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Install TRex

This is a simple description of the procedure to install the traffic generator TRex. The detailed documentation for TRex can be found here. This is intended as a preparation for measuring the performance of open source UPFs.

Sample Configurations and Miscellaneous for Mobile Network

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Table of Contents

• Simple Overview of TRex and DUT (UPF)
• Install TRex
  • Install required packages
  • Install TRex
• Setup TRex
  • Check network devices and bus information
  • Create configuration file
  • Create load profile
  • Set kernel parameter
• Run TRex
• Sample Configurations
• Changelog (summary)

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Simple Overview of TRex and DUT (UPF)

This describes a simple configuration of TRex and DUT (UPF). Note that this configuration is implemented with Proxmox VE VMs.

The following minimum configuration was set as a condition.

• One TRex and DUT (UPF)

The built simulation environment is as follows.

<img src="./images/network-overview.png" title="./images/network-overview.png" width=700px></img>

The TRex used is as follows.

• TRex v3.06 (2024.09.17) - https://github.com/cisco-system-traffic-generator/trex-core

Each VMs are as follows.

The network interfaces of each VM are as follows.

Linux Bridges of Proxmox VE are as follows.

UE IP address and TEID are as follows.

<a id="install"></a>

Install TRex

Please refer to the following for installing TRex.

• TRex v3.06 (2024.09.17) - https://trex-tgn.cisco.com/trex/doc/trex_manual.html#_download_and_installation

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Install required packages

# apt install python3 python3-pip
# pip3 install scapy-python3

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Install TRex

This section explains how to install v3.06 to /opt/trex directory.

First, download v3.06 and extract it to the specified directory.

# cd /opt
# wget --no-check-certificate https://trex-tgn.cisco.com/trex/release/v3.06.tar.gz
# tar xfvz v3.06.tar.gz 
# mv v3.06 trex

Then fix a bug in dpdk_setup_ports.py script when mounting hugepages.

# cd /opt
# wget https://github.com/cisco-system-traffic-generator/trex-core/commit/d7c4e407b926db6f26736a4db6932c691cfaf80a.diff
# cd trex
# patch  < ../d7c4e407b926db6f26736a4db6932c691cfaf80a.diff

<a id="setup"></a>

Setup TRex

<a id="check"></a>

Check network devices and bus information

First, check the network devices and bus information of the installation machine.

# lshw -c network -businfo
Bus info          Device      Class      Description
====================================================
pci@0000:00:12.0              network    Virtio network device
virtio@1          ens18       network    Ethernet interface
pci@0000:00:13.0              network    Virtio network device
virtio@2          ens19       network    Ethernet interface
pci@0000:00:14.0              network    Virtio network device
virtio@3          ens20       network    Ethernet interface
pci@0000:00:15.0              network    Virtio network device
virtio@4          ens21       network    Ethernet interface

In my environment, based on this information, configure pci@0000:00:14.0 of ens20(N3) and pci@0000:00:15.0 of ens21(N6).

<a id="config"></a>

Create configuration file

Use the following dpdk_setup_ports.py script to create /etc/trex_cfg.yaml with the IP settings for the ports used by DPDK.

# cd /opt/trex
# ./dpdk_setup_ports.py -i
...

I edited this file created as follows.

/etc/trex_cfg.yaml

### Config file generated by dpdk_setup_ports.py ###

- version: 2
  interfaces: ['00:14.0', '00:15.0']
  port_info:
      - ip: 192.168.13.131
      - ip: 192.168.16.152

  platform:
      master_thread_id: 0
      latency_thread_id: 1
      dual_if:
        - socket: 0
          threads: [2]

<a id="load_profile"></a>

Create load profile

I am using the following for the TRex load profile.

