Following are brief descriptions to help you use these features.
Across the top of the Qcheck Console are three blue buttons. The Help button, indicated by its question-mark icon, is mentioned in the section entitled "Qcheck's Online Help" in the "Welcome" chapter.
The other two buttons are marked with icons that resemble those of typical Windows buttons: 
.
Pressing the - button minimizes the Qcheck Console. The X button closes the window and exits the program.
As you pass your cursor over an active button, the button lights up. After you've pressed a button with a mouse click or used an Alt + key combination to make a selection, it appears concave or "pressed" and is surrounded by a dotted line to indicate that the function is active. Buttons marking choices you made in your most recent test also appear concave or "pressed," and don't light up when the cursor passes over them. A testing or protocol button that is disabled for a particular test, such as the button for a Streaming Test if you've selected one of the connection-oriented protocols, turns gray to indicate that it is inactive.
For more information on using the keyboard to make configuration choices, see the section titled "Using the Keyboard for Qcheck Testing."
Enter the network addresses for the endpoint computers you want to test in the fields provided on the Qcheck Console. The network addresses you enter are saved in a file and displayed in two pulldown menus. Available endpoints, or endpoints you've used in previous tests, are displayed when you click the arrows in the "From Endpoint 1" or "To Endpoint 2" fields. Endpoint 1 simply designates the computer that initiates a Qcheck test, while Endpoint 2 indicates the partner computer. The endpoint fields can hold addresses up to 64 characters in length.
If you want to run a test from another computer to the computer from which you're running Qcheck, enter the IP address of the Qcheck computer in the Endpoint 2 field. If you enter localhost in the Endpoint 2 field, Qcheck runs a loopback test to the initiating computer, Endpoint 1, not to the machine where the Qcheck Console is installed. When you enter localhost as Endpoint 2, a message window asks you whether you wish to continue. Press OK to continue the loopback test or Cancel to cancel the test.
To eliminate DNS latency from your response time results for TCP/IP, use numerical IP addresses. For example, enter a value like 210.10.25.88 in the Endpoint 1 field so that Qcheck does not have to search for the network address.
Remember that although you can reach an endpoint computer by using Ping, you must have Performance Endpoint software installed on that endpoint computer if you want to use the advanced functions of Qcheck. Traceroute tests do not require endpoint software to be installed on Endpoint 2.
The endpoint addresses you enter in the endpoint fields are stored in the pulldown menu for each field. If you wish to clear the fields, delete the file named Endpoint.dat. You'll find Endpoint.dat in your Qcheck directory unless you have Chariot installed on the same computer. In that case it's located in the Chariot directory. Since Chariot and Qcheck share Endpoint.dat, you should not delete that file if you have Chariot installed unless you also wish to delete those addresses from the pulldown menus in Chariot.
Resolving Endpoint Addresses
When entering endpoint addresses you can type in a complete network address or a TCP/IP hostname; you can use an alias for IPX and SPX addresses. See "Replacing an IPX or SPX Endpoint Address with an Alias" for more information about how to configure IPX and SPX aliases in Qcheck.
To determine a Windows NT or 2000 computer's local IP address, enter the following command:
IPCONFIG
If your TCP/IP stack is configured correctly, your output looks like the following (this output is taken from Windows NT 4.0):
Windows NT IP Configuration
Ethernet adapter AMDPCN1:
IP Address. . . . . . . . . : 44.44.44.3
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . : 44.44.44.254
Its local IP address is shown in the first row; here it's 44.44.44.3.
You can also find your IP address using the graphical user interface. Select the Control Panel folder, and double-click on the Network icon. The installed network components are shown. Double-click on TCP/IP Protocol in the list to get to the TCP/IP Configuration. Your IP address and subnet mask are shown.
To determine a Windows NT or 2000 computer's local hostname, enter the following command:
HOSTNAME
The current host name is shown.
The easiest way to find the local IP address on a Windows 95 or 98 computer is to enter the following at an MS-DOS command prompt:
WINIPCFG
Users of TCP/IP on other operating systems may be familiar with the NETSTAT command:
NETSTAT -N
This displays a line of text for each active connection. The local IP address is in the second column of each row.
