How to speed up file sharing on LAN?

If I were to throw this out there:

... Maybe XP Home isn't helping things as it's not built for File Sharing ...

Would anyone agree/disagree?

Well both of the computers are running XP pro with service pack 3

Well scratch that idea . . . I assumed it was the Home version. Pro is actually designed with networking in mind.

I'd like to know how the speed is when you hard wire both computer to the switch/router.

Vladimer wrote in post #11183701
Well both of the computers are running XP pro with service pack 3

I didn't see you mention it... did you reset the router/switch (using paper clip to push the reset button)?

DanangMonkey wrote in post #11182477
Not if ONE side is in half-duplex and the other side is full. Most of the packets will be lost, and considering that this is a TCP connection, all of these packets will need to be retransmitted, only to be lost again, retransmitted again ...... 99 bottles of beer on the wall .........

Most of the clients I find with duplex mismatches have had it for a number of years and only begin to complain when links become saturated. If the thruput is less than 20-30% then most people wouldn't notice the retransmissions going on - get the traffic level up a bit and there begins to be more errors, and it gets more noticeable.

Joeseph, it depends on the type of file transfers. Most people surf or do email and wont notice because the those type of traffic patterns are simplex in nature.

Regardless all we are doing is whipping this to death untill the suspect link is isolated.

Vlad: Again, the troubleshooting steps (My Opinion) You should follow:

1. Try connecting the WIreless workstation DIRECTLY to the router, ensure that both workstation and router port are set to 100 Full.

if things are fast: STOP - We need to troubleshoot the wireless

If things are still slow proceed to #2

2. Verify that the normally wired workstation is set to 100M/Full duplex.

If things are fast: Problem Solved

If things are still Slow: Proceed to #3

3. Try Replacing the cable between the normally wired workstation and the switch. I forgot to ask the first time, but do you normally plug directly into the router, or plug into a wallplate? If the latter it would be best to plug DIRECTLY to the router.

If things are fast: Fixed, bad patch cord or in-wall wiring
If things are Still Slow: Proceed to #4

4. You will need to get a Crossover Cat 5E cable to do this step. You can usually borrow one from your IT guy where you work. IF not you may need to beg or borrow one from a computer repair shop. You may need to set your workstation IP addresses into a private network, although this depends on on the NIC and operating system. Try plugging them together first and see if it works, and if not please IM me an I will walk you through the process, or you can google "PC-PC network connection" and there are plenty of examples.

If Fast: Possibly the router is bad, or misconfigured

If Still Slow: Bad NIC card, NIC Card Driver, misconfigured NIC, not enough RAM, buffers, or a host of other things. Lets cross this bridge IF we have to...... I really think the first or second step will find the problem.....

So Vlad, please run through these steps and see what happens.......

PS. Joeseph, is that a CBR in tor avatar? I sued to own a 2006 CBR600RR, and now own a Ducati 848. Still miss my CBR !

This is a great thread and I look forward to trying out some of the advice.

I'm running wireless N, and I'm only getting 4 Mbps transfer from a 32 bit Vista box hardwired (10/100) to my router then wireless N to my Win 7 64 bit PC. My network connection status shows the following:

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Bob:

It's really hard to troubleshoot wireless from a ping test because we dont have a baseline of what is considered "normal"...

First thing to eliminate is weak signal strength. Try moving the wireless workstation closed to the wireless router. It doesnt need to be right next to it (which can actually create problems), but at a comfortable in-room distance. Try running this same test again and compare it to the last test. If there is a great variation then you have your answer as to why it's slow.

Wireless signals an behave very differently depending on how much crap they have to transit to get from point a to b ... Sometimes distance isnt so much an issue as is the materials blocking the signal. For example, a wireless signal may pass easily room to room through several sheetrock-only walls, but may be blocked traveling only 5' between rooms because of a wet wall that contains plumbing, or a wall with aluminum framing. Older houses are brutal on wireless signals because they are are built so darn solid !

If you run the test in the same room and have the same results, I would suggest doing the same thing as Vlad. Get another patchcord and try connecting directly to the router, and re-running the test.

I dont totlly trust the term "Wireless-N". The wireless "N" standard, unlike the "B" or "G", is NOT an official standard. It is still in testing, and until it is ratified there is no guarantee that what your are buying will meet the standard. Manufacturers love to make outlandish claims about speed of the "WIreless N", because without a measurable standard they are not held accountable for the claims.

Thanks. When the Win 7 Wireless Network Connection status dialog says 300 Mbps is that the actual speed that the network is able to run at? Also, for a properly set up secure network with wired ethernet cable (10/100) to one PC and wireless N to another (with good signal strength), what would you expect the file transfer rate to be? Just wondering how far out of whack my system is.

The plot thickens.

