docs/report/vpp_performance_tests/csit_release_notes.rst

   1 Release Notes
   2 =============
   3
   4 Changes in |csit-release|
   5 -------------------------
   6
   7 #. VPP PERFORMANCE TESTS
   8
   9    - **Intel Xeon 2n-skx, 3n-skx testbeds**: VPP performance test data
  10      is not included in this report version. This is due to the lower
  11      performance and behaviour inconsistency of these systems
  12      following the upgrade of processor microcode packages (skx ucode
  13      0x2000064), done as part of updating Ubuntu 18.04 LTS kernel
  14      version. Tested VPP and DPDK applications (L3fwd) are affected.
  15      Skx test data will be added in subsequent maintenance report
  16      version(s) once the issue is resolved. See
  17      :ref:`vpp_known_issues`.
  18
  19    - **Intel Xeon 2n-clx testbeds**: VPP performance test data is now
  20      included in this report, after resolving the issue of lower
  21      performance and behaviour inconsistency of these systems due to
  22      the Linux kernel driven upgrade of processor microcode packages
  23      to 0x500002c. The resolution is to use latest SuperMicro BIOS 3.2
  24      (for X11DPG-QT motherboards used) that upgrades processor
  25      microcode to 0x500002c, AND NOT kernel provided ucode package as
  26      it does put system into sub-optimal state. Subset of 2n-clx VPP
  27      tests are failing due to clx system behaviour change:  i) all ip4
  28      tests with xxv710 and avf driver and ii) some cx556a rdma tests.
  29      See :ref:`vpp_known_issues`.
  30
  31    - **Service density 2n-skx tests**: Added new NF density tests with
  32      IPsec encryption between DUTs.
  33
  34    - **AVF tests**: Full test coveraged based on code changes in CSIT
  35      core layer (driver/interface awareness) and generated by suite
  36      generator (Intel Fortville NICs only).
  37
  38    - **Hoststack tests**: Major refactor of VPP Hoststack TCP/IP
  39      performance tests using WRK generator talking to the VPP HTTP
  40      static server plugin measuring connections per second and
  41      requests per second. Added new iperf3 with LDPreload tests,
  42      iperf3/LDPreload tests with packet loss induced via the VPP NSIM
  43      (Network Simulator) plugin, and QUIC/UDP/IP transport tests.
  44      All of the new tests measure goodput through the VPP Hoststack
  45      from client to server.
  46
  47    - **Latency HDRHistogram**: Added High Dynamic Range Histogram
  48      latency measurements based on the new capability in TRex traffic
  49      generator. HDRH latency data presented in latency packet
  50      percentile graphs and in detailed results tables.
  51
  52    - **Mellanox CX556A-EDAT tests**: Added tests with Mellanox
  53      ConnectX5-2p100GE NICs in 2n-clx testbeds using VPP native rdma
  54      driver.
  55
  56    - **IPsec reconfiguration tests**: Added tests measuring the impact
  57      of IPsec tunnels creations and removals.
  58
  59    - **Load Balancer tests**: Added VPP performance tests for Maglev,
  60      L3DSR (Direct Server Return), Layer 4 Load Balancing NAT Mode.
  61
  62 #. TEST FRAMEWORK
  63
  64    - **CSIT Python3 support**: Full migration of CSIT from Python2.7 to
  65      Python3.6. This change includes library migration, PIP dependency
  66      upgrade, CSIT container images, infrastructure packages
  67      ugrade/installation.
  68
  69    - **CSIT PAPI support**: Finished conversion of CSIT VAT L1 keywords
  70      to PAPI L1 KWs in CSIT using VPP Python bindings (VPP PAPI).
  71      Redesign of key components of PAPI Socket Executor and PAPI
  72      history. Due to issues with PAPI performance, VAT is still used
  73      in CSIT for all VPP scale tests. See known issues below.
  74
  75    - **Test Suite Generator**: Added capability to generate suites for
  76      different drivers per NIC model including DPDK, AVF, RDMA.
  77      Extended coverage for all tests.
  78
  79    - **General Code Housekeeping**: Ongoing RF keywords optimizations,
  80      removal of redundant RF keywords and aligning of suite/test
  81      setup/teardowns.
  82
  83 #. TEST ENVIRONMENT
  84
  85    - **TRex Fortville NIC Performance**: Received FVL fix from Intel
  86      resolving TRex low throughput issue. TRex per FVL NIC throughput
  87      increased from ~27 Mpps to the nominal ~37 Mpps. For detail see
  88      `CSIT-1503 <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1503>`_ and `TRex-519
  89      <https://trex-tgn.cisco.com/youtrack/issue/trex-519>`_].
