What is throughput and how to measure

[zarni tun]

Cisco ISR 4321 router`s throughput is 50~100 Mbps through it has 3 gigabitethernet interfaces.

Somebody explain me what is throughput in clear format.

[Dennis Mink · Accepted solution]

Throughput means it processed 50-100Mbps.

so for instance if your throughput on a fastethernet interface is 2Mbps, on Layer 2 it processed 2Mbps.  Please note that this is not your TCP/IP bandwidth

[rocksmethew1]

Step 1

Measure the time, in days, between when an order is placed and when production begins.

Step 2

Measure the process time: how long production takes from beginning to end. If production begins on the July 5 and lasts until July 15, production time is 10 days.

Related Reading: Throughput Limitations for Web Services

Step 3 

Calculate the move time. Move time is the amount of time between when a product is completed and when it is delivered to the buyer. If the product is completed on July 15 and the customer receives it on July 28, the move time is 13 days.

Step 4

Add up the wait time, process time and move time to get the manufacturing throughput. With a wait time of four days, process time of 10 days and move time of 13 days, the total manufacturing throughput is 27 days.

[Fallacy11]

It's how fast the traffic will actually pass through the device, it's 50mb standard and then you can purchase a license to increase the rate to 100mb, also it only has 2 Gbe interfaces standard it does have a third one but that's for management only.

It's not made for high throughput it's meant for running intensive protocols and services like UC services, terminating high encryption algorithm VPNs, AVC, Multicast, multi-homed full table BGP, and they have iWAN functionality. If you're not using these features I would suggest looking at something else like an ASR if you actually need a router or an ASA if all you need is firewalling and something to provide internet access.

Edit: Found this, it's for the 4451 but hopefully it makes it clearer on how the services can affect throughput and why it's so low even though it has the Gb interfaces: http://miercom.com/pdf/reports/20130605.pdf

[zarni tun]

Many thanks to Fallacy and Dennis.

Why I choose ISR is for cost saving. 

All ASR are higher than ISR price and performance as well.