White Paper. Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with Microsoft BranchCache

Transcription

1 89 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY White Paper Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with Microsoft BranchCache

2 Printed in the United States of America. Copyright 2010 Edison Group, Inc. New York. Edison Group offers no warranty either expressed or implied on the information contained herein and shall be held harmless for errors resulting from its use. All products are trademarks of their respective owners. First Publication: March 2010 Produced by: Howard Marks, Sr. Analyst; Kelly Strand Anderson, Sr. Analyst; Barry Cohen, Editor-in-Chief

3 Table of Contents Executive Summary... 1 Introduction... 4 The Remote Office Dilemma... 6 Testing BranchCache Performance... 9 Test Methodology... 9 Laboratory Configuration Test Results Summary of Results Scenarios Test Scenario 1 CIFS/SMB File Accesses Test Scenario 2 HTTP File Downloads Test Scenario 3 SCCM Application Package Download Test Scenario 4 MOSS 2007 File Access Conclusions and Recommendations Appendices Test Environment Test Results CIFS/SMB Test Results HTTP Test Results MOSS2007 Test Results SCCM Test Results... 55

4 Executive Summary Organizations seeking to lower operating expenses are investigating technology solutions that can directly lower costs and improve productivity. One area in which these organizations are seeking solutions is in the IT infrastructure supporting remote or branch offices. Remote office workers frequently and repeatedly download the same files from the central office. Increasingly, these files are composed not only of text but also of mixed content types that include photographs, illustrations, animations, and videos. Such documents are much larger than those in the past, demanding very high Wide Area Network bandwidth utilization levels and slowing file access with adverse impact on productivity. With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has delivered BranchCache, a solution to address the remote office challenge. Working in conjunction with Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 7 clients with BranchCache capability enabled can expect to see significant performance improvements when downloading files from the central office. The concept behind BranchCache is straightforward: when BranchCache is enabled, a copy of data accessed from an Intranet web, SharePoint, or file server is cached locally in the branch office. When another client on the same network in the branch office requests the same file, the file is transferred from the local cache rather than from across the WAN. BranchCache improves performance when copying files between central and remote or branch offices using the SMB, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols. Microsoft commissioned Edison Group to examine WAN bandwidth savings with BranchCache. In order to quantify the extent of the performance improvement that organizations can expect, Edison analysts created a set of use case scenarios and ran comparison tests over a range of typical WAN network types. These tests compared the performance of Windows 7 clients with BranchCache capability enabled against client PCs running the older Windows operating systems Windows XP and Windows Vista. Edison s results showed savings that, in many cases, exceeded our expectations. The results were consistent across all the network bandwidth conditions and for all the operating systems and BranchCache settings. These savings included: CIFS/SMB file downloads for a PowerPoint presentation were as much as 69 percent faster while utilizing an average of up to 59 percent less bandwidth than with Windows Vista or Windows XP. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 1

5 Average MB User download times with the HTTP protocol were 63 percent faster than with Windows Vista and Windows XP, while requiring 49 percent less Wide Area Network bandwidth. Downloading an application or patch using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) and the BITS protocol was 76 to 79 percent faster and utilized 53 to 58 percent less bandwidth. When transferring a file from a Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007), clients running Windows 7 with BranchCache were 65 to 68 percent faster and utilized 66 percent less bandwidth than Windows XP or Windows Vista. The chart below (Figure 1, Page 2) illustrates the bandwidth savings for the three operating systems tested across four business use scenarios. These levels of bandwidth savings can have a direct and immediate effect on operating expenses, especially in organizations where WAN costs are growing quickly. BranchCache Savings Bandwidth Utilization Windows 7 Windows XP Windows Vista 5 0 HTTP MOSS SCCM SMB Figure 1 BranchCache Savings for Bandwidth Utilization. (Smaller is better.) For businesses looking to improve the productivity of workers in remote offices, downloading files in less than one third the time previously required can be directly translated into greater worker productivity and job satisfaction. (See Figure 2, Page 3 for a chart illustrating potential time savings.) Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 2

6 Average Seconds to Download File BranchCache Savings File Download Windows 7 Windows XP Windows Vista 50 0 HTTP MOSS SCCM SMB Figure 2 - BranchCache Savings - File Download (Smaller is better) Based upon the evidence of our tests, Edison believes that for some organizations, the costs of upgrading to Windows 7 can be significantly offset by bandwidth savings alone. If organizations are already contemplating PC upgrades to these remote offices, upgrading to Windows 7 with BranchCache should be considered the new standard. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 3

