Wireless, ethernet, and firewire all connected, but still slow.

[Compuwiz]

I have my two computers connected to internet via wireless 54Mbps. I also have two computers connected together to a switch via ethernet 100Mbps. I ALSO have the two computers connected directly via firewire for 400Mbps which I have used many times for large file transfers, works very well.

However, I just wiped out and reloaded my server and have all 3 connections up and running, but it is only using the wireless connection to transfer data over to the other computer which is taking forever. Why is it picking the slowest connection, and why does it not pick the optimal and fastest line? Is there a way I can keep all 3 enabled but tell it to use wireless for internet, and firewire for LAN?

I have netbios enabled on all 3, so each computer can see the other in network places no problem. Both machines have a shared HD. I cannot figure this out.

Any help is great. Thanks!

 

[Compuwiz]

I have also noticed that when my wireless is enabled, when you look at the Networking tab within the Windows Task Manager, the performance is at a constant 25% utilization. Why is it only using 1/4th of the speed available?

Edit: Also, forgot to mention, my server is running XP Pro, with two 150GB SATA HD's in a RAID 1 configuration. I can understand a slight drop in performance because data has to be written to two HDs, but this kind of drop is pathetic.

In windows, when it asks you for F6 to give drivers for a RAID, that is using a hardware based RAID and the RAID configured in the BIOS. Is there a way to setup a software based RAID within windows like for Linux? I hear software RAID is faster also.

 

[nonameo]

I have also noticed that when my wireless is enabled, when you look at the Networking tab within the Windows Task Manager, the performance is at a constant 25% utilization. Why is it only using 1/4th of the speed available?

Well, my guess to this would be that windows is comparing the theoretical bandwidth(54mbps) to a more realistic number(what you're actually getting). Wireless is far from 100% efficient, and you'll never, ever see a true 54mbps from it. The estimates I get are that you can usually expect around 20%, or what you are getting. My brother and I have transferred data over our wireless network, and we usually get somewhere around 350kb/s(2800kbps) transfer speed. Our 3mb/s DSL connection also performs somewhere around 300kb/s most of the time.Our wireless connection maxes out around 25% of 11mbps... well, that's just about what you're getting

 

[nessus]

Which interface is listed as preferred in your binding order?

You are using different subnets address ranges on all three interfaces?

Do you only have a default gateway setting on your Wireless connection (this should be the case)?

With multiple networks, where the most wide ranging connection is the slowest, I'd turn of Netbios over TCP/IP on all the connections I didn't want to use, and make a hosts and lmhost entry referencing the IP address of the other machine on the fastest connection's IP address only.

As to the speed, 54 Mbps is the theoretical throughput limit on a one way transfer with no ACK and Nack traffic. With 54g, you are using a shared network model that is half duplex, not a switched model with full duplex capability. The 25% throughput you are seeing on the source machine means that the total network load is 50% (each machine is using 25% of the shared network bandwidth, 25% of the bandwidth up + the 25% being used by the dowloading machine). About what you would expect for a shared network.

 

[Compuwiz]

I know I will never get the full 54Mbps on wireless. I even disabled my wireless card to "force" windows to try one of the other to connection mediums but nothing. As soon as I enabled my wireless, I could see the other comptuers, and could connect to them also.

Which interface is listed as preferred in your binding order?

How do I find that out? It sounds familiar and I think I forgot.

You are using different subnets address ranges on all three interfaces?

No, all are using the same subnet. Each computer is using a unique name, the workgroup name on both machines are the same, and that should be it. Since switches do not assign IP addresses to a LAN (same with firewire), windows is setting IP address which should not matter either way.

Do you only have a default gateway setting on your Wireless connection (this should be the case)?

I am at work now so I cannot double check this. The default gateway address is my router address, so the wireless connection should be the only one that does have this enabled, which should be automatic, and because the ethernet and the firewire do not have a gateway to connect to in the first place. The firewire is literally computer<==>computer.

With multiple networks, where the most wide ranging connection is the slowest, I'd turn of Netbios over TCP/IP on all the connections I didn't want to use, and make a hosts and lmhost entry referencing the IP address of the other machine on the fastest connection's IP address only.

I can turn off NetBIOS no problem. Currently it is enabled on all 3 which I dont think would have an affect on anything, if I turn it to Default, it should be enabled anyway (according to the description that is listed). But I will try turning it off on the 2 I do not want it to use.

I do not know how to make a hosts and lmhost entry reference...

As to the speed, 54 Mbps is the theoretical throughput limit on a one way transfer with no ACK and Nack traffic. With 54g, you are using a shared network model that is half duplex, not a switched model with full duplex capability. The 25% throughput you are seeing on the source machine means that the total network load is 50% (each machine is using 25% of the shared network bandwidth, 25% of the bandwidth up + the 25% being used by the dowloading machine). About what you would expect for a shared network.

Understandable, and no big deal. The main concern is getting windows to use either the firewire or ethernet (firewire is prefered) for LAN traffic and wireless only for internet communicatoin.