Performance Benchmarking
Guide to benchmarking system performance using Lambda Softworks' automation tools.
This guide covers performance benchmarking methodologies and tools to establish baseline performance metrics and measure improvements.
Benchmarking Basics
Types of Benchmarks
System Benchmarks
- CPU performance
- Memory throughput
- Disk I/O
- Network performance
Service Benchmarks
- Web server response time
- Database query performance
- Cache hit rates
- Application metrics
End-to-End Tests
- User journey timing
- API response times
- Transaction throughput
- Error rates
Benchmarking Tools
System Benchmarking
# Full system benchmark ./benchmark.sh --full-system \ --duration 30m \ --output-format json \ --save-baseline # Component-specific benchmark ./benchmark.sh --component \ --target cpu \ --test-type stress \ --duration 10m
Service Benchmarking
# Web server benchmark ./benchmark.sh --web-server \ --target http://your-server \ --concurrent-users 100 \ --duration 15m # Database benchmark ./benchmark.sh --database \ --type mysql \ --test-suite oltp \ --table-size 1000000
Benchmark Configuration
Basic Configuration
# /etc/lambdasoftworks/benchmarking/config.yml
benchmark:
name: "Production Baseline"
duration: 30m
components:
- name: "CPU"
tests:
- type: "single-thread"
duration: 5m
- type: "multi-thread"
duration: 5m
- name: "Memory"
tests:
- type: "bandwidth"
size: "4G"
- type: "latency"
pattern: "random"
- name: "Disk"
tests:
- type: "sequential"
block_size: "1M"
file_size: "10G"
- type: "random"
block_size: "4K"
file_size: "5G"
- name: "Network"
tests:
- type: "tcp"
duration: 5m
- type: "udp"
duration: 5m
thresholds:
cpu:
single_thread: 1000
multi_thread: 8000
memory:
bandwidth: "10GB/s"
latency: "100ns"
disk:
sequential_read: "500MB/s"
random_iops: 10000
network:
throughput: "1Gbps"
latency: "1ms"
Advanced Configuration
# /etc/lambdasoftworks/benchmarking/advanced-config.yml
benchmark:
name: "Enterprise Performance Validation"
phases:
- name: "Warmup"
duration: 5m
load: 25%
- name: "Main Test"
duration: 30m
load: 100%
- name: "Cool Down"
duration: 5m
load: 25%
scenarios:
- name: "Web Performance"
weight: 40%
tests:
- name: "Static Content"
url: "/static/*"
rate: 1000/s
- name: "Dynamic Content"
url: "/api/*"
rate: 500/s
- name: "Database Queries"
type: "mysql"
queries:
- "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10"
- "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM orders"
rate: 200/s
- name: "File Operations"
weight: 30%
tests:
- name: "Large File Write"
size: "1GB"
block_size: "1MB"
- name: "Small File Random IO"
files: 1000
size: "4KB"
pattern: "random"
- name: "Network Tests"
weight: 30%
tests:
- name: "TCP Throughput"
protocol: "tcp"
duration: 10m
- name: "HTTP/2 Performance"
protocol: "h2"
concurrent: 100
metrics:
collection:
interval: 1s
aggregation: 10s
retention: 30d
custom:
- name: "cache_hit_ratio"
query: "SELECT cache_hits/total_requests"
threshold: 0.95
- name: "error_rate"
query: "SELECT failed/total"
threshold: 0.01
reporting:
format: "html"
graphs: true
comparisons: ["last_run", "baseline"]
export:
- "csv"
- "json"
Running Benchmarks
Basic Execution
# Run with default config ./benchmark.sh --run \ --config basic \ --output results.json # Run with comparison ./benchmark.sh --run \ --config advanced \ --compare-baseline \ --notify-on-completion
Monitoring Progress
# View real-time metrics ./benchmark.sh --monitor \ --test-id bench_123 \ --refresh 5s # Check test status ./benchmark.sh --status \ --test-id bench_123 \ --watch
Results Analysis
Basic Analysis
# Generate summary report ./benchmark.sh --analyze \ --test-id bench_123 \ --format html \ --include-graphs # Compare with baseline ./benchmark.sh --compare \ --current bench_123 \ --baseline bench_100 \ --threshold 10%
Advanced Analysis
# Detailed performance analysis ./benchmark.sh --detailed-analysis \ --test-id bench_123 \ --metrics all \ --correlate-events # Generate recommendations ./benchmark.sh --recommend \ --test-id bench_123 \ --target-metrics throughput,latency
Visualization
Generating Graphs
# Create performance graphs ./benchmark.sh --visualize \ --test-id bench_123 \ --type line \ --metrics "cpu,memory,disk,network" # Create comparison graphs ./benchmark.sh --visualize-comparison \ --tests "bench_123,bench_122,bench_121" \ --type bar \ --metrics throughput
Example Visualization Config
# /etc/lambdasoftworks/benchmarking/visualization.yml
graphs:
- name: "System Performance"
type: "line"
metrics:
- cpu_usage
- memory_usage
- disk_io
- network_io
timeframe: "1h"
- name: "Response Times"
type: "histogram"
metrics:
- http_response_time
- db_query_time
buckets: 20
- name: "Error Rates"
type: "area"
metrics:
- http_errors
- db_errors
stacked: true
dashboard:
layout:
rows: 2
cols: 2
refresh: 10s
timerange:
start: "-1h"
end: "now"
Best Practices
Test Environment
Isolation
- Use dedicated benchmark environment
- Minimize background processes
- Control network conditions
Consistency
- Use consistent hardware
- Maintain stable conditions
- Document environment details
Data Management
- Use representative datasets
- Reset between tests
- Archive results
Test Execution
Methodology
- Run multiple iterations
- Include warm-up period
- Verify results consistency
Monitoring
- Track all system metrics
- Monitor for anomalies
- Record external factors
Documentation
- Document test conditions
- Record configuration changes
- Note any deviations
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
- Inconsistent Results
# Verify system stability ./benchmark.sh --verify-stability \ --duration 1h \ --threshold 5% # Check for interference ./benchmark.sh --check-interference \ --processes all \ --resources cpu,memory
- Resource Constraints
# Check resource limits ./benchmark.sh --check-limits \ --resources all # Adjust system limits ./benchmark.sh --adjust-limits \ --nofile 65535 \ --nproc 65535