7 Introduction Objective Since the release of Windows 7 on October 22, 2009, many organizations have been testing the new operating system. Among the new features that organizations should strongly consider when making IT purchase or upgrade decisions is BranchCache. BranchCache is a new feature in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that enables the acceleration of file download times for users in remote offices over a variety of networks without requiring additional bandwidth or installation of accelerator appliances. Microsoft has published several documents that provide executive and technical overviews of BranchCache that are available at This white paper does not duplicate the contents of those documents. Instead, it is intended to provide third-party validation of Microsoft s performance claims for BranchCache, while also providing some hard metrics that readers can use in determining how BranchCache can lower bandwidth costs and improve the productivity of workers in satellite offices. Audience This white paper should be read by technically savvy business decision makers who are concerned with Wide Area Network costs and remote office productivity. It will also be useful for those organizations that are evaluating Windows 7 and assessing strategies for upgrading their installed base of Windows XP and Vista clients. Contents of this Report This white paper contains the following sections: The Remote Office Dilemma This section describes the effect on productivity experienced by remote workers because of long file transfer delays when accessing commonly used files or documents from a centrally located server share, web server, SharePoint Server, or Configuration Management Server. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 4

8 Testing BranchCache Performance This section describes the test scenarios and testing methodology Edison developed and used. It includes a high-level discussion of the lab environment, the configurations, and test methodologies. Test Results This section provides a summary of our test results, showing how BranchCache affects file transfer performance within the scenarios tested. Conclusions and Recommendations This section provides Edison s analysis of the benefits of BranchCache and recommendations for implementation strategies. Appendices The appendices contain details of the test environment and methodology, as well as the test result details. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 5

9 The Remote Office Dilemma The Dilemma It was just a few years ago that organizations recognized the need to address the issues of server sprawl the proliferation of file and application servers across their corporate landscape. Among the first steps taken were physical consolidation of servers from distributed computer rooms and closets to more and more centralized data centers. This change has resulted in significant cost reductions, especially with the emergence of server virtualization as the ultimate consolidation tool. Consolidation success has exposed a new concern: as servers that used to be just down the hall are moved to across the continent, the speed of file access to which users have been accustomed has been adversely affected by network latency and the lower speed of Wide Area Networks (WANs). In addition, the nature of server access and the files users are downloading have changed as well. Where small Microsoft Word documents and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets of less than 1 MB in size once predominated, today mixed media documents containing images, movies, audio, and video are becoming more and more common. These much larger sized files are also likely to be delivered via Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or via other corporate websites. The lower speed and higher latency of WANs and the much larger file sizes being transferred have had consequences that can negate some of the advantages of consolidation. This possibility can require organizations to increase the bandwidth of their WAN connections (often at a very high cost), bring back local servers (thus reviving server sprawl), or invest in Wide Area Application Acceleration Appliances. While the last of these options, acceleration appliances, can be beneficial where businesscritical applications need acceleration, these devices can add significant cost and complexity to the management of remote offices. The BranchCache Solution Microsoft BranchCache is designed to provide the file transfer performance organizations are looking for without the need for costly WAN upgrades or additional hardware to manage. BranchCache improves performance when copying files between central and remote or branch offices using the SMB, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols. SMB Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 6

10 is the protocol used for transferring files between shared folders on Windows networks. HTTP and HTTPS are the protocols used by web browsers and many other applications. The concept behind BranchCache is straightforward: when BranchCache is enabled, a copy of data accessed from an Intranet web, SharePoint, or file server is cached locally in the branch office. When another client on the same network in the branch office requests the same file, the file is transferred from the local cache rather than from across the WAN. BranchCache operates in two modes: Distributed Cache. In this mode, Windows 7 client computers utilize a peer-to-peer architecture. The first client to download a file caches a copy of the file and sends it directly to other clients as they request it. Hosted Cache. In this mode, content is cached to a computer on the branch network running Windows Server 2008 R2 as the Hosted Cache. Other clients needing the same content retrieve it directly from the Hosted Cache. Computers running the Hosted Cache can run the Server Core installation option of Windows 2008 R2 and can host other applications. Figure 3 illustrates these modes: Figure 3 - BranchCache modes (from Microsoft) The BranchCache caches are passive: data is only retrieved when a client requests it. This means that using BranchCache does not increase WAN utilization. Since only read requests are cached, write operations are not affected. BranchCache operations also respect security policies and technologies, such as SSL and IPSec. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 7

11 BranchCache requires the use of Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise editions on workstations and Windows Server 2008 R2 on servers. For more complete list of servers that support BranchCache, please visit: Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 8