To determine a Windows NT or 2000 computer's local IPX address, enter the following at a command prompt:
IPXROUTE CONFIG
If your IPX software support is configured correctly, the output looks like the following (this output is taken from Windows NT 4.0):
NWLink IPX Routing and Source Routing Control Program v2.00
net 1: network number 00000002, frame type 802.2, device AMDPCN1 (0207011a3082)
The 8-digit network number is shown first; here, it's 00000002. The 12-digit node ID is shown in parentheses at the end; here it's 0207011a3082, which is our Ethernet MAC address. Thus, the IPX address to be used in tests is 00000002:0207011a3082.
If your endpoint software is version 3.5 or later, go to a command prompt. In the endpoint installation directory (the default is d:\Program Files\NetIQ\Endpoint), type ipxaddr to display your IPX address.
If you have an earlier version of the endpoint software, you can see your IPX address on the endpoint screen, accessed by clicking on the endpoint icon in your system tray. If you can't see the icon in your system tray, stop and then restart the endpoint to access the endpoint screen. You can stop and start the endpoint from a command prompt: in the endpoint directory, type endpoint -k to stop the endpoint and endpoint to start it.
IPX and SPX addresses are long and cumbersome; you will probably wish to create aliases for them. To create an alias for an IPX or SPX (MAC) address, create a .dat file with the filename spxdir.dat in your Qcheck directory. To set up each alias, type a line in the format:
alias IPXaddress
where "alias" is the desired alias and "IPXaddress" is the IPX address for which you're creating the alias. You may also copy an existing spxdir.dat file created in Chariot into your Qcheck directory. To create an spxdir.dat file in Chariot, select Edit IPX/SPX Entries from the Tools menu in the Main Window to access the IPX/SPX Alias List dialog.
The following protocols are supported by Qcheck: TCP, UDP, SPX, and IPX. Only the connectionless protocols UDP and IPX support streaming tests with Qcheck. Only UDP and TCP support traceroute tests.
Be careful to select a protocol that is enabled on both the computers you are testing, as well as on the Qcheck Console. If you select a protocol that is not used by both computers, Qcheck returns an error message. You should also make sure the network addresses you entered correspond to the protocol you selected.
Qcheck lets you manipulate test parameters, which are listed in the Options section of the Console. The available parameters change according to the type of test you select.
The parameters you manipulate for a Qcheck response time test are Data Size and the number of Iterations.
Response time tests return three different time readings. The Minimum, Average, and Maximum Times are broken out so that you can check for variations. All results for tests of response time are expressed in milliseconds. Values of less than 1 millisecond are rounded up to 1 millisecond.
Typically, one-way response time can be calculated by halving the response time results. However, this calculation is sometimes inaccurate because the routes to and from the endpoints may be different. You can discover whether the routes are identical by running a Qcheck traceroute test. See the section titled "Traceroute" for more information about running traceroute tests.
For a test of throughput, the parameter you enter in the Options section is Data Size.
A Qcheck's throughput test helps you gain information about your network's performance quickly: you can simply compare the operating speed of your network hardware with the actual throughput you achieve at a given moment. When you run Qcheck throughput tests using different values in the Data Size field, you can compare your network's handling of various data loads, rapidly testing your network's throughput under several similar conditions. Qcheck accepts values from 1 kBytes to 1,000 kBytes as valid data sizes for throughput tests. The default value is 100 kBytes.
In a Throughput test, Qcheck measures the time it takes to send a certain quantity of data from Endpoint 1 to Endpoint 2 and receive an acknowledgment. The Throughput measured by Qcheck is the data received by Endpoint 2 over the amount of time expended, expressed in kbps or Mbps.
Qcheck uses the unit abbreviations noted below for throughput results. In reading these values, remember that an uppercase "K" represents 1,024, while a lowercase "k" represents 1,000. Similarly, an uppercase "B" represents bytes, while a lowercase "b" represents bits. There are eight bits in a byte.
