Computer Networks - how do I calculate maximum traffic that a system can handle?

Answer 1

That is a very interesting and complex question. :)

If talking about one machine, then the NIC (the Network Interface Card), will have a maximum rated throughput. That is one possible answer. But the software that is pulling packets from the NIC, processing them, and sending a response, may well be orders of magnitude slower than the theoretical maximum throughput of the NIC. This is very common!

In that case you would have to profile the software and test it's limits under different conditions. That may be a more correct answer.

You might also need to account for other factors. For example, a very fast NIC with very performant software running behind a slow Internet connection (perhaps dial-up as an extreme example) would not be able to receive and send very much data at all.

That's probably not a very helpful answer but I hope it gives you some food for thought.