[Infowarrior] - M-Lab network test tools

[Richard Forno]

http://measurementlab.net/measurement-lab-tools.html

Use tools running on M-Lab to test your Internet connection.

     *
       Network Diagnostic Tool

       Test your connection speed and receive sophisticated diagnosis  
of problems limiting speed.
     *
       Glasnost

       Test whether BitTorrent is being blocked or throttled.
     *
       Network Path and Application Diagnosis

       Diagnose common problems that impact last-mile broadband  
networks.
     *
       DiffProbe (coming soon)

       Determine whether an ISP is giving some traffic a lower  
priority than other traffic.
     *
       NANO (coming soon)

       Determine whether an ISP is degrading the performance of a  
certain subset of users, applications, or destinations.

M-Lab is at the beginning of its development. As M-Lab develops and  
more researchers participate, the suite of tests will grow.

The tools aim to be as accurate as possible, but because they are in  
development and attempting to measure complex issues, there may be  
bugs or errors. There may also be other limitations in the tools; for  
instance, a slower than expected speed might be the result of the  
testing server being located geographically far from your computer,  
rather than a problem with your ISP. If you have questions about the  
tools themselves, you should direct them to the researcher responsible  
for the tool. As M-Lab develops, researchers will be able build tools  
with increasing accuracy and functionality.

You may experience delays in running the tools, as they only allow a  
limited number of simultaneous users at this stage.

In order to advance Internet research, all data collected through M- 
Lab may be made publicly accessible. By using one of the tools, you  
will generate and send some data back-and-forth with an M-Lab server.  
The tools collect data related to the particular communication "flows"  
generated by the tool. These client-server tests do not collect  
information about your other Internet traffic such as your emails, Web  
searches or any personally identifiable information, unless you  
affirmatively provide it in response to a specific request (such as a  
form that asks you to provide your email address as well).

Some researchers may offer client-server tests that use M-Lab,  
combined with separate components that measure other Internet traffic  
and do not rely on M-Lab. These tools will only report the client- 
server test data back to M-lab and will not report any data about your  
other Internet traffic back to the M-Lab servers. That data will go  
directly to the researcher responsible for the tool.

The tools are all created by individual researchers, not M-Lab itself.  
The M-Lab servers are currently provided by Google Inc., and may in  
the future be provided by other organizations and companies.