Self-synchronizing One-way Delay Measurement in the Internet

End-to-end packet delay is the network parameter with maximum impact on performance of distributed applications. This is especially true for soft real-time applications, which are delay-sensitive by definition, but also for applications relying on the TCP protocol whose sliding window mechanism performs badly in case of high packet delays. Therefore, measuring packet delay is an important task for both network operators and application developers. This paper presents a tool set for measuring and evaluating one-way end-to-end delay and packet loss that can be operated on standard PCs without additional external timing sources. We chose a script-based approach that can even be executed on virtualized platforms. The self-synchronization mechanism embodied in the trace evaluation is a distinctive feature that omits the need for expensive external clocks (as e.g., GPS receivers). We also show a wide-ranging set of measured traces and their most prominent statistical properties.