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IP SLA / Latency Reference & Config Generator

ip-slaciscolatencyjittervoipmonitoringnetworking

Updated Mar 25, 2026

A dual-purpose tool for network engineers working with Cisco IP SLA. Select an operation type — icmp-echo, udp-jitter, tcp-connect, http, dns, dhcp, or path-echo — to instantly understand what it measures and when to use it.

The live IOS config generator builds a ready-to-paste configuration block from your inputs: target IP, source IP, frequency, timeout, threshold, codec (for udp-jitter), TCP port (for tcp-connect), schedule options, and optional reaction configuration with SNMP trap or syslog actions.

Includes a color-coded latency quality reference table (VoIP, video, interactive, bulk, DNS) with RTT/jitter/packet-loss thresholds per ITU-T G.114, a collapsible terminology reference, and a callout explaining the udp-jitter responder requirement.

Operation Types

Click a card to load that operation type into the config generator below.

IOS Config Generator

Fill in the fields — the config block updates live and is ready to paste into Cisco IOS.

Schedule

Reaction Configuration(optional)

Generated IOS Config

! Enter a target IP address to generate config

Latency Quality Reference

Use these thresholds to configure meaningful IP SLA reaction values for your traffic type.

Traffic TypeRTT GoodRTT AcceptableRTT PoorJitter GoodPkt Loss Good
VoIP (G.711)< 20ms20–150ms> 150ms< 10ms< 1%
VoIP (G.729)< 20ms20–150ms> 150ms< 10ms< 1%
Video Conf< 50ms50–150ms> 150ms< 30ms< 0.5%
Interactive Apps< 100ms100–200ms> 200ms< 50ms< 0.1%
Check Imaging / ATM< 100ms100–300ms> 300ms< 50ms< 0.1%
Bulk Transfer< 500ms500ms–1s> 1sN/A< 0.1%
DNS< 50ms50–200ms> 200msN/A0%

Based on ITU-T G.114 and Cisco QoS recommendations.

Financial Network SLA Reference

Suggested SLA reaction thresholds for common banking and financial transaction traffic.

Traffic TypeRTT GoodRTT AcceptableRTT PoorJitter GoodPkt Loss GoodOperational Impact
ATM Cash Withdrawal / Inquiry< 100ms100–300ms> 300ms< 50ms< 0.1%Slow screen changes, delayed approvals
Check Imaging / ATM Deposit< 100ms100–300ms> 300ms< 50ms< 0.1%Delayed image submission, retries, poor UX
POS Card Authorization< 75ms75–200ms> 200ms< 30ms< 0.1%Slower approvals, terminal timeout risk
Teller / Core Banking Session< 100ms100–250ms> 250ms< 40ms< 0.1%Teller lag, slower customer handling
ACH / Settlement File Transfer< 500ms500ms–1s> 1sN/A< 0.1%Usually tolerant, but delays batch completion
Banking App / VDI / Citrix< 100ms100–200ms> 200ms< 50ms< 0.1%Laggy input, poor remote session feel
DNS / Auth / NTP Dependencies< 50ms50–150ms> 150msN/A0% preferredHidden cause of broad transaction slowness

Operational Notes

  • Customer-facing financial traffic is often more sensitive to consistency than raw throughput.
  • DNS, authentication, and time synchronization issues can mimic circuit or application slowness.
  • Packet loss should be treated aggressively for ATM, POS, and teller-facing systems.
  • Batch settlement traffic can tolerate more delay, but not persistent transfer failure.

Key Terminology

udp-jitter Requires a Far-End Responder

Without a responder, only icmp-echo can measure RTT accurately. The responder enables precise one-way delay and jitter measurement by timestamping probe packets in both directions.

Configure the far-end Cisco device with a single command:

ip sla responder