High-Speed Traffic Generation and Per- formance Evaluation: A Compara- tive Study of Pktgen-DPDK, MoonGen, Trex, and FastClick

Details

Supervisors

Barbette, Tom ; Delzotti, Clément

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] en cybersécurité, à finalité spécialisée: conception et analyse de systèmes

Abstract

High-speed network traffic generation plays a critical role in evaluating the performance and reliability of modern communication systems. This thesis presents a comprehensive comparative study of four prominent traffic generation frameworks: Pktgen-DPDK, Moon- Gen, Trex and FastClick. The primary objective is to assess their capabilities in terms of maximum throughput, latency, zero-loss throughput and trace replay functionality. The experimental phase involves using tailored test programs to evaluate each framework’s performance across a series of controlled benchmarks. Key metrics are gathered and ana- lyzed to provide a clear understanding of the strengths and limitations of each tool. The evaluation draws guidance from RFC 2544, ensuring standardized and reproducible testing methodologies. In addition to performance benchmarking, the thesis explores the practical considerations of deploying each framework, including ease of use, hardware compatibility and config- uration complexity. A detailed analysis of packet distribution patterns accompanies the performance results, offering insights into the efficiency and accuracy of each generator in high-speed environments. By leveraging resources such as Grid5000 and consulting domain experts, this work aims to provide valuable recommendations for selecting the most appropriate traffic generation solution for high-performance networking scenarios. The findings contribute to the broader field of network systems research, offering a practical guide for both academia and industry in the pursuit of reliable, scalable and efficient traffic generation. This study not only highlights the technological advancements in packet processing but also identifies areas for future optimization and development, ultimately advancing the state of the art in high-speed network performance evaluation. Keywords: Packets Generation, traffic generation, High-Speed Traffic, DPDK, FastClick, Pktgen-DPKD, Trex, Moongen, RFC 2544, network benchmarking