  90
  91    - **New Intel Xeon Cascadelake Testbeds**: Added performance tests
  92      for 2-Node-Cascadelake (2n-clx) testbeds with x710, xxv710 and
  93      cx556a-edat NIC cards.
  94
  95 #. PRESENTATION AND ANALYTICS LAYER
  96
  97    - **Graphs layout improvements**: Improved performance graphs layout
  98      for better readibility and maintenance: test grouping, axis
  99      labels, descriptions, other informative decoration.
 100
 101    - **Latency graphs**: Min/Avg/Max group bar latency graphs are
 102      replaced with packet latency percentile distributon at different
 103      background packet loads based on TRex latency hdrhistogram
 104      measurements.
 105
 106 ..
 107     // Alternative Note for 1st Bullet when bad microcode Skx, Clx results are published
 108     - **Intel Xeon 2n-skx, 3n-skx and 2n-clx testbeds**: VPP performance
 109       test data is included in this report version, but it shows lower
 110       performance and behaviour inconsistency of these systems
 111       following the upgrade of processor microcode packages (skx ucode
 112       0x2000064, clx ucode 0x500002c) as part of updating Ubuntu 18.04
 113       LTS kernel version. Tested VPP and DPDK applications (L3fwd) are
 114       affected. Skx and Clx test data will be corrected in subsequent
 115       maintenance report version(s) once the issue is resolved. See
 116       :ref:`vpp_known_issues`.
 117
 118 .. raw:: latex
 119
 120     \clearpage
 121
 122 .. _vpp_known_issues:
 123
 124 Known Issues
 125 ------------
 126
 127 List of known issues in |csit-release| for VPP performance tests:
 128
 129 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 130 | #  | JiraID                                  | Issue Description                                                                                         |
 131 +====+=========================================+===========================================================================================================+
 132 | 1  | `CSIT-570                               | Sporadic (1 in 200) NDR discovery test failures on x520. DPDK reporting rx-errors, indicating L1 issue.   |
 133 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-570>`_  | Suspected issue with HW combination of X710-X520 in LF testbeds. Not observed outside of LF testbeds.     |
 134 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 135 | 2  | `VPP-662                                | 9000B packets not supported by NICs VIC1227 and VIC1387.                                                  |
 136 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/VPP-662>`_   |                                                                                                           |
 137 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 138 | 3  | `CSIT-1498                              | Memif tests are sporadically failing on initialization of memif connection.                               |
 139 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1498>`_ |                                                                                                           |
 140 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 141 | 4  | `VPP-1677                               | 9000B ip4 nat44: VPP crash + coredump.                                                                    |
 142 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/VPP-1677>`_  | VPP crashes very often in case that NAT44 is configured and it has to process IP4 jumbo frames (9000B).   |
 143 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 144 | 5  | `CSIT-1591                              | All CSIT scale tests can not use PAPI due to much slower performance compared to VAT/CLI (it takes much   |
 145 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1499>`_ | longer to program VPP). This needs to be addressed on the PAPI side.                                      |
 146 |    +-----------------------------------------+                                                                                                           |
 147 |    | `VPP-1763                               |                                                                                                           |
 148 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/VPP-1763>`_  |                                                                                                           |
 149 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 150 | 6  | `VPP-1675                               | IPv4 IPSEC 9000B packet tests are failing as no packet is forwarded.                                      |
 151 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/VPP-1675>`_  | Reason: chained buffers are not supported.                                                                |
 152 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 153 | 7  | `CSIT-1593                              | IPv4 AVF 9000B packet tests are failing on 3n-skx while passing on 2n-skx.                                |
 154 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1593>`_ |                                                                                                           |
 155 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 156 | 8  | `CSIT-1675                              | Intel Xeon 2n-skx, 3n-skx and 2n-clx testbeds behaviour and performance became inconsistent following     |
 157 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1675>`_ | the upgrade to the latest Ubuntu 18.04 LTS kernel version (4.15.0-72-generic) and associated microcode    |
 158 |    |                                         | packages (skx ucode 0x2000064, clx ucode 0x500002c). VPP as well as DPDK L3fwd tests are affected.        |
 159 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 160 | 9  | `CSIT-1679                              | All 2n-clx VPP ip4 tests with xxv710 and avf driver are failing.                                          |
 161 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1679>`_ |                                                                                                           |
 162 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 163 | 10 | `CSIT-1680                              | Some 2n-clx cx556a rdma tests are failing.                                                                |
 164 |    | <https://jira.fd.io/browse/CSIT-1680>`_ |                                                                                                           |
 165 +----+-----------------------------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+