The transfer speed between the hardwired (10/100) Vista machine, throung my router to a hardwired (adapter says Gigabit) XP Pro machine is 8 Mbps. Transferring the same file from the XP Pro machine through the router using wireless N to my Win 7 64 bit PC was even slower at 3 Mbps.

Also, when I force the adapter on the Vista machine to 100 full duplex the speed drops to 0.6 Mbps. Put it back to auto and I get >3 Mbps for the same file. Does this indicate I may have a cable problem?

Bob_A wrote in post #11201979
The plot thickens.

The transfer speed between the hardwired (10/100) Vista machine, throung my router to a hardwired (adapter says Gigabit) XP Pro machine is 8 Mbps. Transferring the same file from the XP Pro machine through the router using wireless N to my Win 7 64 bit PC was even slower at 3 Mbps.

Also, when I force the adapter on the Vista machine to 100 full duplex the speed drops to 0.6 Mbps. Put it back to auto and I get >3 Mbps for the same file. Does this indicate I may have a cable problem?

I begin to wonder what the router hub/switch is capable of. What model is it? at 8Mb/s thruput I'm wondering if it's running at only 10M...

When you have the Vista machine set to Auto, what speed does it negotiate?


p.s DanangMonkey - I'll have to plead complete ignorance sorry! 'twas my first trackside shoot at a bike meeting a couple of years back.

joeseph wrote in post #11202733
I begin to wonder what the router hub/switch is capable of. What model is it? at 8Mb/s thruput I'm wondering if it's running at only 10M...

When you have the Vista machine set to Auto, what speed does it negotiate?


p.s DanangMonkey - I'll have to plead complete ignorance sorry! 'twas my first trackside shoot at a bike meeting a couple of years back.

The router is a Linksys Wireless-N Broadband Router model WRT160NL. I believe the ethernet ports are 10/100, but I can't find anywhere in the manual where that's stated.

The Local Area Connection Status on the Vista PC says 100 Mbps.

By the way, I don't want to hijack the OP's thread, but maybe we are both having speed issues for similar reasons.

Bob_A wrote in post #11201979
The plot thickens.

The transfer speed between the hardwired (10/100) Vista machine, throung my router to a hardwired (adapter says Gigabit) XP Pro machine is 8 Mbps. Transferring the same file from the XP Pro machine through the router using wireless N to my Win 7 64 bit PC was even slower at 3 Mbps.

Also, when I force the adapter on the Vista machine to 100 full duplex the speed drops to 0.6 Mbps. Put it back to auto and I get >3 Mbps for the same file. Does this indicate I may have a cable problem?

Never set just one side (NIC or Switch) to auto and the other side to 100/1000. It could cause duplex mismatches. It's almost always best to leave consumer grade switches and NIC's at auto. If you have a problem with a consumer grade NIC or switch requiring you to change the duplex it's almost always because of hardware issues or messed up configuration. Consumer grade equipment is designed to be non-techie friendly. In business environments where everything is configurable, negotiation problems are almost always the first things you want to check because it's so commonly messed up.

9 out of 10 times the problem resides in either the NIC or switch settings getting messed up by one of many factors. Resetting the switch with a paperclip generally fixes the issue (not simply turning it off). It's also advisable to go to the makers website and check if there are firmware updates. You may be experiencing a known issue.

Bob:

Please follow the same troubleshooting steps I suggested for Vlad.

Trying to use network bandwidth tools on very short segments will prove to be very inaccurate. The best measure of bandwidth would be using a real file to transfer.

Although the things the other guys are saying are valid and possible, it is best to FIRST isolate the problem, and then go from there. I have been teaching Ethernet analysis and network forensics for many years, and these are the same fault isolation steps that I train my students to follow. There are a huge number of variables when troubleshooting throughput issues, and many can change based on a small change further down the line. A fault in a component at Point "A" could cause poor results at point "D", resulting in a technician swapping out GOOD components at Point D where there is NO problem.

I know it may seem like a pain, but try to isolate the problem to a single link using a known file each time. It will save you a lot of aggravation in the long run, and probably save money by NOT buying new components that you don't really need.

MaxxuM wrote in post #11203699
Never set just one side (NIC or Switch) to auto and the other side to 100/1000. It could cause duplex mismatches. It's almost always best to leave consumer grade switches and NIC's at auto. If you have a problem with a consumer grade NIC or switch requiring you to change the duplex it's almost always because of hardware issues or messed up configuration. Consumer grade equipment is designed to be non-techie friendly. In business environments where everything is configurable, negotiation problems are almost always the first things you want to check because it's so commonly messed up.

9 out of 10 times the problem resides in either the NIC or switch settings getting messed up by one of many factors. Resetting the switch with a paperclip generally fixes the issue (not simply turning it off). It's also advisable to go to the makers website and check if there are firmware updates. You may be experiencing a known issue.

I put it back to Auto as soon as I saw the performance drop.