Cryptographic Accelerators Provide Quick Encryption
April 19, 1999
How We Tested Cryptographic Accelerators We set up a domestic (128-bit-enabled) version of Netscape Communications Corp.'s Enterprise Server 3.5 on a dual Pentium II server running Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3). First, we ran baseline tests against an unsecured Web server (HTTP) and then against a secured Web server (HTTPS). Next, we created individual Web server configurations for the HCMs (hardware cryptographic modules) to prevent unnecessary interference. We then ran the same series of tests against each HCM.
To stress the Web servers adequately, our test bed included thousands of virtual clients, which were created by distributing 50 copies of RADView's WebLoad across 10 workstations on a Fast Ethernet LAN. We were most impressed by the distinction between the baseline testing and the HCM testing: Both of the HCMs alleviated substantial stress from the server, which continued to run despite an overwhelming number of requests. Without an installed HCM, the server crashed more than once, which was a surprising, welcome result.
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We set up a domestic (128-bit-enabled) version of Netscape Communications Corp.'s Enterprise Server 3.5 on a dual Pentium II server running Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3). First, we ran baseline tests against an unsecured Web server (HTTP) and then against a secured Web server (HTTPS). Next, we created individual Web server configurations for the HCMs (hardware cryptographic modules) to prevent unnecessary interference. We then ran the same series of tests against each HCM.
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