how to measure RDP bandwidth

[d***@skillsoft.com]

Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users. I've
tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated,

Derek

[Justin Brown - SYNACS]

If you can do this hands-on, I always like opening the client
computer's Task Manager (network tab), with the "Always on top" option
checked. It's not a scientific method, nor does it give you anything
more than what you are consuming, at that moment, but it is an instant
look at bandwidth consumption as it applies to your network connection.


Make sure there is no other local network activity going on; i.e.
anti-virus updates, websites with auto-refresh, download managers,
local services like file/printer shares etc.

Post by d***@skillsoft.com
Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users. I've
tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Derek

[Pleadwell]

Hi Justin,
Thanks for this suggestion. Unfortunately I don't have hands-on access
and need some type of report that I can analyze and determine some
metrics.
Derek

Post by Justin Brown - SYNACS
If you can do this hands-on, I always like opening the client
computer's Task Manager (network tab), with the "Always on top" option
checked. It's not a scientific method, nor does it give you anything
more than what you are consuming, at that moment, but it is an instant
look at bandwidth consumption as it applies to your network connection.
Make sure there is no other local network activity going on; i.e.
anti-virus updates, websites with auto-refresh, download managers,
local services like file/printer shares etc.

Post by d***@skillsoft.com
Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users. I've
tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Derek

[f***@gmail.com]

I did much the same test as you did Derek however in performance
monitor I used:
\\ServerName\Network Interface\InterfaceName\Bytes Received per Sec
\\ServerName\Network Interface\InterfaceName\Bytes Sent per Sec
\\ServerName\Network Interface\InterfaceName\Bytes Total per Sec

In setting up the test, I set up the counter from one remote session
and then disconnected it. Then started another session with the
session configuration the way I wanted it and performed the test. Then
connected to the first session (the admin one) and collected the
results.

The bad side to this method, is you have to make sure that there is no
additional traffic being generated i.e. from AV software, etc as the
previous poster mentions and that your testing session is the only
connected session.

When I compared this method to the same method you used, I found that
bandwidth utilization appeared to be about 10% higher than the session
network numbers showed. Although I'm not sure about this, I assume
that it is related to additional traffic generated by overhead.

Hope that helps...BTW, this is the same methodology MS suggests in the
following document:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/tsscaling.mspx

Cheers, Jef

Post by Pleadwell
Hi Justin,
Thanks for this suggestion. Unfortunately I don't have hands-on access
and need some type of report that I can analyze and determine some
metrics.
Derek

Post by Justin Brown - SYNACS
If you can do this hands-on, I always like opening the client
computer's Task Manager (network tab), with the "Always on top" option
checked. It's not a scientific method, nor does it give you anything
more than what you are consuming, at that moment, but it is an instant
look at bandwidth consumption as it applies to your network connection.
Make sure there is no other local network activity going on; i.e.
anti-virus updates, websites with auto-refresh, download managers,
local services like file/printer shares etc.

Post by d***@skillsoft.com
Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users. I've
tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Derek

[Ivan Brugiolo [MSFT]]

The Terminal Server Perfomance counters show the raw bytes incoming and
outgoing
and, they do not consider the underlying transport overhead.
This was done because the transport can be IPv4, IPv6 and network-named-pipe
(in case you have a shadowed session), and, the transport overhed is not
know.
--
--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of any included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm

Post by f***@gmail.com
I did much the same test as you did Derek however in performance
\\ServerName\Network Interface\InterfaceName\Bytes Received per Sec
\\ServerName\Network Interface\InterfaceName\Bytes Sent per Sec
\\ServerName\Network Interface\InterfaceName\Bytes Total per Sec
In setting up the test, I set up the counter from one remote session
and then disconnected it. Then started another session with the
session configuration the way I wanted it and performed the test. Then
connected to the first session (the admin one) and collected the
results.
The bad side to this method, is you have to make sure that there is no
additional traffic being generated i.e. from AV software, etc as the
previous poster mentions and that your testing session is the only
connected session.
When I compared this method to the same method you used, I found that
bandwidth utilization appeared to be about 10% higher than the session
network numbers showed. Although I'm not sure about this, I assume
that it is related to additional traffic generated by overhead.
Hope that helps...BTW, this is the same methodology MS suggests in the
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/tsscaling.mspx
Cheers, Jef

