pw_rpc Benchmarking#

pw_rpc provides tools for stress testing and benchmarking a Pigweed RPC deployment and the transport it is running over. Two components are included:

  • The pw.rpc.Benchmark service and its implementation.

  • A Python module that runs tests using the Benchmark service.

pw.rpc.Benchmark service#

The Benchmark service provides a low-level RPC service for sending data between the client and server. The service is defined in pw_rpc/benchmark.proto.

A raw RPC implementation of the benchmark service is provided. This implementation is suitable for use in any system with pw_rpc. To access this service, add a dependency on "$dir_pw_rpc:benchmark" in GN or pw_rpc.benchmark in CMake. Then, include the service (#include "pw_rpc/benchmark.h"), instantiate it, and register it with your RPC server, like any other RPC service.

The Benchmark service was designed with the Python-based benchmarking tools in mind, but it may be used directly to test basic RPC functionality. The service is well suited for use in automated integration tests or in an interactive console.

Benchmark service#

syntax = "proto3";

package pw.rpc;

service Benchmark {
  // The server responds with the payload the client sent.
  rpc UnaryEcho(Payload) returns (Payload);

  // The server responds to each request payload the client sends. The client
  // stops the RPC by cancelling it.
  rpc BidirectionalEcho(stream Payload) returns (stream Payload);
}

message Payload {
  bytes payload = 1;
}

Example#

#include "pw_rpc/benchmark.h"
#include "pw_rpc/server.h"

constexpr pw::rpc::Channel kChannels[] = { /* ... */ };
static pw::rpc::Server server(kChannels);

static pw::rpc::BenchmarkService benchmark_service;

void RegisterServices() {
  server.RegisterService(benchmark_service);
}

Stress Test#

Attention

This section is experimental and liable to change.

The Benchmark service is also used as part of a stress test of the pw_rpc module. This stress test is implemented as an unguided fuzzer that uses multiple worker threads to perform generated sequences of actions using RPC Call objects. The test is included as an integration test, and can found and be run locally using GN:

$ gn desc out //:integration_tests deps | grep fuzz
//pw_rpc/fuzz:cpp_client_server_fuzz_test(//targets/host/pigweed_internal:pw_strict_host_clang_debug)

$ gn outputs out '//pw_rpc/fuzz:cpp_client_server_fuzz_test(//targets/host/pigweed_internal:pw_strict_host_clang_debug)'
pw_strict_host_clang_debug/gen/pw_rpc/fuzz/cpp_client_server_fuzz_test.pw_pystamp

$ ninja -C out pw_strict_host_clang_debug/gen/pw_rpc/fuzz/cpp_client_server_fuzz_test.pw_pystamp