install nc and pv

If you are on a mac, you can use MacPorts to install this easily enough:

• $ sudo port install netcat pv

If you are on Ubuntu, you just need to get pv installed (nc is already there):

• $ sudo aptitude install pv

Once you have nc and pv installed, it’s really simple.  On one machine, run the following command:

• $ nc -ulp 5000 > /dev/null

On the second machine run the following command (you need the IP address of the first machine):

• $ pv < /dev/zero | nc -u ip.addy.of.other.machine 5000

And you should get some output with a little <=> sign moving across the screen that resembles this (static):

1.15GB 0:00:19 [ 218MB/s] [             <=>                  ]

This will show you the number of MB/s the connection is averaging; if you watch if for a bit, you can get an idea of where things stand. Here are some of the results I got between my PowerMac, PowerBook, and EEE PC:

localhost:                      218MB/s
gigabit Ethernet:               143MB/s
100MB ethernet:                 11.5MB/s
wireless (poor connection):     141kB/s

If you read the original post on slashdot, it seems you can us pv to measure a lot of other stuff as well — I haven’t played with it yet but should, one day.