Sometimes, change creates unwanted ripple effects. With network technology, change often comes in the form of increased latency and poor application performance. Organizations need to limit network disruptions to continue working, providing top-tier service to users, and more. Network traffic generators are crucial tools that can help you reach that goal.
In markets like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce, the network supports business processes from start to finish. Glitches of any kind, like delays and lost packets, negatively impact their performance. In government and military operations, those performance issues can have disastrous consequences.
Network traffic generators perform testing that enhances device and application performance. Network engineering teams rely on them to:
● Mimic end-user experiences so bottlenecks can be identified and remediated
● Ensure reliability for high-demand applications
● Test new network configurations without risking live systems
● Identify possible vulnerabilities to enhance system security
If your team isn’t already using a traffic generator, it’s time to upgrade your testing equipment. Let’s learn how a traffic generator works and what your organization can use them for.
What Is a Network Traffic Generator?
Traffic generators transmit simulated traffic data into real enterprise networks to measure how packets travel and behave on a network. Organizations can configure these systems to replicate any application or traffic type at a high scale, allowing them to observe and evaluate network behavior in controlled environments.
These insights help IT teams streamline troubleshooting, optimize performance, and pinpoint vulnerabilities before they disrupt operations.
Network Traffic Generator Use Cases
Modern networks support a wide variety of applications and are configured in many different ways. As a result, there are several different reasons to invest in a network traffic generator. Organizations typically deploy a traffic generator with only one use case in mind, but over time, the tool’s range of functions reveals even more profitable uses.
Let’s look at a few common reasons to use a network traffic generator:
Performance Testing
For applications that share a common infrastructure, the speed in which transactions are processed varies — sometimes dramatically. Performance testing illustrates how well the system infrastructure now performs.
For example, say a software development company plans to improve a core tool and wants to understand what impact it may have on the network. They run the network traffic generator before the deployment to understand the baseline network performance. The test shows that transactions will slow down when they hit the company router. The company can then upgrade the device, remove the potential bottleneck, and move forward with the improvements.
Quality of Service (QoS) Validation
Modern organizations are supported by hundreds and even thousands of applications. Especially with e-commerce applications and video conferencing, speed is of the essence. The slower your network processes transactions; the more likely it is that customers will drop off, decline to buy, and sometimes never return. Internally, similar issues can frustrate employees and make your organization less productive.
That’s why organizations often put Quality of Service standards in place that outline how much processing time per transaction is acceptable for select applications. A network traffic generator reveals whether or not the infrastructure is meeting the goals. If not, organizations can change their network configuration — for instance, sending VoIP traffic over responsive MPLS links instead of less reliable Wi-Fi connections.
SD-WAN Evaluation and Optimization
Traffic generators can replicate the behavior of both clients and servers, creating realistic application traffic that helps organizations evaluate the performance of their SD-WAN controllers and architecture.
By simulating specific application flows and protocols, technicians can measure throughput, latency, reliability, and other key performance indicators under various traffic scenarios. This lets them identify bottlenecks and optimize policies to ensure each user group receives the necessary resources and levels.
As a result, IT teams can fine-tune their SD-WAN strategies to maintain seamless connectivity and improve utilization to deliver consistent performance.
Scalability Testing
As an organization grows, so do its system requirements. However, organizations can become overloaded, which slows down performance. Scalability testing enables tech teams to understand when such inflection points may be looming.
For example, say a telecommunications supplier’s bandwidth usage has been trending up. They use a network traffic generator to get a clearer picture of how further increases will impact the QoS agreements they have with their business customers. To ensure they maintain compliance, the firm upgrades its 1G connections to 10G links. As a result, they avoid any QoS shortfalls, not only ensuring that customers are happy with the service but also avoiding any subsequent penalties.
Security Vulnerability Assessment
Corporate and government networks are also regularly under attack. Rather than wait for an attack like a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) to occur, companies use network traffic generators to simulate them. In a DDoS, an outsider tries to disrupt networks using a series of compromised computers (known as botnets) to generate and send a massive volume of traffic toward the target all at once. Such attacks come in three forms:
- Volumetric Attacks flood a target device (like a server or router) with a large amount of traffic.
- Protocol Attacks exploit weaknesses in network protocols to consume server resources.
- Application-Layer Attacks enter through the upper network levels and wreak havoc.
Apposite’s DDoS Storm simulates such attacks. By mimicking an attack against network layers 2 to 7, organizations can understand how their security solutions, like firewalls, Data Leak Protection, and other products perform if an attack were to occur. They not only protect themselves but also avoid disrupting legitimate users on their network.
Device and Application Testing
Companies have lots of equipment connected to their networks, and the connections tend to be poorly organized. When performance issues start to arise, the source can be hard to identify.
Data from network traffic generators can paint a clearer picture of the performance of firewalls, routers, and other network equipment. They illustrate each device’s latency, packet loss, jitter, and utilization. If a device is struggling to move information at the desired rate, the company can alter the configuration or upgrade the device to improve performance.
How Traffic Generators Improve Your Operations
Organizations typically aren’t interested in just measuring packets — they want to see how network traffic generators can deliver real, tangible value. By providing crucial insights into network performance, these tools help teams enhance workflows and stay ahead of potential problems before they disrupt business operations.
Here are some key benefits.