12 Testing BranchCache Performance Edison established a lab environment for testing BranchCache performance claims that use of cached content will result in better user productivity and higher return on investment. The lab was configured to test performance over a range of use cases and test conditions. These use cases are simulations of typical branch office user interactions with central office servers. The test conditions utilize a WAN emulator to demonstrate the effect of different WAN networks. Tests compared the effect of Windows 7 with BranchCache on network bandwidth and end user download times in comparison to the older Microsoft operating systems Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Business. These tests are a simulation designed to illustrate the benefits of using BranchCache. Real-world implementations of BranchCache will experience different results that are dependent upon many factors, including the configuration of the PCs in the branch offices, the design of the branch office LAN, the configuration and provisioning of the WAN, and many other factors. In addition, these tests were run using late beta or release candidate versions of the operating systems and some of the server products tested. In keeping with past experience with pre-released software, performance with the released versions may be better than the results Edison has documented. Test Methodology As has been previously described, BranchCache accelerates performance of the SMB, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols, offering two branch office configuration modes Distributed Cache and Hosted Cache. In order to provide use cases that illustrate these protocols, Edison defined several scenarios and devised a testing methodology that would compare the network bandwidth used and end user download times with BranchCache in Windows 7 in both modes and in comparison to the older Microsoft operating systems Windows XP Professional and Windows Vista Business. The files transferred averaged 20 MB in size. This size was chosen to require measurable and differential transfer times and bits transferred readings on the WAN emulator. Transfer time was measured with a stop watch or the transferring application, where applicable. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 9

13 Test Conditions Each set of tests is performed with the WAN emulator configured to emulate three different WAN conditions. The table below (Table 1 - WAN Conditions and Use Cases, Page 10) lists and describes the three WAN conditions with real-world use cases for each condition. Table 1 - WAN Conditions and Use Cases WAN Conditions 1.5 Mbps from HQ to remote office, 384 Kbps from remote office to HQ, 40 ms round trip latency.01% packet loss 1.5 Mbps, 95 ms latency,.02% packet loss Real-World Use Case Regional (up to 1,500 mile) VPN over DSL line at remote office New York to Los Angeles MPLS VPN or leased line 5 Mbps, 195 ms latency,.05% packet loss Transpacific MPLS link These line conditions were chosen based on AT&T MPLS service level agreements. Test Scenarios The following are the test scenarios used for this project. Each of the four scenarios, run in Hosted Cache and Distributed Cache modes, was tested in a lab environment consisting of five desktop PCs. For each scenario, a brief description of the scenario and the use case context is followed by a description of the specific test methodology used. References made to specific hosts, drives, and so forth are explained in the Lab Configuration section which follows. Scenario 1 CIFS/SMB File Access When users download a file from a folder on a file server to their client PC, the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol is used. Over the years, Microsoft has added features to SMB, usually under the Common Internet File System (CIFS) name. For the purposes of this white paper, SMB and CIFS are used interchangeably. This test scenario measured the time and WAN bandwidth required for this file transfer process. A file share on the server (named Content Server) was configured to generate BranchCache hashes as per the Microsoft deployment guide. 1 Each workstation was mapped to this share as Drive N. Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 was opened on each 1 Microsoft BranchCache Deployment Guide can be accessed on the Microsoft TechNet site at: Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 10

14 workstation and the file opened. A stopwatch was used to measure the time from when the open button was clicked until the image of the first slide appeared on the screen. This process was repeated on each workstation for multiple files; the workstations were then rebooted into the next operating system, and the process repeated. Scenario 2 HTTP File Accesses The HTTP protocol is the protocol of the World Wide Web and is used by web browsers such as Internet Explorer 8 and many other applications to transfer content over the Internet. In the business world, many corporate Intranets host web servers from which files, such as presentations, forms, and so forth, are regularly transferred using the HTTP protocol. In this scenario, files to be transferred are stored on the HTTP or web server and accessed through a link on a web page. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) also uses the HTTP protocol. In our test scenarios, we are treating MOSS as a separate scenario. This was done for two reasons: First, since MOSS uses a database to store the files, the time required for file transfer could be affected by latency inherent in the SharePoint architecture. Second, the secure version of HTTP, HTTPS, needed to be represented, as well. Since many MOSS installations utilize HTTPS, it was felt that tests for the HTTPS protocol using MOSS was a reasonably realistic scenario. For this scenario, the Content Server was prepared as a web server for BranchCache as described in the BranchCache Early Adopter s Guide 2 and the BranchCache Deployment Guide. An index.htm file of links to the TIFF files described above was placed on the default web site of the server. The workstations were then booted into Windows XP. On each workstation a TIFF file was selected in Internet Explorer 8 and Save Target As was selected from the context menu. The file was saved to the C:\TEMP folder. The transfer times reported by Internet Explorer were used for our results. This process was repeated for each of the workstations in turn waiting for the transfer on each station to complete before starting the next transfer. The process was repeated with two additional files to identify anomalous results. 2 The Microsoft BranchCache Early Adopters Guide is available at (at the time of writing). Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 11