KBps
1,024 Bytes per second
kBps
1,000 Bytes per second
Kbps
1,024 bits per second (that is, 128 Bytes per second)
kbps
1,000 bits per second (that is, 125 Bytes per second)
Mbps
1,000,000 bits per second (that is, 125,000 Bytes per second--the default setting)
If you use Qcheck on a network with plenty of bandwidth, you may wonder why throughput results can be low compared to the total available bandwidth. Qcheck is intentionally designed to generate small, brief data flows so as not to swamp your network; it's limited to a single connection and sends no more than 1 MB of data.
Endpoint computer operating systems and protocol stacks can limit throughput; with today's computers it's difficult to get throughput greater than 100 Mbps with a single connection. While NetIQ's Chariot product can create throughput at up to 770 Mbps on a Gb Ethernet LAN, this result was produced using 4 NICs, jumbo frame sizes, and multiple concurrent connections.
With Qcheck, you may be able to improve throughput by tailoring the protocol stack configuration slightly at each of the endpoints. This is an advanced technique; we don't recommend it for anyone but the most technically adventurous. Using Chariot to construct more sophisticated tests--with longer duration and multiple connections, for example--is probably a better way to generate more throughput. For more suggestions about maximizing throughput using Qcheck and Chariot, see "Why are my results so low compared to the total available bandwidth?" in the Qcheck FAQ, located on the Web at http://www.qcheck.net/html/support.htm.
Streaming tests, like multimedia applications, send data without acknowledgments. Packets are sent in one direction only, from Endpoint 1 to Endpoint 2. In Qcheck, streaming uses the connectionless protocols IPX or UDP. Qcheck's streaming tests emulate the behavior of applications that use streaming, such as Voice over IP and video broadcasts.
The two options you can manipulate in a Qcheck streaming test are the Data Rate and the Duration of the test. Multimedia applications typically send data at a specified rate. Qcheck's Data Rate field controls the rate at which streams of data are sent from Endpoint 1 to Endpoint 2. It indicates how much bandwidth your multimedia traffic might need and makes it easy for you to compare the speed of your network hardware with the actual data rate your network is achieving.
The Data Rate you specify in Qcheck should match the data rate of an application you're testing. The pulldown lets you choose the units, kbps or Mbps, that are appropriate for a selected application. Enter a value from 0.001 Mbps (1 kbps) to 1Mbps (1,000 kbps) for your Data Rate. The default settings are 50 kbps or 0.050 Mbps.
When you enter a value in the Duration field to configure a streaming test, you determine the total amount of time Qcheck spends sending data from Endpoint 1 to Endpoint 2. A value of 1 second is too low to achieve accurate results for a streaming test. Qcheck therefore specifies a minimum duration of 5 seconds and a maximum of 30 seconds. The default value is 10 seconds.
Qcheck sends 101-byte datagrams for a UDP streaming test. Each datagram consists of a 64-byte payload, a 20-byte IP header, an 8-byte standard UDP header, and a 9-byte NetIQ endpoint header. For an IPX streaming test, the packets are 111 bytes because the IPX header size is 30 bytes.
To stream data for a certain rate and time, Qcheck dynamically calculates the amount of data that should be sent. The total amount of data is in turn divided into separate datagrams to be sent over the duration of the test. Because Qcheck always sends datagrams of equal size, sometimes slightly more data is sent than the configuration details might suggest. For example, if you were to add the Lost Data value to the value for Actual Throughput, the total might be slightly higher than the amount you might calculate from multiplying the Data Rate you selected by the number of seconds you specified.
If a streaming test becomes suspended and doesn't complete within the time period you specified during configuration, it probably means that Endpoint 2 is unreachable. A streaming test that fails to complete might also signal a problem with the protocol stack in Endpoint 2. Qcheck tests time out after two minutes from the time you press the Run button. See the "Troubleshooting" chapter for more details.
When you run a streaming test, the endpoints keep track of lost data, data not received by Endpoint 2. While Endpoint 1 sends data, it tells Endpoint 2 how much has been sent so Endpoint 2 can calculate the lost data total. Lost Data is shown as a percentage of data sent and as a value expressed in bytes. The Lost Data percentage must be a minimum of 0.10% for Qcheck to display it. Actual Throughput is the throughput calculated at Endpoint 2.
