Network Pipemeter measures available bandwidth between hosts. It is a tool for tracking network performance and determining connection speed.
Nepim has been extensively tested and proved compatible with Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD, but it should also work with other platforms. In case users manage to build nepim for different systems, they may send the patch.
The software enables users to assess the throughput at the transport layer (TCP or UDP) as seen by applications. Additionally, nepim runs on a single-threaded mode, so it imposes very little burden on your CPU. However, it may consume noticeable CPU power on hosts with relatively high network bandwidth compared to low CPU power.
With one single server, users can simultaneously service multiple clients. As of nepim 0.11, a single client can interact with multiple servers, making tasks more comfortable and efficient. Users can, for example, specify the IP addresses and ports of the servers they want to test from a single client.
By default, the server listens to both TCP and UDP sockets, while the client uses TCP sockets. However, users can switch the client operation to UDP using the "-u" client option. If needed, users can also make both the server and client send traffic by using the "-d" client option, or only the client by using the "-s" client option.
It is possible to establish an upper bit rate limit using the "-r" client option or an upper packet rate limit using the "-R" client option. If both options are used, nepim limits the sending rate at the lower of those bounds. Users can also run multiple parallel traffic streams using the "-n" client option and make the server listen on specific local addresses using the "-b" server option.
Finally, users can disable IPv6 support with the "-6" option. In the latest version, a new command-line option allows users to specify the interface used to join a multicast group.
Version 0.50: N/A