4.3.1.3
RECOMMENDED cipher suites and key sizes defined in Section 4.3.1.4
Target concurrent connections: Initial value from product
datasheet or the value defined based on the requirement for a
specific deployment scenario.
Initial concurrent connections: 10% of "Target concurrent
connections" Note: Initial concurrent connection is not a KPI to
report. This value is configured on the traffic generator and
used to perform Step1: "Test Initialization and Qualification"
described under Section 7.9.4.
Connections per second during ramp up phase: 50% of maximum
connections per second measured in benchmarking test TCP/QUIC
Connections per second with HTTPS Traffic (Section 7.6)
Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Target concurrent
connections"): "Target concurrent connections" / "Maximum
connections per second during ramp up phase"
Ramp up time (in traffic load profile for "Initial concurrent
connections"): "Initial concurrent connections" / "Maximum
connections per second during ramp up phase"
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The client MUST perform HTTPS transactions with persistence and each
client can open multiple concurrent connections per server endpoint
IP.
Each client sends 10 GET requests requesting 1 KByte HTTPS response
objects in the same TCP/QUIC connections (10 transactions/connection)
and the delay (think time) between each transaction MUST be X
seconds.
X = ("Ramp up time" + "steady state time") /10
The established connections MUST remain open until the ramp down
phase of the test. During the ramp down phase, all connections MUST
be successfully closed with FIN.
7.9.3.3. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
Test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
sustain phase of the traffic load profile.
a. Number of failed application transactions (receiving any HTTP
response code other than 200 OK) MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out
of 100,000 transactions) of total attempted transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP connections due to unexpected TCP RST
sent by DUT/SUT MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000
connections) of total initiated TCP connections. If HTTP/3 is
used, the number of terminated QUIC connections due to unexpected
errors MUST be less than 0.001% (1 out of 100,000 connections) of
total initiated QUIC connections
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
7.9.3.4. Measurement
Average Concurrent TCP or QUIC Connections MUST be reported for this
benchmarking test.
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7.9.4. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure the concurrent TCP
connection capacity of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the
traffic load profile. The test procedure consists of three major
steps: Step 1 ensures the DUT/SUT is able to reach the performance
value (Initial concurrent connection) and meets the test results
validation criteria when it was very minimally utilized. Step 2
determines whether the DUT/SUT is able to reach the target
performance value within the test results validation criteria. Step
3 determines the maximum achievable performance value within the test
results validation criteria.
This test procedure MAY be repeated multiple times with different
IPv4 and IPv6 traffic distributions.
7.9.4.1. Step 1: Test Initialization and Qualification
Verify the link status of all connected physical interfaces. All
interfaces are expected to be in "UP" status.
Configure test equipment to establish "Initial concurrent TCP
connections" defined in Section 7.9.3.2. Except ramp up time, the
traffic load profile MUST be defined as described in Section 4.3.4.
During the sustain phase, the DUT/SUT MUST reach the "Initial
concurrent connections". The measured KPIs during the sustain phase
MUST meet the test results validation criteria "a", and "b" defined
in Section 7.9.3.3.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the test results validation criteria,
the test procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
7.9.4.2. Step 2: Test Run with Target Objective
Configure test equipment to establish the target objective ("Target
concurrent connections"). The test equipment MUST follow the traffic
load profile definition (except ramp up time) as described in
Section 4.3.4.
During the ramp up and sustain phase, the other KPIs such as
inspected throughput, TCP or QUIC connections per second, and
application transactions per second MUST NOT reach the maximum value
that the DUT/SUT can support.
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record KPIs defined in
Section 7.9.3.4. Continue the test until all traffic profile phases
are completed.
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Within the test results validation criteria, the DUT/SUT is expected
to reach the desired value of the target objective in the sustain
phase. Follow step 3, if the measured value does not meet the target
value or does not fulfill the test results validation criteria.
7.9.4.3. Step 3: Test Iteration
Determine the achievable concurrent TCP/QUIC connections within the
test results validation criteria.
8. IANA Considerations
This document makes no specific request of IANA.
