EWA Version for GBPVR v1.0.16 & TWEAKING!

[UncleJohnsBand]

I'll work on fixing the file association types for VLC. I CAN play the file over the wifi connection, just by either using EWA to stream OR running the VLC player standalone to open the file over a network share (unacceptably slow, but does work). The GBPVR is hardwired at 100 MBs.

I have noticed that for some strange reason, a file copied (MS XCOPY, not FTP) from the server to remote workstation over either the wireless OR wired link takes almost 3 times as long as the same file being copied from the remote back to the server. It's almost like I need some sort of network filesharing/transfer speed setting, drive performance, or other tweak on the server or hardwired NIC. A 1.5 GB file copies from the wireless remote to server in less than 1 minute, whereas copying the same file from the server back down to the remote takes over 3 minutes. Any ideas?

Check you network card settings on both the host and the client machine and make sure they are set at Full Duplex 100/100. I do this even if there is an auto option to ensure that the card is allowing incoming and outgoing at the same time at the max speed.

If you are running XP there are also registry settings on both machines that can be tweaked for better throughput performance.

I used this tool many times in the past.

[geekdout]

Yep - what's really bothering me is why it doesn't take the same amount of time to copy a file in either direction. I've started looking at possible network parameter tweaks, or I may go back and play with duplex on the server (change to half from full). I'll also check for NIC driver updates. I'm sure that a 1 GB ethernet switch with hardwired CAT6 connections and gig adapters on the server and remote would help, but that ain't happenin' until I can build a new home.

I started Googling for "network file copy speed" to find answers or new stuff to try. The following and info on using the registry to modify Tcpwindowsize is what I've found so far...

"This issue is due to a high rate of early collisions on the network. The interframe gap (the amount of time that a workstation waits before attempting to transmit on the wire) is less than the IEEE 802.3 specification of 9.6 microseconds. A "collision" occurs when two stations transmit simultaneously on the wire. An "early collision" is any collision that occurs before 512 bits of the frame are on the wire. Early collisions can occur regularly in a normally operating Ethernet network. There is no hardware malfunction or misbehaving station. The IEEE 802.3 specification states that a station must wait 9.6 microseconds (the interframe gap) before the station can attempt to transmit on the wire. Several adapter manufacturers design their adapters with a smaller interframe gap to achieve higher data transfer rates. This smaller interframe gap can lead to a high rate of collisions.

The potential for collisions is also influenced by the behavior of the upper layer protocol. The TCP/IP specification is sending an ACK (acknowledgement) for every other data frame that is received. That is, after a TCP host receives two data frames, the TCP host transmits an ACK to the sender. The potential for collisions is high if a client that has received two packets tries to send an ACK while the sender is trying to send more data to the client."

And...

"Assuming that you aren't experiencing network issues (and for the purposes of this article, we'll assume a healthy network), the problem lies in the way in which the copy is performed - specifically Buffered v Unbuffered Input/Output (I/O). So let's quickly define these terms. Buffered I/O describes the process by which the file system will buffer reads and writes to and from the disk in the file system cache. Buffered I/O is intended to speed up future reads and writes to the same file but it has an associated overhead cost. It is effective for speeding up access to files that may change periodically or get accessed frequently. There are two buffered I/O functions commonly used in Windows Applications such as Explorer, Copy, Robocopy or XCopy:

CopyFile() - Copies an existing file to a new file
CopyFileEx() - This also copies an existing file to a new file, but it can also call a specified callback function each time a portion of the copy operation is completed, thus notifying the application of its progress via the callback function. Additionally, CopyFileEx can be canceled during the copy operation.
So looking at the definition of buffered I/O above, we can see where the perceived performance problems lie - in the file system cache overhead. Unbuffered I/O (or a raw file copy) is preferred when attempting to copy a large file from one location to another when we do not intend to access the source file after the copy is complete. This will avoid the file system cache overhead and prevent the file system cache from being effectively flushed by the large file data. Many applications accomplish this by calling CreateFile() to create an empty destination file, then using the ReadFile() and WriteFile() functions to transfer the data.