Optimize Workflow
Many organizations operate without a clear view of how their systems and processes truly support their objectives. Traffic generators address this blind spot by providing comprehensive data on how well networks handle application loads, user requests, and varying traffic types. Armed with these metrics, IT teams can streamline processes to help the infrastructure function at its full potential.
Boost Productivity
Locating and diagnosing network issues can be tedious and time-consuming, especially in complex, distributed environments. Traffic generators conduct thorough and precise tests that reveal potential trouble spots quickly and accurately.
In turn, IT staff can spend less time hunting down hidden issues and more time fine-tuning the network and responding to user needs. This focus ultimately translates into higher employee productivity across the organization.
Scale and Secure Your Environment
Reliability is critical for any season of growth. As networks grow, requirements inevitably grow and change. Traffic generators enable teams to simulate fluctuating loads — helping them validate critical applications to remain fast and reliable under varying conditions.
This can also shed light on security vulnerabilities, giving technicians the opportunity to address risks and reinforce defenses before threats materialize in live environments.
What To Look for in a Network Traffic Generator
With networks spanning on-premises data centers, cloud platforms, and hybrid environments, choosing the right traffic generator has never been more critical. These tools go beyond simply measuring bandwidth or packet flow — they provide deep insights into how applications, users, and devices interact across the entire infrastructure.
However, not all traffic generators are the same. There are several factors to consider before selecting a solution that truly aligns with your performance goals and scalability needs.
Prioritize Flexibility and Customization
Every organization leverages its network differently and values certain traits (performance, security, or scalability) more than others. Because of this, flexible design and support for multiple configurations are crucial when selecting a network traffic generator. These capabilities allow you to tailor the tool to match your specific requirements and make sure it evolves alongside your network.
Evaluate the Feature Set and Deployment Model
Network traffic generators can vary greatly in their functionality. Some offer extensive performance testing and support for an array of protocols, while others focus on simulating cyberattacks or specialized traffic types. The ease of deploying and managing these tools will often determine your return on the investment. Look for a solution that integrates seamlessly with your existing infrastructure and delivers a user-friendly experience to accelerate adoption.
Apposite Netropy: A Better Traffic Generator
Apposite’s Netropy Traffic Generator combines powerful performance analysis features with a user-friendly interface to help all types of organizations quickly and accurately assess network health.
- Modern, Intuitive UI – Netropy’s straightforward interface makes it easy for both technical and non-technical users to get started. You won’t need lengthy training sessions — just point and click to select from an extensive library of application flows and begin testing right away.
- Flexible Testing and Real-Time Statistics – From simulating a single flow to running millions simultaneously, Netropy allows you to scale tests in line with your current needs. It gathers real-time statistics on both a per-port and per-stream basis, enabling you to quickly analyze and optimize device performance.
- Accurate, Repeatable Results – At Apposite, we rigorously lab-test our software and hardware, so you can trust Netropy delivers reliable, real-world outcomes. Once you’ve configured your tests, you can schedule them at any interval to continually track performance and stay ahead of emerging issues.
- Maximize System Resources – Your network should be able to perform reliably under varying workloads. Netropy helps you troubleshoot networks with rapid testing and clear insights to pinpoint bottlenecks and implement fixes faster. This way, your mission-critical tasks are completed on time.
By investing in a robust network traffic generator like Netropy, you equip your organization with the right tools to stay proactive, boost efficiency, and secure long-term growth.
Best Practices for Using Network Traffic Generators
Network traffic generators require organizations to expend time, personnel, and money. In today’s highly competitive, rapidly evolving technology environment, firms need to maximize the return on any investment.
Companies not only have to purchase the right device, but they also need to integrate the solution within their specific processes.
Here are a few best practices for using a traffic generator:
Decide What You Want to Measure
To improve market position, application suppliers constantly increase the number of analytic options available to customers. But the sheer amount of options can also be overwhelming unless you decide on a clear pain point to test.
For instance, suppose your finance department is complaining about slow application response times. You can use the network traffic generator to develop a test and track that specific metric. Then, decide how you might tailor or improve future tests for different metrics and develop processes for best using your new investment.
Validate Test Results Against Benchmarks
Tech teams may think they are meeting customers’ needs — but unless they start with baseline measurements, they are operating in a “best guess” mode. Empirical data is much more valuable than guesswork.
The right network traffic generator enables teams to collect performance information and track it over time. They can even save settings and configurations to run future tests against the same criteria.
Document Test Configuration and Results
Testing tools allow organizations to collect information during different time periods and even various seasons. Depending on the nature of the network, an organization may monitor traffic constantly or at select intervals, such as hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. They then gain a clearer picture of those periods where their results may vary the most (e.g, the holiday season for a retailer).
Tech teams are pulled in many different directions nowadays, so they may only use traffic generators a fraction of the time. However, consistent use is ideal to provide reliable feedback and test results, which create more powerful insights.
How Can a Network Traffic Generator Help Your Organization?
With Netropy, generating traffic for network and device testing has never been easier. Apposite precision lab tests our traffic generation software and hardware to ensure that network performance testing results are valid and reflect real-world outcomes.
When you need reliable data and an excellent user experience, you can trust Apposite Technologies to provide affordable solutions that deliver results.For more information about the Netropy Traffic Generator, download the data sheet or schedule a demo.