15 The process was repeated with the workstations running Windows Vista and Windows 7 using the Distributed Cache mode. Finally the BranchCache Group Policy Objects were changed to enable the Hosted Cache mode, and additional files were downloaded. The amount of data transferred in the download was recorded by resetting the counters on the Apposite Linktropy 4500 as the Save button was clicked on the workstation and noting the value at the end of the download. As there is handshaking traffic between the two networks at all times, variations in data transfer values that represent data rates below 20 Kbps are considered insignificant. Scenario 3 SCCM System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), a member of Microsoft s System Center family of Information Technology management solutions, is a tool for the comprehensive assessment, deployment, and updating of servers, client computers, and devices across physical, virtual distributed, and mobile environments. SCCM provides a range of services to an organization. Among these is the distribution of software application packages to client computers for installation. When transferring these packages, SCCM uses a combination of the SMB protocol and the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) protocol. The BITS protocol is used to facilitate prioritized, throttled, and asynchronous transfer of files using idle network bandwidth. The BITS protocol can make use of BranchCache to accelerate file transfers, but the protocol itself is not affected by doing so. The prioritization, throttling, and other BITS features are still in effect, so the degree of acceleration experienced by BITS transfers is not as great as for the other scenarios. At the time of testing, SCCM with BITS was not supported in Hosted Cache mode, so no testing was performed for this configuration. The release version of BranchCache and the updated SCCM now support Hosted Cache mode. Edison expects that the performance gains experienced in our other tests would carry over to SCCM in Hosted Cache Mode. For this scenario, self-extracting ZIP files were each packaged as an Advertised Application via SCCM. Using the Advertised Applications Control Panel applet, each ZIP file was downloaded to the workstation and the time to download recorded. Scenario 4 MOSS 2007 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is Microsoft s fastest growing product ever. Companies who are running Microsoft Windows Servers, Microsoft Windows clients, and Microsoft Office productivity applications are implementing SharePoint servers at an incredible pace. If a company is not yet using a full-blown MOSS 2007 server farm, chances are they are using the free Windows SharePoint Services which provides many Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 12

16 of the same features without the infrastructure and management overhead associated with MOSS. As tested, getting a file from a SharePoint server is the same as getting one from any web server. For this scenario a document repository of PowerPoint.PPTX files was created, and they were downloaded as in the HTTP test. As previously described, the HTTPS protocol was used to simulate the typical use of that secure protocol. Otherwise, the test methodology was exactly the same as for the HTTP scenario. Test Data A series of 14 scanned photos in TIFF format, each Mb in size, were saved on the Content server. For SMB testing, each photo was also inserted into a PowerPoint 2007.PPTX file. For SCCM, each TIFF file was converted into a self-extracting ZIP file using WinZip. The file names and sizes appear in the appendix. Laboratory Configuration The following is the laboratory configuration for this project (see Figure 4, page 14). Whether noted explicitly below or not, all operating systems, server, and productivity applications had the latest service packs and patches applied. At Emulated Headquarters 1 Physical server (Dell 2950, dual 1.86 GHz quad core Xeon processors, 16 GB memory) Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition R2 w/hyper-v with the following virtual servers VM1 Content Server Windows Server 2008 R2 IIS, Valid HTTPS certificate Domain controller for TestDomain.local VM2 SQL08A VM3 System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Virtual Machine (SCCM) (Downloadable from Microsoft) Windows Server 2008 R2 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 13

17 PowerEdge Gateway DX with AMD Phenom X4 9100e (1.80 GHz, quad core) processor and 4 GB memory Windows Server 2008 R2 SCCM server Remote PC 3 Remote PC 2 Remote PC 1 Shunra WAN Emulator HQ File, web and SCCM Server Remote PC 4 10/100 Network Switch 10/100 Network Switch Remote PC 5 PowerEdge Remote Office Remote Office Server Figure 4 - Test Network Configuration Diagram Headquarters Remote Office 1 Physical Server Acer Veriton 460G PCs. (Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 Processor, 3 GB memory, 160 GB hard drive, and Marvell Gigabit Ethernet.) Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise Edition providing Domain Controller, DHCP, and hosted BranchCache services to the five workstations. 5 s Acer Veriton 460G PCs. (Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 Processor, 3 GB memory, 160 GB hard drive, and Marvell Gigabit Ethernet.) Each workstation has three partitions, multiple boot configuration All configurations saved to disk images w/ghost for easy reversion Partition 1 Windows XP SP3 fully updated via Windows Update Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 14

