What is the best server or Ip address to use for prolonged testing?
- by eldorel
I usually run uptime/latency tests against (and from) two servers that we own at different sites and until recently I've used the google dns servers as a control group.
However, I've realized there is a potential problem with monitoring latency over extended periods of time.
Almost all of the major service providers are using ANYCAST.
For short tests this doesn't matter, but I need to run a set of tests for at least a week to try and catch an intermittent problem, and a change in the anycast priority while trying to test latency will cause the latency values for that server to change accordingly.
Since I'm submitting graphs of this data to the ISP, I need to avoid/account for as many variables as possible. Spikes in the data for only one of the tested servers will only cause headaches.
So can anyone recommend servers that:
are not using anycast
are owned by an entity that has a good uptime reputation
(so they can't claim that the problem is server-side)
will respond to ICMP requests
Have an available service that runs on TCP/UDP (http or dns preferably)
Wont consider an automated request every 10 minutes to be abuse
Are accessible from anywhere in the world
Are not local to the isp ( consider this an investigation of a hostile party )
Thanks in advance.
Edit: added #6 and #7 above.
More info: I am attempting to demonstrate a network problem for an entire node of our local ISP's network. They are actively blaming the issue on the equipment installed at the customer sites (our backup site is one of these), and refuse to escalate the problem. (even though 2 of these businesses have ISP provided modems, and all of us have completely different routers/services running)
I am already quite familiar with the need to test an isp controlled IP, but they are actively dropping all packets targeted at gateway ip addresses and are only passing traffic addressed beyond the gateways. So to demonstrate the issue, I am sending packets to other systems in the same node, systems one hop away from the affected node, and systems completely outside the network.
Unfortunately, all of the systems I have currently are either administered directly by myself, or by people who are biased enough to assist me.
I need to have several systems included in the trace/log/graphs that are 100% not in the control of either myself or the isp so that the graphs have a stable/unbiased control group.
These requirements are straight from legal, I'm just trying to make sure that everything that could be argued to invalidate the data is already covered.
In Summary: I need to be able to show tcp/udp/icmp as 3 separate data points, and I need to be able to show the connections inside the local node, from local node to another nearby node, from those 2 nodes to the internet, and through the internet to both verifiable servers and a control group that I have no control over whatsoever.
Again, Google/opendns/yahoo/msn/facebook/etc all use anycast, which throws the numbers off every time the anycast caches expire, so I need suggestions of an IP or server that is available for this type of testing.
I was hoping someone knew of a system run by someone such as ISC or ICANN, or perhaps even a .gov server (fcc or nsa maybe?) setup for this type of testing.
Thanks again.
