We are looking for a

- tool for testing network bandwith (LAN)
- output (something like "12.5 MByte/s") has to be written to a file
- ability to be run from DOS prompt within Windows 2000/XP
- maybe based on probe which runs on server and client which measures bandwith
- maybe freeware or shareware

Szenario: We are setting up a new network with 400 clients. When
clients (Windows XP) are logged on with a test account, a logon script
has to be run which should test network bandwidth. The result has to
be written to a file. With this result we would be able to find out
bad connections.

Example:
MBK001 12.50 MByte/s
MBK002 12.31 MByte/s
MBK003 12.45 MByte/s
MBK004  9.56 MByte/s <-- bad connection

We are open for other/better ideas as well.

Thanks a lot!
Christian

knell...

A product that I feel will fill your needs is Qcheck, by IXIA
(http://www.ixiacomm.com).  You install what are known as endpoints on
machines you want to test and then install the Qcheck console on any
machine.  At that point, you simply pick to endpoints and test. Qcheck
will do the following:

-Tests the response time of traffic on IP networks.   
-Emulates real application flows across the network to test
connectivity and performance.
-Tests network throughput.    
-Tests whether a network can support multimedia traffic.    
-Tests a network link using the application flows generated by
streaming multimedia applications.
-Determines at what rate streaming traffic is received and how much
packet loss occurs.
-Tests the connectivity between your own computer and another computer.   
-Supports a variety of protocols and can test network performance
using TCP, UDP, IPX, and SPX networks.
-Shows a workstation's physical memory, operating system levels and
CPU utilization.
-Runs traceroute between any two workstations on your network,
regardless of their locations.

The product is free and is a light version of their product IxChariot,
which is much more robust application that can be used to emulate
application data and traffic prior to deployment.

You can get more information and download Qcheck and the endpoints at
http://www.ixiacom.com/products/performance_applications/pa_display.php?skey=pa_q_check

I hope the above information provides the solution you are looking
for.  If you need additional clarification, please let me know.

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
Personal knowledge of Qcheck

This very fast answer perfectly fits our needs. Thank's a lot!