18 Partition 2 Windows 7 Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 Partition 3 Windows Vista Business SP2 Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 A second hard drive holds an image of the three working partitions created with Acronis True Image, allowing systems to be reverted to a pristine state after each test run. Network The PCs are connected to an unmanaged Dell 10/100 Ethernet switch. Subnet is /24 (an RFC 1918 reserved private network). Apposite Linktropy 4500 WAN Emulator which routes traffic to the headquarters network ( /24 also an RFC 1918 reserved net). Belkin IP-enabled KVM switch. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 15

19 Average Seconds to Download File Test Results Summary of Results Edison believes that the best way to view the results of our testing is from the perspective of how much less time and how much less WAN bandwidth in MB is required to transfer files to a branch office using BranchCache compared to a previous version of the operating system (Windows Vista or Windows XP). The following charts illustrate the average BranchCache savings on file transfer time and bandwidth utilization for the four test scenarios in all test conditions. As can be seen in Figure 5 the download times for Windows 7 with BranchCache show consistent download times and are significantly faster than for the earlier operating systems. BranchCache Savings File Download Windows 7 Windows XP Windows Vista 50 0 HTTP MOSS SCCM SMB Figure 5 - BranchCache Savings on File Download (Smaller is better.) Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 16

20 Average MB The bandwidth savings delivered by Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled are, as seen in Figure 6, are also significant, though less consistent due to the differing nature of the file transfer protocols being accelerated. 3 BranchCache Savings Bandwidth Utilization Windows 7 Windows XP Windows Vista 5 0 HTTP MOSS SCCM SMB Figure 6 - BranchCache Savings for Bandwidth Utilization (Smaller is better) For HTTP, file download times with Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled was over 60 percent faster than Windows XP or Windows Vista. Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled required almost one half the bandwidth than either Windows XP or Windows Vista. When file downloads were performed using MOSS 2007, the need for MOSS to access SQL Server slowed down the file downloads somewhat, but the file download using Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled still required approximately two-thirds less time and two-thirds less bandwidth than Windows XP or Windows Vista. 3 See the scenario descriptions above or the results details below for more information on how the transfer protocols in the four scenarios can affect file transfer time and bandwidth utilization. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 17

21 Downloads through SCCM exhibited a 76 to 79 percent download time reduction for Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled and over a 53 to 58 percent bandwidth savings over Windows XP or Windows Vista. CIFS/SMB file download times were from 55 to 69 percent faster for Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled and utilized from 45 to 59 percent less bandwidth than Windows XP or Windows Vista. The following table (Table 2) shows the performance in time and bandwidth summarized above. Table 2 Average Results for Scenarios HTTP MOSS SCCM SMB Windows Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Advantage over Windows XP 63% 68% 76% 69% Windows 7 Advantage over Windows Vista 63% 65% 79% 55% Bandwidth Windows Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Advantage over Windows XP 49% 66% 58% 59% Windows 7 Advantage over Windows Vista 49% 66% 53% 45% Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 18

22 As can be seen in Table 2, the effect of BranchCache on file download time is significant enough in productivity savings, but the effect on bandwidth can have the greatest effect on operational cost savings. 4 Scenarios The sections below provide summaries of the effect of Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled for each of the four test scenarios. The data upon which these summaries are based is presented in the appendices. All of the tests in these scenarios were performed using the set of test conditions described in the lab configuration section. These tests included both asymmetric and symmetric WAN emulation. Asymmetric networks are typical of those provided by DSL and cable networks. In these networks, the download speed is usually greater than the upload speeds. Since the results of BranchCache acceleration for both Hosted and Distributed cache modes were very similar and the performance of Windows XP and Windows Vista were also similar the charts only show some of the results of the testing. This choice was made so that the charts would be easier to read. Detailed results tables can be found in the appendices. Test Scenario 1 CIFS/SMB File Accesses The CIFS/SMB File Access Test consists of file downloads initiated from within Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 for files on a network share (mounted as Drive N). The times were based upon the time required to open the file. Results The following charts show the average performance comparison between Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled versus the performance of Windows XP and Windows Vista. The Average Bandwidth Used chart (Figure 8, Page 20) and the Average Download chart (Figure 8, Page20) show that Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled requires much less time and bandwidth than either Windows Vista or Windows XP. It should be noted that Windows Vista had improvements in CIFS/SMB protocol processing, which is shown by the better performance of Vista over XP. 4 It is important to note that when a cached file is transferred, it is the performance of the caching computer and Local Area Network that is affecting transfer time. Almost no Wide Area Network bandwidth is being used for the transfer other than that required for determining the existence and state of a previously transferred and cached file and checking credentials and access controls. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 19

