Intel® Ethernet 600 Series

Linux Performance Tuning Guide

ID Date Version Classification
861164 07/29/2025 Public

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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents
Notices and Disclaimers Revision History ​Introduction ​Initial Checklist ​Baseline Performance Measurements and Tuning Methodology Platform Tuning (ixgbe Non-Specific) Changing Link Speed Adapter Bonding Performance Troubleshooting
Notices and Disclaimers
Revision History
​Introduction
​Introduction ​Related References Compatibility Notes
​Related References
Compatibility Notes
​Initial Checklist
Update Driver/Firmware Versions ​Read the README Check PCI Express (PCIe) Slot Width ​Check System Hardware Capabilities
Update Driver/Firmware Versions
​Read the README
Check PCI Express (PCIe) Slot Width
​Check System Hardware Capabilities
​Baseline Performance Measurements and Tuning Methodology
​Network Performance Benchmarks
​Network Performance Benchmarks
​Network Performance Benchmarks ​iPerf2 ​iPerf3 ​netperf
​iPerf2
​iPerf3
​netperf
Platform Tuning (ixgbe Non-Specific)
​Tuning Methodology ​BIOS Settings ​Firewalls
​Tuning Methodology
​BIOS Settings
​Firewalls
Changing Link Speed
Adapter Bonding
Performance Troubleshooting
​CPU Utilization ixgbe Counters ​Network Counters ​System Logs ​Intel PerfSpect Tool
​CPU Utilization
ixgbe Counters
​Network Counters
​System Logs
​Intel PerfSpect Tool

​iPerf2

Intel recommends iperf2 over iperf3 for most benchmarking situations due to the ease of use and support of multiple threads in a single application instance. For 600 Series devices, 1 thread should achieve line rates for 100Mbps-10G. The -P option is recommended to run multiple threads for 10G connections.

  • To run uni-directional traffic from client to server:

    Server command example:

    iperf2 -s

    Client command example:

    iperf2 -c <serverIP> -P <threads>
  • To run bi-directional traffic from client to server (and vice versa):

    Server command example:

    iperf2 –s –p <port>

    Client command example:

    iperf2 -c <serverIP> -p <port> -P <threads> -–full-duplex

    OR

    iperf2 -c <serverIP> -p <port> -P <threads> –d
Note:​Both the --full-duplex and -d options in iperf2 allow user to perform bidirectional testing. With the -d option (duplex or half-duplex) traffic flows in both directions, but not at the same time, The traffic alternates in direction. Note:​When testing iperf2 across multiple server ports, the -D flag can be added to the server command to run all server sessions in the background from the same terminal window. The -D flag can also be used when the server command is embedded inside a for-loop in a script.
​iPerf3