CreateFile() - The CreateFile function creates or opens a file, file stream, directory, physical disk, volume, console buffer, tape drive, communications resource, mailslot, or named pipe. The function returns a handle that can be used to access an object.
ReadFile() - The ReadFile function reads data from a file, and starts at the position that the file pointer indicates. You can use this function for both synchronous and asynchronous operations.
WriteFile() - The WriteFile function writes data to a file at the position specified by the file pointer. This function is designed for both synchronous and asynchronous operation.

For copying files around the network that are very large, my copy utility of choice is ESEUTIL which is one of the database utilities provided with Exchange. To get ESEUTIL working on a non-Exchange server, you just need to copy the ESEUTIL.EXE and ESE.DLL from your Exchange server (2003) to a folder on your client machine. It's that easy. There are x86 & x64 versions of ESEUTIL, so make sure you use the right version for your operating system. The syntax for ESEUTIL is very simple: eseutil /y <srcfile> /d <destfile>. Of course, since we're using command line syntax - we can use ESEUTIL in batch files or scripts. ESEUTIL is dependent on the Visual C++ Runtime Library which is available as a redistributable package."

This may not help me with opening a media file over a network share, but it MIGHT make copying a DIVX compressed file down faster.

Then...

"I found this solution to SLOW file copy/delete/move:
Open Programs & Features
Select Turn Windows Features On or Off
De-select Remote Differential Compression
Select OK
It will take several minutes for this to be de-activated.
Reboot to be sure it takes.
Now these operations fly!"

I took a quick look for the latter, but it's for Vista and I'm running XP.

"I have now found Teracopy. Free, faster that eseutil & simple"

"Method 1: Disable the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane
To disable the Windows Explorer Navigation Pane, follow these steps:

Click Start button, and then click Computer.
Click Organize, point to Layout, and then click Navigation Pane.
Method 2: Map a network drive
Map a network drive to the folder that contains the files that you want to copy. To do this, use one of the following methods:

Method A: Use the Windows user interface
Click Start button, right-click Computer, and then click Map Network Drive.
Type the path of the network folder in the Folder box, and then click Finish. For example, type \\computer_name\shared_folder_name, and then click Finish.
Method B: Start a command prompt, and then map the drive by using net use command
Click Start Start button , type cmd in the Start Search box, and then click cmd in the Programs list.
Type Net use x:\\computer_name\shared_folder_name, where x: is the letter of the drive that you want to assign to the shared resource.
Press ENTER.
...

Method 4: Disable the automatic adjustment for the TCP window size on the network
Use one of the following methods to disable the automatic adjustment for the TCP window size on the network.

Method A

Click Start Start button , click All Programs, and then click Accessories.
Right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as Administrator.
User Account Control permission If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

Type netsh interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.
Method B

Enable the “offload checksum” function of the network adapter. For information about how to do this, contact the manufacturer of the network adapter. "

Then I found a site with SEVERAL MS KB articles that had to do with slow network filesharing/copy performance on both XP and Vista, most of them posted as recent as Dec. '07 - it'll take awhile to schlog through those. I'm still investingating, so anybody please comment.

Thx!

[geekdout]

Check you network card settings on both the host and the client machine and make sure they are set at Full Duplex 100/100. I do this even if there is an auto option to ensure that the card is allowing incoming and outgoing at the same time at the max speed.

Doesn't apply to a wifi NIC (on remote PC, goes for max rate, currently connected at 54 MBs), and tried it both ways on the server, no difference.

If you are running XP there are also registry settings on both machines that can be tweaked for better throughput performance.

I'm finding out that there's been so many issues and hotfixes that you can drown in them...

I used this tool many times in the past.

Once I figured out my Java install was hosed and finally got it working right (I guess that needed fixing anyways), found out the tool you recommend is for testing and optimizing downloads from an internet (WAN) connection. I need a tool that will do the same kind of thing by downloading a test file from my server to remote - on the same private network LAN segment inside my router's firewall. Otherwise, I'll be backing up my registry and getting nasty with the stuff I posted below - PLUS several MS KB article hotfixes.

[UncleJohnsBand]

Try using this utility to test your network speed from the host to a client....it is easy to use and will show you what your bandwidth is.....this could be a case of a bad nic card.....symptoms are pointing in that direction.