Comparing Authentication Algorithms in IPv4

Here we compare various authentication algorithms in IPv4, inside a SunOS 4.1.3 kernel, on Sun SPARC 20/71 hosts.  The hosts are connected by the Myrinet network. The comparison also includes variants in network-standard byte order, as well as variants to test the overhead of header processing (null),  integrated layer processing (Null checksum), and data touching alone (Checksum).

MD5

• Original version of MD5 (RFC 1321). (MD5 is in little-endian byte order)

MD5-Opt

• Source-code optmized  MD5

AHA

• An alternate hash algorithm (AHA)

Internet Checksum

• Internet Checksum as an authentication algorithm.

Null Checksum

• No IP checksum calculation on reciever side to find out the data-touching overhead associate with second loop.

Network Standard Byte Order MD5-OPT

• This algorithm does not swap bytes to find out the overhead assciated with 'endianness'.

Rogaway

• Phil Rogaway's alternate hash (AH), which uses the AHA to combine buckets created by other means.

No-AH

• Regular TCP without Authentication header.

Null-AH

• Null Authentication header. No calculation of digest.
• To find out throughput when additional header is attached in the packet.

Performance Results using prototype hardware

   Click here to download patchfiles of the latest kernel.

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Last modified Sept 24, 1997.