Storage Network Throughput Calculator
Convert IOPS and block size into storage network throughput and the number of links required.
About Storage Network Throughput Calculator
Storage arrays are specified in IOPS but networks are specified in bits per second, and block size is the conversion factor: 120 000 IOPS is 469 MB/s at 4 KB but 3.75 GB/s at 32 KB. Protocol framing and a utilisation target then determine how many links carry it. Most storage performance complaints are actually network saturation, and this shows whether the array's rated IOPS can even fit down the installed links.
Formula
Storage Network Throughput
MB/s = IOPS × block KB ÷ 1024; required Gbps = MB/s × 8 ÷ 1000 × (1 + protocol overhead); links = ceil(required ÷ (link speed × utilisation target)).
- block size
- Average I/O size — 4–8 KB for databases, 64 KB or more for backup
- protocol overhead
- iSCSI, NVMe/TCP or NFS framing on top of the payload
Worked example
With the default values below, Storage Network Throughput Calculator returns Network Throughput Required of 32.400. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- IOPSaccepts 1–100,000,000 IOPS
- 120,000 IOPS
- Average block sizeaccepts 0.5–4,096 KB
- 32 KB
- Link speedaccepts 1–800 Gbps
- 25 Gbps
- Protocol overheadaccepts 0–50 %
- 8 %
- Utilisation target per linkaccepts 10–100 %
- 70 %
Results
- Network Throughput Required
- 32.400 Gbps
- Payload Throughput
- 3,750.0 MB/s
- Links Required
- 2 links
- Utilisation of Those Links
- 64.80%
- Payload Rate before Overhead
- 30.000 Gbps
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Storage Network Throughput
- 3Network Throughput Required= 32.400 Gbps
- 4Payload Throughput= 3,750.0 MB/s
- 5Links Required= 2 links
- 6Utilisation of Those Links= 64.80
- 7Payload Rate before Overhead= 30.000 Gbps
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Storage Network Throughput calculated?
MB/s = IOPS × block KB ÷ 1024; required Gbps = MB/s × 8 ÷ 1000 × (1 + protocol overhead); links = ceil(required ÷ (link speed × utilisation target)). Storage arrays are specified in IOPS but networks are specified in bits per second, and block size is the conversion factor: 120 000 IOPS is 469 MB/s at 4 KB but 3.75 GB/s at 32 KB. Protocol framing and a utilisation target then determine how many links carry it.
Why does Storage Network Throughput matter?
Most storage performance complaints are actually network saturation, and this shows whether the array's rated IOPS can even fit down the installed links.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 5 inputs: IOPS, Average block size, Link speed, Protocol overhead, Utilisation target per link. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.