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I have the tcpdump data for the below mentioned command.This is to perform a test on the network to derive the bits per second.

Is it possible?

sudo ping6 fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:59:324e -c 10 -i .31725 -s 1380

10:32:54.018311 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 1
10:32:54.345171 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 2
10:32:54.431781 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 1
10:32:54.663184 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 3
10:32:54.990158 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 4
10:32:55.159673 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 2
10:32:55.307085 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 5
10:32:55.440499 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 3
10:32:55.624918 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 6
10:32:55.759089 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 4
10:32:55.942495 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 7
10:32:56.072568 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 5
10:32:56.258977 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 8
10:32:56.356262 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 6
10:32:56.576711 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 9
10:32:56.647326 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 7
10:32:56.894798 IP6 (hlim 64, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23 > fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo request, length 1388, seq 10
10:32:56.910677 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 8
10:32:57.291548 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 9
10:32:57.516760 IP6 (hlim 61, next-header ICMPv6 (58) payload length: 1388) fd9c:b4f9:3108:1045:213:5003:44:1af4 > fd9c:b4f9:3765:b8f1:172:30:128:23: [icmp6 sum ok] ICMP6, echo reply, length 1388, seq 10

Adding the result for verification: enter image description here

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2
  • I just did a quick search and found that this formula can give me the bits per second value. Packet size *number of ping packets/total time taken. In this case it will be 1388 byte to bit = 11104. 11104*10(10 ping packets)/3.499= 31734 bits/sec. Can someone confirm this?
    – Maverick
    Commented May 22, 2018 at 5:13
  • 1
    Ping uses ICMP, which is a low-priority protocol. Very few things use ICMP, and ping only measures the throughput of ICMP. Other traffic, e.g. TCP or UDP, will not perform the same way, or have the same throughput, as ICMP. Ping is simply to test connectivity, not give you a throughput measurement.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Commented May 22, 2018 at 10:39

1 Answer 1

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5

ICMP has got an overhead of 8 bytes, IPv6 of 40 bytes, (assumed, untagged) Ethernet of 38 bytes. With a payload length of 1388 bytes, the total per packet is 11,792 bits on the wire.

Ping doesn't usually saturate the channel, so you'd "measure" significantly less than the network bandwidth capacity.

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3
  • Thanks for your input Zac. I have specifically used a very small interval of .31725,Even then do you think it will not saturate the channel? If not,I might have to open multiple streams of data with iperf/ping to saturate the channel.
    – Maverick
    Commented May 22, 2018 at 7:50
  • 1
    11792 bit / .31725 ms ~= 37 Mbit/s. You should use a more suitable tool to really measure bandwidth like e.g. iperf.
    – Zac67 ♦
    Commented May 22, 2018 at 8:12
  • I have mentioned the intended interval defined in ping as .3172 but the actual response time was different in the test.I have updated the results I have derived from the test.Can you check whether my understanding is correct? In any case,As you suggested I'm planning to run iperf between the two hosts to calculate the actual throughput.
    – Maverick
    Commented May 22, 2018 at 11:45

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