The IANA has assigned IPv4 and IPv6 address blocks in [RFC6890] that
have been registered for special purposes. The IPv6 address block
2001:2::/48 has been allocated for the purpose of IPv6 Benchmarking
[RFC5180] and the IPv4 address block 198.18.0.0/15 has been allocated
for the purpose of IPv4 Benchmarking [RFC2544]. This assignment was
made to minimize the chance of conflict in case a testing device were
to be accidentally connected to the part of the Internet.
9. Security Considerations
The primary goal of this document is to provide benchmarking
terminology and methodology for next-generation network security
devices for use in a laboratory isolated test environment. However,
readers should be aware that there is some overlap between
performance and security issues. Specifically, the optimal
configuration for network security device performance may not be the
most secure, and vice-versa. Testing security platforms with working
exploits and malware carries risks. Ensure proper access controls
are implemented to prevent unintended exposure to vulnerable networks
or systems. The cipher suites recommended in this document are for
test purposes only. The cipher suite recommendation for a real
deployment is outside the scope of this document.
Security assessment of an NGFW/NGIPS product could also include an
analysis whether any type of uncommon traffic characteristics would
have a significant impact on performance. Such performance impacts
would allow an attacker to use such specifically crafted traffic as a
DoS attack to reduce the remaining performance available to other
traffic through the NGFW/NGIPS. Such uncommon traffic
characteristics might include for example IP fragmented traffic,
specific type of application traffic, or uncommonly high HTTP
transaction rate traffic.
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10. Contributors
The following individuals contributed significantly to the creation
of this document:
Alex Samonte, Amritam Putatunda, Aria Eslambolchizadeh, Chao Guo,
Chris Brown, Cory Ford, David DeSanto, Jurrie Van Den Breekel,
Michelle Rhines, Mike Jack, Ryan Liles, Samaresh Nair, Stephen
Goudreault, Tim Carlin, and Tim Otto.
11. Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge the members of NetSecOPEN for their
participation in the creation of this document. Additionally, the
following members need to be acknowledged:
Anand Vijayan, Chris Marshall, Jay Lindenauer, Michael Shannon, Mike
Deichman, Ryan Riese, and Toulnay Orkun.
12. References
12.1. Normative References
[RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.
[RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.
12.2. Informative References
[fastly] Oku, K. and J. Iyengar, "Can QUIC match TCP's
computational efficiency?", 30 April 2020,
<https://www.fastly.com/blog/measuring-quic-vs-tcp-
computational-efficiency>.
[RFC2544] Bradner, S. and J. McQuaid, "Benchmarking Methodology for
Network Interconnect Devices", RFC 2544,
DOI 10.17487/RFC2544, March 1999,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2544>.
[RFC2647] Newman, D., "Benchmarking Terminology for Firewall
Performance", RFC 2647, DOI 10.17487/RFC2647, August 1999,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2647>.
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[RFC3511] Hickman, B., Newman, D., Tadjudin, S., and T. Martin,
"Benchmarking Methodology for Firewall Performance",
RFC 3511, DOI 10.17487/RFC3511, April 2003,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3511>.
[RFC5180] Popoviciu, C., Hamza, A., Van de Velde, G., and D.
Dugatkin, "IPv6 Benchmarking Methodology for Network
Interconnect Devices", RFC 5180, DOI 10.17487/RFC5180, May
2008, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5180>.
[RFC6815] Bradner, S., Dubray, K., McQuaid, J., and A. Morton,
"Applicability Statement for RFC 2544: Use on Production
Networks Considered Harmful", RFC 6815,
DOI 10.17487/RFC6815, November 2012,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6815>.
[RFC6890] Cotton, M., Vegoda, L., Bonica, R., Ed., and B. Haberman,
"Special-Purpose IP Address Registries", BCP 153,
RFC 6890, DOI 10.17487/RFC6890, April 2013,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6890>.
[RFC8200] Deering, S. and R. Hinden, "Internet Protocol, Version 6
(IPv6) Specification", STD 86, RFC 8200,
DOI 10.17487/RFC8200, July 2017,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8200>.
