Abstract

3Com commissioned Tolly to provide independent performance certification of NETBuilder II APPN Routing along with interoperability and remote access tests.

This test demonstrated interoperability with IBM OS/2 APPN Network Nodes. Performance testing was done across T1 and E1 links as well as with Token Ring networking. 

This Tolly Group report benchmarks Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) routing on the 3Com NETBuilder II and validates both its throughput performance and interoperability in mixed IBM and 3Com environments. Commissioned by 3Com and tested in March and April 1994, the evaluation examined the NETBuilder II running an evaluation release of APPN software. Tolly certified that the platform provided T1, token ring, and FDDI capability, supported interoperability with IBM OS/2 APPN network nodes, and enabled remote access through a NETBuilder Token Ring Remote Control router. 

The primary performance benchmark focused on APPN-routed SNA APPC traffic between two token-ring networks connected over a T1 link. Using a single APPN session, Tolly measured throughput at SNA Request/Receive Unit sizes of 512, 1,024, 2,048, and 4,096 bytes. As shown in the chart on page 1, throughput scaled upward from 0.967Mbit/s at 512-byte RU size to 1.031Mbit/s at 1,024 bytes, 1.139Mbit/s at 2,048 bytes, and 1.457Mbit/s at 4,096 bytes. The report states that APPN routing was able to fully saturate a T1 link, with E1 performance tracking proportionally to the T1 results. 

Tolly also verified functionality beyond simple serial-link throughput. The NETBuilder II successfully routed APPN traffic between two 16Mbit/s token-ring LANs across an FDDI backbone, and it interoperated with an IBM network node during successful APPC file-transfer testing. In addition, the lab demonstrated token-ring remote access to the APPN environment across a 56Kbit/s link through the NETBuilder Token Ring Remote Control router. The functionality and interoperability topology is illustrated in the diagram on page 4. 

The test bed used two 3Com NETBuilder II routers, IBM 8228 token-ring MAUs, OS/2 SNA/APPC client and server systems, and a Network General Expert Sniffer for throughput and traffic monitoring. The platform under test supported 4 or 16Mbit/s token-ring media, STP and UTP cabling, APPN, TCP/IP, XNS, LLC2 tunneling, and IPX, along with routing protocols including LAPB, PLG, OSPF, and RIP. Overall, the report presents the 3Com NETBuilder II as a solid APPN routing platform for serial, token-ring, and FDDI internetworking environments.