How to calculate network bandwidth requirements http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/tip/Ho...
9 g
SearchEnterpriseWAN
Search the TechTarget Network
z
MANAGE
2
How to calculate network bandwidth requirements
by
f
Jessica Scarpati
c s o n
Figuring out how to calculate bandwidth requirements is vital to ensuring your network runs smoothly, and it's best to get the formula correct
from the beginning.
THIS ARTICLE COVERS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ELSE?
Managed services 0 managed service provider (MSP)
Mobile expense management: How to measure mobile costs
Mobile telecom expense management (TEM): Where to cut BYOD costs
e TECHNOLOGIES
Best practices LAN + Show
Network bandwidth management More
Bandwidth requirements vary from one network to another, and how to calculate bandwidth properly is vital to building and maintaining a fast,
functional network.
1
2 As most network administrators can attest, bandwidth is one of the more important factors in the design
and maintenance of a functional LAN or WAN. Unlike a server, which can be configured and
reconfigured throughout the life of the network, bandwidth is one of those elements of network design
that is usually optimized by figuring out the correct bandwidth formula for your network from the outset.
Wondering how to calculate bandwidth requirements when designing the network? What specific
considerations apply? These are some of the questions we'll answer in this tip.
1Understanding bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the data rate that is supported by the network connection or the interfaces that connect to the network. It represents both
volume and time, representing the amount of data that can be transmitted between two points in a set period of time. It is usually expressed in terms
of bits per second (bps), or sometimes in bytes per second (Bps).
Network bandwidth represents the capacity of the network connection, though it's important to understand the distinction between theoretical
throughput and real-world results when figuring out the right bandwidth formula for your network. For example, a 1000BASE-T -- which uses
unshielded twisted-pair cables -- Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) network can theoretically support 1,000 megabits per second (Mbps), but this level can never
1 of 5 06/07/17 14:07
How to calculate network bandwidth requirements http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/tip/Ho...
really be achieved in practice because of hardware and systems software overhead.
One point to consider when thinking about how to calculate bandwidth needs on your network is this: Bandwidth should not be confused with
throughput, which refers to speed. While high-bandwidth networks are often fast, that is not always the case. A helpful metaphor when thinking about
u
bandwidth is cars on a highway. A high-bandwidth network is like a six-lane highway that can fit hundreds of cars at any given moment. A
c low-bandwidth network is like a single-lane road in which one car queues directly behind another.
s Although the large highway is likely to move vehicles faster, rush-hour traffic can easily bring cars and trucks to a standstill. Or, perhaps, the cars
o cannot get onto the highway quickly because it's clogged with large delivery trucks that take up a lot of space on the road. Similarly, even a
high-bandwidth network can run slowly in the face of problems, such as congestion and bandwidth-hungry applications.
i
These very points make calculating bandwidth requirements a challenge, yet the consequences of getting the bandwidth formula wrong are
n
considerable. If you don't procure enough bandwidth, you all but guarantee the network will run slowly. However, significantly overprovisioning
bandwidth can be cost-prohibitive for most enterprises.
So, how do you determine the right formula that will meet your bandwidth requirements? The process begins with asking the right questions: What
applications are users running, and what is the performance service-level agreement for these applications? I know some network managers who are
only concerned with how many users are on a virtual LAN. What you really need to know is what the users will be doing on the network. It's possible
that 200 users will cause less of a bottleneck than a group of three users that really beats the heck out of the network because of some funky client-
server application or extensive use of a bandwidth-heavy service, like high-definition video conferencing.
1Coming up with a formula for how to calculate bandwidth
There are two basic steps to calculating bandwidth requirements:
1. Determine the amount of available network bandwidth.
2. Determine the average utilization required by the specific application.
Both of these figures should be expressed in bytes per second. Consider the following formula: A GbE network has 125,000,000 Bps of available
bandwidth. This is computed by taking the amount of bits -- in a Gigabit network, that would be 1 billion -- and dividing that by eight to determine the
bytes:
k Calculating bandwidth
After determining the network's bandwidth, you'll have to see how much bandwidth each application is using. Use a network analyzer to detect the
2 of 5 06/07/17 14:07
How to calculate network bandwidth requirements http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/tip/Ho...
number of bytes per second the application sends across the network. To do this, first enable the Cumulative Bytes column of your network analyzer.
The next steps in the bandwidth formula are:
1. Capture traffic to and from a test workstation running the application.
u
2. In the decode summary window, mark the packets at the beginning of the file transfer.
c
3. Follow the timestamp down to one second later, and then look at the cumulative byte field.
s
If you determine that your application is transferring data at 200,000 Bps, then you have the information to perform the calculation: 125,000,000 Bps
o
÷ 200,000 = 625 concurrent users. In this case, the network will be fine even if there are several hundred concurrent users.
i
Look what would happen, though, if you had a 100 Mbps network: 13,102,000 Bps ÷ 200,000. You would then have a network that could not support
n more than approximately 60 users running the application concurrently. Knowing how to calculate bandwidth formula is, therefore, very important to
network administrators.
A final recommendation: Capture the data in 10-second spurts and then do the division. It's also a good idea to check multiple workstations to ensure
the number is reflective of the general population. It's also important to determine how many concurrent users you will have.
Jessica Scarpati asks:
What's your favorite tool or trick for calculating bandwidth requirements?
Z Join the Discussion
m Next Steps
Real-world network speed troubleshooting
APM tools can help diagnose network performance issues
Buyer's guide to network performance monitors
This was last published in May 2017
m Dig Deeper on Managed services
ALL N E WS G ET STA RTE D E VALUATE M AN AGE PROB LE M SO LVE
3
q 2
managed service provider (MSP) Mobile expense management: How to measure mobile
costs
2 2
Mobile telecom expense management (TEM): Where Telecom expense management (TEM) infiltrated by
3 of 5 06/07/17 14:07
How to calculate network bandwidth requirements http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/tip/Ho...
to cut BYOD costs mobile device mayhem
Load More
u
c
s m Join the conversation z2 comments
o
Share your comment
i
n
Send me notifications when other members comment.
Add My Comment
Oldest 5
[-] Jessica Scarpati - 17 Feb 2009 7:00 PM
t
What's your favorite tool or trick for calculating bandwidth requirements?
Reply
[-] bala26 - 21 Feb 2017 12:44 PM
t
Scenario:
Expected Average User online will be 50000 - 100000 users and all user should register and submit the application which contains around maximum of 3MB data
transfer per user at a time
Looking for cloud server.
How much bandwidth we need to run the web application?
Reply
-ADS BY GOOGLE
Instapage Landing Pages
SearchNetworking
Latest TechTarget resources
NETWORKING
A2Prevent IP address conflicts on your wireless network
with DHCP scopes
UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
TELECOM
4 of 5 06/07/17 14:07
How to calculate network bandwidth requirements http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/tip/Ho...
SDN
Many wireless APs are set by default to act as DHCP servers, which can create IP
address conflicts in your wireless network. ...
u
c
s
2 Intent-based networking is focus of Cisco network
analysis tools
o
i
n
As intent-based networking emerges, network managers have good reason to embrace
the changes as manual tasks are automated and ...
About Us Contributors Guides
Meet The Editors Reprints Opinions
Contact Us Archive Photo Stories
Privacy Policy Site Map Quizzes
Advertisers Answers Tips
Business Partners E-Products Tutorials
Media Kit Events Videos
Corporate Site Features
All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2009 - 2017, TechTarget
5 of 5 06/07/17 14:07