23 Figure 8 - Average Bandwidth Used: CIFS/SMB Protocol (Smaller is better) Figure 8 - Average Download : CIFS/SMB Protocol (Smaller is better) The two charts on the following pages show the results of acceleration on CIFS/SMB file downloads. The charts show that downloads to XP or Vista clients take consistent amounts of time 5 and use the same bandwidth for each client transfer, and that Windows 7 with BranchCache greatly accelerates the download. The different test conditions network speed and latency have a definite effect on the speed of all the transfers: slower speeds require longer transfer times (Figure 9 - SMB Test Results: Transfer, Page 21). The test conditions have no effect on Windows 7 bandwidth utilization, as can be seen by the overlap for all Windows 7 results (Figure 10 - SMB Results: Bandwidth Utilization, Page 22). Also clearly seen is the BranchCache effect on speed and bandwidth, with markedly sharp falloffs in both metrics. The download time for Windows 7 Distributed Mode for the Symmetrical 5 Mbps WAN condition does not show as great a savings, as the faster network speed shortened the time required for the initial file download, while the shortest and most accelerated download time approached the limits of the available bandwidth for all three WAN conditions. 5 The slightly shorter time illustrated for the third client is an anomaly of chart preparation. For clarity purposes, only the first of two test runs for the first three clients was selected for the chart. For the SMB scenario, the performance of the third client was slightly faster than for the previous two clients. The fourth and fifth clients and second test run were more consistent than this particular download instance. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 20

24 Figure 9 - SMB Test Results: Transfer Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 21

25 Figure 10 - SMB Results: Bandwidth Utilization Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 22

26 Test Scenario 2 HTTP File Downloads The HTTP File Access Test consists of file transfers initiated from a page hosted on an HTPP or web server. Results The chart, Average Download (Figure 11) illustrates the 63 percent time savings delivered by Windows 7 with BranchCache over the nearly identical download times (see appendices for details) required by Windows Vista and Windows XP. Figure 11 - Average Download HTTP Protocol (Smaller is Better) The bandwidth savings for Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled were showed savings of 49 percent as compared to the bandwidth required by Windows Vista or Windows XP. (Figure 12) Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 23

27 Figure 12 - Average Bandwidth Used: HTTP Protocol (Smaller is better) The following two charts show the results of acceleration on HTTP file transfers (Figure 13 - HTTP Test Results: Transfer, Page 25 and Figure 14 - HTTP Test Results: Bandwidth Utilization, Page 26). The charts show that file downloads to Windows XP or Windows Vista clients take consistent amounts of time and use the same bandwidth for each client transfer, and that Windows 7 with BranchCache greatly accelerates the file download. The different test conditions network speed and latency have a definite effect on the speed of all the file downloads: slower speeds require longer transfer times. This is evident for the 5 Mbps downloads for Windows Vista where the download time is less than half for the slower networks. It also is apparent with the faster initial client performance for Window 7 with BranchCache enabled. The acceleration provided by BranchCache is not as profound over the faster network, at least for a file size that is small relative to the connection speed. The test conditions have no effect on BranchCache bandwidth utilization, as can be seen in the near total overlap of the BranchCache results. BranchCache is equally efficient across the full range of test conditions utilized in this study. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 24

28 in Seconds 140 HTTP Test Results Transfer 120 Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows Vista Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows Vista Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows Vista Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Clients Figure 13 - HTTP Test Results: Transfer Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 25

29 MB HTTP Test Results Bandwidth Utilization 0.02 Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows Vista Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows Vista Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows Vista Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache 0 Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Clients Figure 14 - HTTP Test Results: Bandwidth Utilization Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 26

30 Test Scenario 3 SCCM Application Package Download Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) enables the automated transfer of application installation and patch files to end-user computers. SCCM utilizes the BITS throttling mechanism to manage the transfers, while the files themselves are transferred using the SMB protocol. The BranchCache Acceleration Affect only operates on the actual SMB file transfer aspect of an SCCM transaction, so the results are not as marked as for the two previous (HTTP and MOSS) tests. At the time of testing, SCCM with BITS was not supported in Hosted Cache mode, so no testing was performed for this configuration. 6 The release version of BranchCache and an updated SCCM now support Hosted Cache mode. Edison expects that the performance gains experienced in our other tests will carry over to SCCM in Hosted Cache Mode. Results SCCM download times for Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled were 76 percent faster than for Windows XP and 79 percent faster than for Windows Vista, as can be seen in the chart (Figure 15 Average Download : SCCM, Page 27). Application and operating system installations and patching can be very disruptive of productivity. Savings of this order of magnitude can be a major productivity boost. Figure 15 - Average Download : SCCM 6 The inability to test SCCM in hosted mode is what drove the decision to show only Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled in distributed mode in these charts. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 27

31 Bandwidth utilization was also much lower with Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled than with the older operating systems, though perhaps not so spectacularly. (Figure 16 Average Bandwidth Used: SCCM, Page 28) Nevertheless, Windows 7 used 53 percent less bandwidth than Windows Vista and 58 percent less bandwidth than required by Windows XP. Figure 16- Average Bandwidth Used: SCCM Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 28

