Network Data Transfer Speeds

[livelee]

I have a question concerning the speed at which I’m able to send data across my network and wondered if anybody could help.

I'm downloading data from my server to my workstation.

Server config:
Server 2003 R2 latest SP drivers up to date etc..
Intel 965 mobo
1.86 c2d
2gig
3 x 500gb raid 5 via the onboard ich8r controller
Onboard Intel gigabit net card

Workstation config:
Vista Ultimate x64 latest drivers up to date etc..
Asus p35 mobo
2.4 c2d @ 3.5 :sol:
2gig
2 x wd raptor raid 0 via the onboard ich9r controller
Onboard Marvell Yukon gigabit net card

Both are connected to a dlink 16 port gigabit switch (can’t remember the model number and it's in my attic)

Using Ixia QCheck I’ve checked the network throughput and it reports 727mbits/sec so that's 90mbytes/sec, as you'd probably expect to see. However when copying the data through vista using a mapped drive to the server share I get about 96mbits/sec = 12mbytes/sec. If I use FTP to transfer the data I can see speeds up to
176mbits/sec = 22mbytes/sec.

I've used a x-over cable and the results are the same.

This network activity graph from the server shows me downloading some movie files 1st using FTP and then stopping the transfer and copying exactly the same data using windows copy.

Spot the difference, LOL.

I've tested the R/W performance of both RAIDS and they get 100mbytes/sec (R) 70mbytes/sec (W) on the server and 130mbytes/sec (R/W) workstation.

Does anybody have any idea what the problem could be, where the bottleneck might lie or what else I can try?

Many thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[Qualm]

Try a program called Teracopy and see if your copy throughput goes up a lot. If it does, then the bottleneck was Microsoft's file sharing via CIFS.

 

[TopGun]

Little much for a home server eh?

 

[livelee]

Try a program called Teracopy and see if your copy throughput goes up a lot. If it does, then the bottleneck was Microsoft's file sharing via CIFS.

Cheers, i'll give it a go and reply later.

Little much for a home server eh?

How do you mean? What i'm trying to do is too much for the spec or the spec is too much for what i'm doing?

 

[bobdole369]

You've got a good way to go with the testing to determine if the problem is Windows or not -

A few things I've done to increase file transfer throughput on an all windows (2003/xp) 30 client network:

The type of NIC in use can have a dramatic effect. In fact Lose the garbage on-board Attansic, Realtek, SIS whatever NIC's and get some PCI Intel Pro/1000 NIC's -

I found time after time with an onboard NIC I was able to browse the web and do file sharing, but it choked on big files. Also latency was very bad (so much so to make WoW unplayable, it would seem to be chugging along great, then all of a sudden its like it got behind, actions took seconds to perform)

NIC drivers are big too - If your NIC driver is from "Microsoft" in 2001, update it.


Putz with the parameters - mtu, tcp receive window, etc.

Turn off off-loading - often it causes CRC errors on the other end which result in retries.

Disable the server service on clients not serving files - choose a browse master and only have Computer Browser service running on that one. This avoids broadcast storms and elections.

Make sure the time is correct. In a domain environment if the time is off by a certain amount, packets get dropped.

Use DNS and WINS on your server, ensure the clients are configured for them, and ensure they are working! - this just about eliminates broadcasts.

 

[Madwand]

Suggestions:

1. Turn on write caching on the Intel RAID arrays.
2. Try pushing from the client to the server.
3. Try disabling Vista auto-tuning:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disable

to revert:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal

4. Apply the Vista performance patch.

5. See the following post for a couple of 2003 settings to examine:

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1031373235&postcount=11

 

[livelee]

Try a program called Teracopy and see if your copy throughput goes up a lot. If it does, then the bottleneck was Microsoft's file sharing via CIFS.

Well that's sped it up a little. We're upto 44meg/sec now copying single 12gig files.

The type of NIC in use can have a dramatic effect. In fact Lose the garbage on-board Attansic, Realtek, SIS whatever NIC's and get some PCI Intel Pro/1000 NIC's -

Yes i've suspected it may be the onboard NICs i'm using. However i've just had a massive increase in speed using the terracopy itil suggested above.

I'm running a domain with DNS etc setup properly.

Suggestions:

1. Turn on write caching on the Intel RAID arrays.
2. Try pushing from the client to the server.
3. Try disabling Vista auto-tuning:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disable

to revert:

netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal

4. Apply the Vista performance patch.

5. See the following post for a couple of 2003 settings to examine:

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1031373235&postcount=11

1. Done
2. The Same
3. Done
4. Link?
5. Cheers

Thanks for the replies so far. I've posted the same question on many other web "tech" forums and not received a single useful reply.

Dan

 

[Madwand]

4. Link?

I was thinking of KB938979, but it's just been included in Windows Update, so if you're installing all the updates, you'll get it without doing anything special.