/opt/trex/stl/gtp_1pkt_simple.py

from trex_stl_lib.api import *
from scapy.contrib.gtp import GTP_U_Header
import argparse

class STLS1(object):

    def create_stream (self):
        return STLStream(
            packet =
                    STLPktBuilder(
                        pkt = Ether()/IP(src="192.168.13.131",dst="192.168.13.151")/
                                UDP(dport=2152,sport=2152)/
                                GTP_U_Header(teid=0x0000001)/
                                IP(src="10.45.0.2",dst="192.168.16.152",version=4)/
                                UDP()/
                                (1400*'x')
                    ),
             mode = STLTXCont())

    def get_streams (self, tunables, **kwargs):
        parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Argparser for {}'.format(os.path.basename(__file__)),
                                         formatter_class=argparse.ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter)
        args = parser.parse_args(tunables)
        # create 1 stream
        return [ self.create_stream() ]

def register():
    return STLS1()

<a id="set_param"></a>

Set kernel parameter

Set vm.nr_hugepages to 2048.

# sysctl vm.nr_hugepages=2048

<a id="run"></a>

Run TRex

Please configure and start the DUT (UPF in my environment) in advance.
For information on how to use the TRex console, see here.

First, start the TRex server.

# cd /opt/trex
# ./t-rex-64 -i

Then, open another console and apply traffic to the DUT. In the following example, use the load profile gtp_1pkt_simple.py to apply GTP-U traffic to the DUT at 150 Kpps for 60 seconds.

# cd /opt/trex
# ./trex-console
...
trex>start -f stl/gtp_1pkt_simple.py -p 0 -m 150kpps -d 60

To check the traffic statistics, type tui in the TRex console to switch the view.

trex>tui

Below are some sample statistics. According to this, 489.02 Mbps of 1.78 Gbps was dropped, and 1.29 Gbps was received.

Global Statistics

connection   : localhost, Port 4501                       total_tx_L2  : 1.78 Gbps  
version      : STL @ v3.06                                total_tx_L1  : 1.8 Gbps   
cpu_util.    : 1.43% @ 1 cores (1 per dual port)          total_rx     : 1.29 Gbps  
rx_cpu_util. : 0.17% / 111.47 Kpps                        total_pps    : 150.01 Kpps
async_util.  : 0% / 6.45 bps                              drop_rate    : 489.02 Mbps
total_cps.   : 0 cps                                      queue_full   : 33,524 pkts

Port Statistics

   port    |         0         |         1         |       total       
-----------+-------------------+-------------------+------------------
owner      |              root |              root |                   
link       |                UP |                UP |                   
state      |      TRANSMITTING |              IDLE |                   
speed      |          200 Gb/s |          200 Gb/s |                   
CPU util.  |             1.43% |              0.0% |                   
--         |                   |                   |                   
Tx bps L2  |         1.78 Gbps |             0 bps |         1.78 Gbps 
Tx bps L1  |          1.8 Gbps |             0 bps |          1.8 Gbps 
Tx pps     |       150.01 Kpps |             0 pps |       150.01 Kpps 
Line Util. |             0.9 % |               0 % |                   
---        |                   |                   |                   
Rx bps     |             0 bps |         1.29 Gbps |         1.29 Gbps 
Rx pps     |             0 pps |       111.47 Kpps |       111.47 Kpps 
----       |                   |                   |                   
opackets   |          32201768 |                 0 |          32201768 
ipackets   |                 0 |          23902477 |          23902477 
obytes     |       47723020176 |                 0 |       47723020176 
ibytes     |                 0 |       34562981742 |       34562981742 
tx-pkts    |        32.2 Mpkts |            0 pkts |        32.2 Mpkts 
rx-pkts    |            0 pkts |        23.9 Mpkts |        23.9 Mpkts 
tx-bytes   |          47.72 GB |               0 B |          47.72 GB 
rx-bytes   |               0 B |          34.56 GB |          34.56 GB 
-----      |                   |                   |                   
oerrors    |                 0 |                 0 |                 0 
ierrors    |                 0 |                 0 |                 0 

status:  /

Press 'ESC' for navigation panel...
status: 

tui>

With the above steps, TRex has been constructed. Although the settings differ for each UPF, I believe this has made some progress in preparing to measure open source UPFs performance using TRex. I would like to thank the excellent developers and all the contributors of TRex.

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Sample Configurations

• Simple Measurement of eUPF(eBPF/XDP UPF) Performance

<a id="changelog"></a>

Changelog (summary)

• [2024.11.03] Initial release.