replanning home network

[Yakyb]

at home i have an office which houses 3 pcs

1.server) 690g 3600x2 running sever08
2.Development machine) asus p5k, q6600, vista 64
3. Gaming machine) abit IP35 q6600 Vista 64

and a network printer

1.) dell 1320cn
they are all connected via a Gigabit switch using cat5e

1.) netgear GS605

which then connect to a modem router and the internet,


my problem is that my network max tranfer rate between the machines is about 18MB/s Avg 11MB/s (using windows shares)

now i understand that im not going to hit maximum but i would at least expect to get somewhere around the 50's

all machines are connected using the onboard NICs and all say they are connected at 1Gb/s but speeds show otherwise

any ideas where i should start looking to improve transfer speed (i know its an open ended question)

 

[brokenarrow03]

faster hard drives and a better switch...

I have that netgear switch and used it for awhile, and it was ok, but I got my netgear 24 port and it is soooo much faster...

Get something like this...

5-port

this is the one that I have...

24-port

 

[archivalbackup]

all machines are connected using the onboard NICs and all say they are connected at 1Gb/s but speeds show otherwise

On board NICs will never give you the performance you want. Buy Intel Pro network cards and put them in your computers.

Does your current switch support Jumbo Frames?

P.S. You should think about using VMware Server or ESXi to combine your server & development machine.

 

[Yakyb]

after reading

http://www.meetthegeeks.org/Hardwar...s_/Switch_Round_Up/product.aspx?id=83&pid=315

my switch may be the issue

 

[Yakyb]

On board NICs will never give you the performance you want. Buy Intel Pro network cards and put them in your computers.

Does your current switch support Jumbo Frames?

P.S. You should think about using VMware Server or ESXi to combine your server & development machine.

yeah im aware that they wouldn't pull max but i thought i could at least expect 50%

no the switch does not support jumbo frames

does any one have reccomendations for nics / new switch (8+ ports would be nice) i think ill then make some CAT6 cables and hope for the best!
budget maybe £100 - £150 for 4 nics and a switch

 

[criccio]

Don't make your own cables. That is going to contribute to slow/un-reliable speeds. Patch cables from Monoprice are dirt cheap. CAT6 is un-necessary if you have good NIC's and Switches.

 

[Yakyb]

Don't make your own cables. That is going to contribute to slow/un-reliable speeds. Patch cables from Monoprice are dirt cheap. CAT6 is un-necessary if you have good NIC's and Switches.

well i have a good 30m so i will give it a try first and if it doesnt work well i'll get some in




what switch / NICs woud you reccomend

nvm sticky is for switches as well as routers!!

 

[Yakyb]

would the Intel Pro/1000 GT

do the job i presume it would just double checking before i buy

 

[brokenarrow03]

I would start with the switch and see if your speeds improves

 

[Dangman]

would the Intel Pro/1000 GT

do the job i presume it would just double checking before i buy

If your PCs/Server have a PCI-E slot open, this NIC seems to be a decent choice:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106033

If PCI is only available, then yes, the GT is a good card. I have one myself.

But I concur with brokenarrow03: Get a switch that supports jumbo frames and see if there's a performance increase.

 

[Yakyb]

I would start with the switch and see if your speeds improves

so i have upgraded the switch to a NETGEAR GS108 and the average has jumped a little to 13MB/s using windows shares

im wondering whether NICs should be next

i'll have to give FTP a go later and see what that nets me

 

[epimetheus]

HP Procurve Switches

8-Port

24-Port

What are the hard drive specs of each machine?

I totally agree with the above comments - Intel Pro NICs are the only way to go.

 

[fluke420]

erased

 

[Yakyb]

What are the hard drive specs of each machine?

one of the machines is running off a fairly old 120GB which i could understand being a problem

the server machine has multiple the newest of which being a 750GB 7200.10 (i think maybe 11) the development box runs off a WD 320 AAKS so i figure speeds shouldnt be a problem between those two at least.