In streaming tests lost data is often considerable. Data loss has three typical causes. The Data Rate may be higher than the maximum throughput potential, causing lost packets during transmission--check to make sure that you've selected the correct units, for example. The network may be congested. Or, your network may be configured to give non-streaming traffic priority over streaming traffic, discarding datagram packets when the two compete for bandwidth. Try running a throughput test in the corresponding connection-oriented protocol for comparison. If your throughput is unexpectedly low, network congestion is the likely cause.
A Traceroute test describes the route between two endpoints in a network by detailing the sequence and duration of each hop. (A "hop" is a jump from one router to another, or from an endpoint computer to a router.) The Endpoint 1 computer determines this information using the following steps:
Endpoint 2 in a traceroute test need not have endpoint software installed.
Set up a traceroute test by pressing the Traceroute button (at the lower right of the Protocol Options), and then identifying the IP addresses of the two endpoints between which you'd like to run a traceroute. When you press the Run button, Qcheck opens a window showing the sequence of hops, the hop latency in ms, and the name of each hop location. To minimize and maximize the data window, click on the blue icon at the top right. In either view, scroll to see all results; long names appear in a pop-up when you mouse over them. Qcheck's traceroute shows a maximum of 30 hops. When you see asterisks (* *) in the data, traceroute data was unavailable for that hop. Data may be unavailable because a firewall is blocking the ICMP message, because the message timed out, or because connectivity was lost.
Press the Details button to generate a printable Web page showing the above data plus the IP address of each hop as well as your test settings. If the Details button is grayed out, wait for the traceroute tests to complete. When the Details button returns to yellow, the test has completed.
Press the Run button to initiate a test. The icon on this button changes to the word "Stop" once you've begun running a test, and the button's color changes from green to red. Tests stop automatically upon completion, but you may stop a test at any time before it completes.
Pressing the Details button near the bottom of Qcheck's Console opens your Web browser and shows you the results of your test. The results give additional details about the endpoints, supplementing the results you can already see in the Qcheck Console.
The top section of the detailed results, labeled "Settings," gives the date and time your test was run, plus test settings. The middle section lists the actual values returned in each category tested.
In the bottom section, labeled "Endpoint Details," information about the computers you designated as Endpoint 1 and Endpoint 2 is given. Configuration details include the operating system and Service Pack level, as well as each computer's memory capacity and the version of Performance Endpoint software they are using. Memory capacity details are only given for the following endpoint operating systems: Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, and Sun Solaris (x86 and SPARC).
Traceroute tests do not return endpoint details. See "Qcheck Test Types: Traceroute" for information about traceroute details.
A final useful result Qcheck returns, for streaming tests only, is a measurement of CPU utilization for each endpoint computer. High CPU utilization readings often indicate a potential performance problem. You should be aware, however, that CPU utilization measurement is not supported on the following endpoints: OS/2 (Version 3 and earlier), Windows 3.1, MVS, SCO Unixware, and NetWare 3.12. If you want to collect CPU utilization data for all kinds of tests, we recommend NetIQ's Chariot product.
Some Qcheck commands have been mapped to your keyboard, so you don't have to use the mouse to run tests with Qcheck. Each function that appears on the Console corresponds to a keyboard combination. All commands use the Alt key.
Here's a full listing of the various Alt + key commands that are available to you:
Field or Function |
Key Combination |
Highlighting the "From Endpoint 1" field |
Alt + F |
Highlighting the "To Endpoint 2" field |
Alt + T |
Selecting TCP as the testing protocol |
Alt + C |
Selecting UDP as the testing protocol |
Alt + U |
Selecting SPX as the testing protocol |
Alt + X |
Selecting IPX as the testing protocol |
Alt + I |
Selecting Response Time as the test type |
Alt + P |
Selecting Throughput as the test type |
Alt + H |
Selecting Streaming as the test type |
Alt + M |
Selecting Traceroute as the test type |
Alt + A |
Highlighting the "Data Size" field |
Alt + Z |
Highlighting the "Iterations" field |
Alt + N |
Highlighting the "Data Rate" field |
Alt + E |
Highlighting the "Duration" field |
Alt + O |
Opening a Details Report in browser window |
Alt + D |
Running a configured test |
Alt + R |
Stopping a test in progress |
Alt + S |
