>I also use an old product called UserAccess which is a kind of ftp
>with minimal scripting capability.  It has the unique ability to send
>a bit stream from one system to another without having to read a file
>on one end and write it on the other.  It gives a real good test of
>maximum lan throughput.  It's great for debugging lan throughput
>problems.  I wish there were some other downloadable/free product
>that had a similar function.

Rick - Two possibilities regarding your wish...

1. Using FTP:  You still need an input file of a given size, but the
   destination of your output on the other system can be /dev/null,
   hence obviating the need for a true output file.
   (One would wish that it were possible to use /dev/zero as input;
   but normal FTP programs reject this as not a "plain file". NCFTP
   will accept it, but whereas it's an infinite source of binary zeroes,
   one has to interrupt the FTP, and by doing so there are no transmission
   statistics.)

2. Use the 'spray' command:  This is a standard network performance
   measurement tool on at least AIX and Solaris systems.  It requires a
   sprayd daemon to be on the other end.  Sites may not implement sprayd
   because it invites heavy, mystery network loads where the 'spray'
   command is mis-used.  At least it requires no files on either end.

 Richard Sims, BU