qvfps,
or are you copying to the server?
File Copy to a Novell NetWare Server May Be Slow
http://support.microsoft.c
PeteL
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Copying files from our Netware server is very slow
I am currently running Netare 5.1 with SP5.0. Whenver I try to copy files from our server it takes an extremely long time. Last night after everyone had left I copied about 650 meg from the server to my PC. The copy took over 4 hours to complete.
The Netware server is a PIII 1.26 GHZ with 2 Gig RAM running Netware 5.1 SP5, and Groupwise 5.5.
PC's are connected via a 100baseT hubs with a few older PC's on a 10BaseT hub.
My PC runs Windows XP with all current updates loaded. It has 256 Meg RAM and I am using the NW client 4.90 SP1a.
I would like to track down what is causing the file transfer to take so long. I would appreciate any suggestions or troubleshooting tips.
Thanks.
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Answers
9 times out of 10 it's a network speed/duplex problem. Make absolutely sure everything is properly matched up. Server to switch settings should be hardcoded, not autonegotiated. PC to hub/switch should be either fully autonegotiated or fully manual set. Don't make one end auto and the other manual/fixed.
Do you have file compression turned on, on the server? Were you copying multiple files that may have been compressed? Or does it go slow no matter what you are copying? Does it copy slow to the server as well as from the server?
When you installed the client, did you do a custom install, and make sure not to select any services that you don't have running on your network?
When you installed the client, what protocol(s) did you select?
How deep in the directory tree (file system) are the files being copied? You may need to boost your directory cache buffer settings.
You should also download and apply the latest post-SP1A patches that might apply to your situation, especially the nwfs.sys patch. Look around at: http://support.novell.com/
Wow! Quite a quick response. Here are some answers to your questions.
I was copying the files from the Server to my PC. The directory is located one deep on the server goes 4 deep, I copied the whole folder to "MY Documents" on my PC. The server has compression turned on but a lot of the files should not be compressed since they would have been accessed durring the day.
Previously I have set the connection speed to 100BaseT on my PC and connected it to a 100BaseT hub. The server should be hard coded as well. I will have to check and see if I can manually set the connection speed on the hub. It is manually set in my case on the PC. I know others have the same problem and they are set to autonegotiate on both the PC and Hub.
When I installed the client I did a custom install and installed only the services I needed and the IP/IPX protocols. I still need the IPX to connect to an older server though I hope to get rid of that one soon.
I have all the latest updates and service packs for XP installed.
If all the files were compressed on the server isn't over 4 hours still a long time? Besides the GroupWise post office I was the only one connected to the server at the time.
Thanks for all the help.
The mix of IP and IPX can slow you down a bit, but your specs are far too slow for that to be your problem. Even if the files fully compressed and sparse, 4 hours is a long time
1) Don't use a hub for big file copies, even at 100 speed, this will limit your throughput.
2) If you MUST use the hub, make sure that your workstation NIC is set to 100 MBps/ Half duplex (hubs can ONLY be half, switches can be full)
3) Check your speed/duplex settings on the server, large file copies willmake mismatches more evident.
-Mojo
You need to look at what is happening on your server, while the copy is going on, check the monitor screen, for CPU utilization, original cache buffers and total cache buffers.Packet receive buffers and directory cache buffers.
You also need to check your maximum settings for packet receive buffers and directory cache buffers.
This document from Novell is helpful in tuning a server for performance.
http://support.novell.com/
Also check to see if compression is a problem, even though files have been used recently does not mean they are not compressed.
Go to a command prompt and map a drive to the root of each volume, run this command:
ndir /vol (this command is in the sys:public folder)
This will tell you volume statistics, including amount of space used and compression ratios. I have found compression to be the biggest cause of slow NetWare servers. Many people do not know how badly compressed thier files are until they run this command.
The problem could also be the hub, can you use a network analyzer to determine the bandwidth utilization and number of collisions occuring during the file transfer.
These are the most likely causes of slow NetWare servers. I would start with the ndir /vol
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by: PeteLongPosted on 2004-03-18 at 11:48:49ID: 10626957
Hi qvfps,
copy them where? to another location? or to your XP machine?
if its another location, try using the novell pcopy (if i remember rightly) this copies from one location to another, if you do it through windows explorer it copies it all to you then to the desination
PeteL