Post by Pleadwell
Hi Justin,
Thanks for this suggestion. Unfortunately I don't have hands-on access
and need some type of report that I can analyze and determine some
metrics.
Derek

Post by Justin Brown - SYNACS
If you can do this hands-on, I always like opening the client
computer's Task Manager (network tab), with the "Always on top" option
checked. It's not a scientific method, nor does it give you anything
more than what you are consuming, at that moment, but it is an instant
look at bandwidth consumption as it applies to your network connection.
Make sure there is no other local network activity going on; i.e.
anti-virus updates, websites with auto-refresh, download managers,
local services like file/printer shares etc.

Post by d***@skillsoft.com
Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users. I've
tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Derek

[TP]

Hi Derek,

You can use Network Monitor (netmon) for this. You can install
it on your server through add/remove windows components.

Before starting the capture:

- Choose Capture-->Buffer settings and increase the buffer size,
for example, 256 Megs.

- Choose Capture-->Trigger, check Buffer space, 100%, and Stop Capture.

- Choose Capture-->Filter, Create two pattern matches, connected by
an Or condition. One for offset of 0x22 with a pattern of 0d3d and
a second one with an offset of 0x24 with a pattern of 0d3d

Effectively what the above pattern match does is say to only capture
data with a source or destination port of 3389 (default for RDP)

- Click the start capture button, do a quick check of the Captured
Statistics section (the numbers should be increasing), and then
minimize netmon. You want to minimize netmon because the
updating of its display will generate rdp traffic thus skewing the
numbers.

Check back later to view your results. Netmon will stop capturing
automatically when it has captured approximately 256 Megs of
RDP traffic. You can look at the elapsed time, captured frames,
captured bytes, and calculate bandwidth statistics from this.

If you like you can adjust your filtering so that you only capture
packets from certain ip addresses.

-TP

Post by d***@skillsoft.com
Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users.
I've tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Derek

[Pleadwell]

Thanks folks, I tried the performance monitor method but it just seems
off. Netmon sounds like a runner for a true representation but it
isn't included with XP anymore (from what I can tell). Still searching
...

Post by TP
Hi Derek,
You can use Network Monitor (netmon) for this. You can install
it on your server through add/remove windows components.
- Choose Capture-->Buffer settings and increase the buffer size,
for example, 256 Megs.
- Choose Capture-->Trigger, check Buffer space, 100%, and Stop Capture.
- Choose Capture-->Filter, Create two pattern matches, connected by
an Or condition. One for offset of 0x22 with a pattern of 0d3d and
a second one with an offset of 0x24 with a pattern of 0d3d
Effectively what the above pattern match does is say to only capture
data with a source or destination port of 3389 (default for RDP)
- Click the start capture button, do a quick check of the Captured
Statistics section (the numbers should be increasing), and then
minimize netmon. You want to minimize netmon because the
updating of its display will generate rdp traffic thus skewing the
numbers.
Check back later to view your results. Netmon will stop capturing
automatically when it has captured approximately 256 Megs of
RDP traffic. You can look at the elapsed time, captured frames,
captured bytes, and calculate bandwidth statistics from this.
If you like you can adjust your filtering so that you only capture
packets from certain ip addresses.
-TP

Post by d***@skillsoft.com
Hello, I'm trying to measure RDP bandwidth (only) on remote users.
I've tried using the Performance Monitor and setting up counters with
terminal service sessions and input/output bytes and performing
calculations but it just doesn't appear as returning correct data.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated,
Derek

[TP]

Hi Derek,

My instructions are for running netmon on your 2003
server. You can limit your capture to a specific ip
address if you need to, that way you can see the
RDP bandwidth for a particular user.

You can use netcap.exe on an XP workstation. It is a
command line version of netmon.

-TP

Post by Pleadwell
Thanks folks, I tried the performance monitor method but it just seems
off. Netmon sounds like a runner for a true representation but it
isn't included with XP anymore (from what I can tell). Still searching
...