After starting the LanTest program, open the File menu and choose the
network volume and folder in which to carry out the tests. Some of the
tests create files on the selected volume of around 3 MB in size, so
make sure you have enough disk space. If you choose "Macintosh HD",
you will be testing the local hard drive and not a network drive. You
can also choose which of the tests to carry out (with the seven
checkboxes or in the Options menu), and the total number of test
cycles to make.
You can save your settings with an option in the File menu - they are
stored within the application itself. Accordingly, if you want to
running LanTest on several Macintoshes simultaneously, it is more
convenient to start it from a network volume, so everyone gets the
same preferences automatically.
You can run LanTest on multiple networked Macintoshes simultaneously.
LanTest recognizes this automatically by scanning the current network
zone for AppleTalk entities of type "LanTest", and it stores the test
files for each Macintosh in separate folders whose names are based on
the unique AppleTalk node number and network number of each Macintosh
taking part in the test.
After each test cycle is finished, LanTest writes to a log file in the
same folder as the LanTest program itself. The name of each logfile is
based on the unique AppleTalk node number and network number of the
Macintosh which run the test. Each line of the logfile shows the
results of each test cycle (unlike the LanTest display it does not
average the results) and also the number of users using LanTest while
the cycle took place (the number of users is only checked once each
cycle, at the beginning). The logfile is not deleted, even if you
quite LanTest and start it again later - new results are just appended
to the end.
If you abort the test series with the Stop button, LanTest displays a
trash can cursor while it deletes the test files, and it displays a
network symbol cursor for several seconds each time it scans the
current network zone for AppleTalk entities of type "LanTest".
**Judging the results**
Test data is read from and written to the Macintosh's RAM, so the
local hard disk speed is not relevant.
When judging the results, it should be remembered that the performance
in any network situation is dependent on the type of application (3
Macs copying large TIFF files can fill the entire Ethernet bandwidth
whereas 200 Macs is no problem if they are running client/server
database applications, for example).
Please note, too, that overall Macintosh performance (including
network performance) is reduced significantly by each additional INIT
or screen saver that you use.
Furthermore, the unusually small size of AppleTalk data packets (about
600 bytes, compared with up to about 1500 for Ethernet and up to about
8 kB for Token-Ring) results in a physical upper limit to the network
performance, regardless of which AppleShare networking media you are
using (Ethernet, Token-Ring, FDDI etc.).