32 The following two charts show the results of acceleration on downloads of SCCM Application Packages (Figure 17 - SCCM Test Results: Transfer, Page 30 and Figure 18 - SCCM Test Results: Bandwidth Utilization, Page 31). As in the other scenarios, the charts show that transfers to XP or Vista clients take consistent amounts of time and use the same bandwidth for each client transfer, and that Windows 7 with BranchCache greatly accelerates the data transfer. The different test conditions network speed and latency have a definite effect on the speed of all the transfers: slower speeds require longer transfer times. The effect of the higher network speeds is less pronounced with SCCM. Edison attributes this difference to the differences in the BITS protocol as compared to the other protocols tested. The download for Windows Vista under Asymmetrical conditions, as would be expected, utilized more bandwidth than downloads for Windows Vista under the symmetrical conditions. This was due to the longer time required for the client to communicate back to the SCCM server under asymmetrical conditions, thus slowing the entire process. This example shows a clear advantage for Windows 7 clients using BranchCache for OS and application downloads or patching from an organization s SCCM servers when there is an asymmetric connection. The savings in bandwidth from over 30 MBs of data transferred to nearly zero data transferred can have a considerable positive effect on branch office WAN utilization. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 29

33 in Seconds 350 SCCM Test Results Transfer 300 Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows Vista 250 Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows Vista 200 Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows Vista Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Clients Figure 17 - SCCM Test Results: Transfer Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 30

34 MB 45 SCCM Test Results Bandwidth Utiliztion Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows Vista Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows Vista 25 Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows Vista Asymmetrical 1.5Mbps/384Kbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Symmetrical 1.5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache 5 Symmetrical 5Mbps Windows 7 Distributed Cache Clients Figure 18 - SCCM Test Results: Bandwidth Utilization Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 31

35 Test Scenario 4 MOSS 2007 File Access Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 enables users to access files from a databasesupported and application-driven portal. In this test scenario, files were downloaded using the same technique as was used for the HTTP tests in Scenario 2. The only differences were that MOSS access was over the secure HTTPS protocol, and the files themselves were stored in the MOSS database. Results The BranchCache savings in time and bandwidth were very symmetrical. As illustrated in the chart (Figure 20 Average Bandwidth Used: MOSS 2007) bandwidth savings were the same 66 per cent for Windows 7 as compared to Windows XP or Windows Vista. savings for Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled over Windows XP were 68 percent. The savings over Windows Vista were 65 percent (Figure 20 Average Download : MOSS 2007). Figure 20 - Average Bandwidth Used: MOSS 2007 (Smaller is better.) Figure 20 - Average Download : MOSS 2007 (Smaller is better.) Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 32

36 The chart (Figure 21 - MOSS 2007 Test Results: Transfer, Page 34) shows the results of acceleration on MOSS 2007 HTTPS file downloads. The chart shows that file downloads to Windows Vista clients take virtually identical times for the slower asymmetrical and symmetrical network conditions without noticeable variation during the tests. This showed that there was little to no communication to the MOSS server once the download commenced. The performance for Windows Vista at 5 Mbps shows some speed variation. As in a previous test, this variation was an anomaly of the chart making procedure: the download to second client for the first test run was slightly slower than for the other clients in either test run. Since the chart only shows three runs, this difference is more obvious than it would be if all the test runs were shown. Bandwidth utilization for file downloads with MOSS 2007 (Figure 22 - MOSS 2007 Test Results: Bandwidth Utilization, Page 35) was very consistent for both operating systems illustrated. The chart line overlaps reveal that the two 1.5 Mbps downloads to Windows Vista utilized virtually identical bandwidth, while the 5 Mbps Windows Vista download utilized slightly less bandwidth, but the results under all three conditions were very similar in utilization. Once again, the chart line overlap shows that Windows 7 with BranchCache results were nearly identical for all three test conditions, quickly approaching zero WAN bandwidth utilization. Organizations with MOSS 2007 servers hosting remote offices connected over a range of network conditions will see a significant productivity boost due to faster file download speeds. Bandwidth costs and contention will also be positively affected by running Windows 7 clients with BranchCache enabled. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 33

