Methods / L4 / UDP-BIG
L4 · NetworkVolumetricUDPBandwidthSpoofable
UDP-BIG stress test
Saturates the pipe with large-payload UDP packets to validate that your link and upstream scrubbing hold up under raw bandwidth pressure.
How it works
This method sends UDP packets with large payloads, trading packet rate for sheer bytes on the wire to push toward the link's bandwidth ceiling. It is a throughput test rather than a packet-rate test, so it exposes whether your transit capacity, upstream scrubbing, and edge gear can absorb a high-Gbps wall of traffic without dropping legitimate flows. Pair it with the small-payload UDP methods to cover both the bandwidth and the packet-rate sides of volumetric stress.
Parameters
size1024-1472 bytesPer-packet payload size pushing toward MTU
bandwidth1-100 GbpsThroughput driven at the target
portany UDP portDestination port on the test target
duration10-600 sLength of the saturation run
Run it from the CLI
retro-cli
$ retro run udp-big --target 203.0.113.45 --port 443 --duration 120
UDP-BIG FAQ
Is UDP-BIG testing legal?+
Only against infrastructure you own or are authorized to test. RETRO//STRESS requires authorized targets.
What does UDP-BIG stress?+
Saturates the pipe with large-payload UDP packets to validate that your link and upstream scrubbing hold up under raw bandwidth pressure.
Can I combine it with other methods?+
Yes, add it as a step in a packet chain to sequence it with other protocols.