[RFC8446] Rescorla, E., "The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol
Version 1.3", RFC 8446, DOI 10.17487/RFC8446, August 2018,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8446>.
[RFC9000] Iyengar, J., Ed. and M. Thomson, Ed., "QUIC: A UDP-Based
Multiplexed and Secure Transport", RFC 9000,
DOI 10.17487/RFC9000, May 2021,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9000>.
[RFC9001] Thomson, M., Ed. and S. Turner, Ed., "Using TLS to Secure
QUIC", RFC 9001, DOI 10.17487/RFC9001, May 2021,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9001>.
[RFC9002] Iyengar, J., Ed. and I. Swett, Ed., "QUIC Loss Detection
and Congestion Control", RFC 9002, DOI 10.17487/RFC9002,
May 2021, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9002>.
[RFC9113] Thomson, M., Ed. and C. Benfield, Ed., "HTTP/2", RFC 9113,
DOI 10.17487/RFC9113, June 2022,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9113>.
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[RFC9114] Bishop, M., Ed., "HTTP/3", RFC 9114, DOI 10.17487/RFC9114,
June 2022, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9114>.
[RFC9204] Krasic, C., Bishop, M., and A. Frindell, Ed., "QPACK:
Field Compression for HTTP/3", RFC 9204,
DOI 10.17487/RFC9204, June 2022,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9204>.
[RFC9293] Eddy, W., Ed., "Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)",
STD 7, RFC 9293, DOI 10.17487/RFC9293, August 2022,
<https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc9293>.
[Undertow] "An in depth overview of HTTP/2",
<https://undertow.io/blog/2015/04/27/An-in-depth-overview-
of-HTTP2.html>.
[Wiki-NGFW]
"",
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next-generation_firewall>.
Appendix A. Test Methodology - Security Effectiveness Evaluation
A.1. Test Objective
This test methodology verifies the DUT/SUT is able to detect,
prevent, and report the vulnerabilities.
In this test, background test traffic will be generated to utilize
the DUT/SUT. In parallel, a number of malicious traffic will be sent
to the DUT/SUT as encrypted and as well as clear text payload formats
using a traffic generator. Section 4.2.1 defines the selection of
the malicious traffic from the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
(CVE) list for testing.
The following KPIs are measured in this test:
* Number of blocked CVEs
* Number of bypassed (nonblocked) CVEs
* Background traffic performance (verify if the background traffic
is impacted while sending CVE toward DUT/SUT)
* Accuracy of DUT/SUT statistics in terms of vulnerabilities
reporting
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A.2. Testbed Setup
The same testbed MUST be used for security effectiveness tests and as
well as for benchmarking test cases defined in Section 7.
A.3. Test Parameters
In this section, the benchmarking test specific parameters are
defined.
A.3.1. DUT/SUT Configuration Parameters
DUT/SUT configuration parameters MUST conform to the requirements
defined in Section 4.2. The same DUT configuration MUST be used for
the security effectiveness test and as well as for benchmarking test
cases defined in Section 7. The DUT/SUT MUST be configured in inline
mode and all detected attack traffic MUST be dropped and the session
MUST be reset
A.3.2. Test Equipment Configuration Parameters
Test equipment configuration parameters MUST conform to the
requirements defined in Section 4.3. The same client and server IP
ranges MUST be configured as used in the benchmarking test cases. In
addition, the following parameters MUST be documented for this
benchmarking test:
* Background Traffic: 45% of maximum HTTP throughput and 45% of
Maximum HTTPS throughput supported by the DUT/SUT (measured with
object size 64 KByte in the benchmarking tests "HTTP(S)
Throughput" defined in Section 7.3 and Section 7.7).
* RECOMMENDED CVE traffic transmission Rate: 10 CVEs per second
* It is RECOMMENDED to generate each CVE multiple times
(sequentially) at 10 CVEs per second
* Ciphers and keys for the encrypted CVE traffic MUST use the same
cipher configured for HTTPS traffic related benchmarking tests
(Section 7.6 - Section 7.9)
A.4. Test Results Validation Criteria
The following criteria are the test results validation criteria. The
test results validation criteria MUST be monitored during the whole
test duration.