37 Figure 21 - MOSS 2007 Test Results: Transfer Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 34

38 Figure 22 - MOSS 2007 Test Results: Bandwidth Utilization Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 35

39 Conclusions and Recommendations Edison analysts created and ran a series of tests designed to provide quantified data that would illustrate the effects of the file transfer acceleration provided by using Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 with BranchCache enabled. The result of Edison s testing shows that BranchCache delivers on its promise. File downloads were, on average, 69 percent faster with Windows 7 and BranchCache than for Windows XP and 66 percent faster than for Windows Vista. Bandwidth utilization averaged 58 percent less for Windows 7 versus Windows XP and 53 percent less than Windows Vista. With the vast range of possible configurations and tariffs, Edison has made no attempt to calculate the potential financial savings attributable to lower bandwidth utilization, but it should be obvious that the significant bandwidth savings possible with BranchCache could have an ameliorating affect on operating system upgrade costs, possibly sufficient to justify branch office upgrades. Edison believes that the results support two recommendations for organizations contemplating upgrading their end-user operating systems to Windows 7. The first of these is to stage upgrades to central servers and branch offices. Upgrade remotely accessible servers to Windows Server 2008 R2 and remote branch computers to use Windows 7, adding branch servers using Windows Server 2008 R2 where necessary. Distributed Cache mode allows IT professionals to take advantage of BranchCache with minimal hardware deployments in the branch office. However, if the branch has deployed other infrastructure (for example, servers running other workloads) using Hosted Cache mode may be beneficial for increased cache availability and caching for the entire branch office. (Microsoft suggests that Distributed Cache mode can be adequate for offices of fewer than 50 users on a subnet) The second recommendation is to consider the replacement of shared folder network designs with SharePoint. Whether an organization utilizes Windows SharePoint Services (WSS, available at no charge) or the more sophisticated and centrally manageable Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS), the productivity benefits of higher transfer speeds and the lower bandwidth costs can offset many SharePoint adoption costs while providing the recognized business value of the SharePoint portal paradigm. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 36

40 Appendices Test Environment This section consists of a detailed listing of the equipment and software utilized in testing, including applicable configuration settings details. Lab Configuration Remote Office s (5) Model CPU Memory Operating Systems Hard Drive Acer Verton 460G Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93 MHz) 4 GB Windows XP Professional Windows Vista Business Windows 7 Enterprise 160 GB Western Digital Caviar Blue SATA II Remote Office Switch Dell PowerConnect 2216 unmanaged 10/ ports Remote Office Server Model CPU Memory Operating Systems Hard Drive Roles and Features Acer Veriton 460G Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 (2.93 MHz) 4 GB Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise 160 GB Western Digital Caviar Blue SATA II Active Directory Domain Controller IIS web server BranchCache Hosted Cache server File Server Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 37

41 WAN Emulator Apposite Linktropy 4500 WAN Emulator configured as router Virtual Server Host Model Dell PowerEdge 2950 CPU Memory Operating Systems Hard Drive Virtual Machines Intel Xeon E5320 (Quad core 1.83 GHz) 16 GB Windows Server 2008 Datacenter with Hyper-V 4x73 GB SAS on PERC 5i RAID controller Active Directory Domain Controller HQ2008R2 A File and Web server used as the data source for SMB and HTTP testing SQL08A A Windows Server 2003R2 server running SQL Server 2008 hosting the SCCM and SharePoint databases. SCCM and MOSS hosts Model CPU Memory Operating Systems Hard Drive Virtual Machines Gateway DX AMD Phenom X4 9100e (1.80 GHz, quad core) 4 GB Windows Server 2008 r2 Enterprise 160 GB Western Digital Caviar Blue Active Directory Domain Controller HQ2008R2 A Windows Server 2008R2 Enterprise system providing file and web services used as the data source for SMB and HTTP testing SQL08A A Windows Server 2003R2 server running SQL Server 2008 hosting the SCCM and SharePoint databases. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 38

42 Test Results The following pages present the results of Edison s testing. The results are presented for each test scenario in the form of a summary table that lists each test condition and operating system, and in detail tables showing the results of each test run. In the summary tables, the results for each platform, for each WAN condition are shown in one table. A second table shows the percent advantage of Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled versus the legacy operating systems; Windows Vista and Windows XP. In the details tables, file transfer duration is presented in minutes and seconds (MM:SS). Data transferred is presented in MB or KB as measured during transferred through the WAN emulator. CIFS/SMB Test Results Results Summary The test results show that Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled is 58 percent faster and requires 45 percent less bandwidth than Windows Vista. The results also show that Windows 7 with BranchCache enabled is 69 percent faster while requiring 59 percent less bandwidth than Windows XP. The performance advantages are not as great when compared to the results from some other scenarios. Edison believes the performance difference is due to the way the application (PowerPoint 2007) interacts with the network while retrieving the file. While the files were being transferred, it appeared that the first data blocks were being sent from the remote server while BranchCache was checking whether the file existed in a local cache. When the cached file was identified, network transfers stopped and the remainder of the file was transferred from the branch cache. Presuming our observation matches BranchCache design, it is probable that transferring larger files would demonstrate a greater difference in speed and bandwidth utilization. Edison: Enhanced Branch Office Productivity and WAN Bandwidth Savings with BranchCache Page 39