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a. Number of failed application transactions in the background
traffic MUST be less than 0.01% of attempted transactions.
b. Number of terminated TCP or QUIC connections of the background
traffic (due to unexpected errors) MUST be less than 0.01% of
total initiated TCP connections in the background traffic.
c. During the sustain phase, traffic MUST be forwarded at a constant
rate (considered as a constant rate if any deviation of traffic
forwarding rate is less than 5%).
d. False positive MUST NOT occur in the background traffic.
A.5. Measurement
The following KPI metrics MUST be reported for this test scenario:
Mandatory KPIs:
* Blocked CVEs: They MUST be represented in the following ways:
- Number of blocked CVEs out of total CVEs
- Percentage of blocked CVEs
* Unblocked CVEs: They MUST be represented in the following ways:
- Number of unblocked CVEs out of total CVEs
- Percentage of unblocked CVEs
* Background traffic behavior: It MUST be represented in one of the
followings ways:
- No impact: Considered as "no impact'" if any deviation of
traffic forwarding rate is less than or equal to 5 % (constant
rate)
- Minor impact: Considered as "minor impact" if any deviation of
traffic forwarding rate is greater than 5% and less than or
equal to10% (i.e. small spikes)
- Heavily impacted: Considered as "Heavily impacted" if any
deviation of traffic forwarding rate is greater than 10% (i.e.
large spikes) or reduced the background HTTP(S) throughput
greater than 10%
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* DUT/SUT reporting accuracy: DUT/SUT MUST report all detected
vulnerabilities.
Optional KPIs:
* List of unblocked CVEs
A.6. Test Procedures and Expected Results
The test procedure is designed to measure the security effectiveness
of the DUT/SUT at the sustaining period of the traffic load profile.
The test procedure consists of two major steps. This test procedure
MAY be repeated multiple times with different IPv4 and IPv6 traffic
distributions.
A.6.1. Step 1: Background Traffic
Generate background traffic at the transmission rate defined in
Appendix A.3.2.
The DUT/SUT MUST reach the target objective (HTTP(S) throughput) in
sustain phase. The measured KPIs during the sustain phase MUST meet
all the test results validation criteria defined in Appendix A.4.
If the KPI metrics do not meet the acceptance criteria, the test
procedure MUST NOT be continued to "Step 2".
A.6.2. Step 2: CVE Emulation
While generating background traffic (in sustain phase), send the CVE
traffic as defined in the parameter section.
The test equipment MUST start to measure and record all specified
KPIs. Continue the test until all CVEs are sent.
The measured KPIs MUST meet all the test results validation criteria
defined in Appendix A.4.
In addition, the DUT/SUT should either report the detected
vulnerabilities in the log correctly or if, for example, a different
naming convention is used, there MUST be reference material available
that will allow for verification that the correct vulnerability was
detected. This reference material MUST be cited in the report.
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Appendix B. DUT/SUT Classification
This document aims to classify the DUT/SUT into four different
categories based on its maximum supported firewall throughput
performance number defined in the vendor datasheet. This
classification MAY help users to determine specific configuration
scales (e.g., number of ACL entries), traffic profiles, and attack
traffic profiles, scaling those proportionally to DUT/SUT sizing
category.
The four different categories are Extra Small (XS), Small (S), Medium
(M), and Large (L). The RECOMMENDED throughput values for the
following categories are:
Extra Small (XS) - Supported throughput less than or equal to1Gbit/s
Small (S) - Supported throughput greater than 1Gbit/s and less than
or equal to 5Gbit/s
Medium (M) - Supported throughput greater than 5Gbit/s and less than
or equal to 10Gbit/s
Large (L) - Supported throughput greater than 10Gbit/s
Authors' Addresses
Balamuhunthan Balarajah
Berlin
Germany
Email: bm.balarajah@gmail.com
Carsten Rossenhoevel
EANTC AG
Salzufer 14
10587 Berlin
Germany
Email: cross@eantc.de
Brian Monkman
NetSecOPEN
417 Independence Court
Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
United States of America
Email: bmonkman@netsecopen.org
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