Outlook
We have 3 locations. 2 locations are about 30 miles distance from main bank. VPN used for secure access. We have 2 terminal servers and domain controller at the main bank.
The complaints I keeps getting.....Not 100% of the time, but probably 95%...when they receive an email (Outlook 2003 installed local to PC) and it has a file attached, it takes more time than we feel it should to open. We DO NOT host our own exchange server. It is outsourced. A 7 page pdf document opened by me at main bank is almost instant. That same document takes over 30 seconds to open at the branch. Adobe Reader is installed locally on their PC, not thru terminal services. Then when they try to print, that also takes too long. The printer is a network printers. HP4350. It takes 3 plus minutes to print one page testing it today to the HP4350. And there are no graphics in the file. Just letterhead paper.
Typically it is with pdf files. It happens with Word and Excel docs as well and it seems to be only when they come in as an attachment on an email.
We get important documents via pdf (appraisals) that need printed. So you can image the frustration when this type of file is opened and sent to printer.
Another ingredient in the mix.....One user yesterday was on the network and tried to print a Word doc. It kept trying until he "gave up" and just logged onto a TS and opened the file and printed from there and it was ok. Officers and Auditor have Office installed locally. All other
users access it thru TS.
I am not sure what I should be looking at.
The complaints I keeps getting.....Not 100% of the time, but probably 95%...when they receive an email (Outlook 2003 installed local to PC) and it has a file attached, it takes more time than we feel it should to open. We DO NOT host our own exchange server. It is outsourced. A 7 page pdf document opened by me at main bank is almost instant. That same document takes over 30 seconds to open at the branch. Adobe Reader is installed locally on their PC, not thru terminal services. Then when they try to print, that also takes too long. The printer is a network printers. HP4350. It takes 3 plus minutes to print one page testing it today to the HP4350. And there are no graphics in the file. Just letterhead paper.
Typically it is with pdf files. It happens with Word and Excel docs as well and it seems to be only when they come in as an attachment on an email.
We get important documents via pdf (appraisals) that need printed. So you can image the frustration when this type of file is opened and sent to printer.
Another ingredient in the mix.....One user yesterday was on the network and tried to print a Word doc. It kept trying until he "gave up" and just logged onto a TS and opened the file and printed from there and it was ok. Officers and Auditor have Office installed locally. All other
users access it thru TS.
I am not sure what I should be looking at.
ASKER
Print server at main office and shared from there.
Branch has their own gateway to internet
Branch has their own gateway to internet
Those are probably going to be your bottlenecking factors, then.
When a user at the branch office requests something from the Cloud Email Server, it has to tunnel through to the main office, and then out to the Internet. Ditto for the print requests.
You've probably got Cached Exchange Mode enabled, bringing a local copy of the messages to the local computer, which helps local performance. But, in the print requests, the computer at the branch has to send the print job to the server at corporate, which spools the job and then prints it back to the branch office. This is why the TS process "works", the spooling of the print job happens at LAN speeds in the main office, which is the time consumer in the print transaction.
What size connection is between branch and main? Increasing those links bandwidth would be beneficial. Allowing the branch offices to have direct access to the Internet would also solve the download/open of messages and attachments issue, though I realize this may be prohibited on purpose.
When a user at the branch office requests something from the Cloud Email Server, it has to tunnel through to the main office, and then out to the Internet. Ditto for the print requests.
You've probably got Cached Exchange Mode enabled, bringing a local copy of the messages to the local computer, which helps local performance. But, in the print requests, the computer at the branch has to send the print job to the server at corporate, which spools the job and then prints it back to the branch office. This is why the TS process "works", the spooling of the print job happens at LAN speeds in the main office, which is the time consumer in the print transaction.
What size connection is between branch and main? Increasing those links bandwidth would be beneficial. Allowing the branch offices to have direct access to the Internet would also solve the download/open of messages and attachments issue, though I realize this may be prohibited on purpose.
ASKER
I am sooooooooooooo very sorry.... I bet you were typing away when I updated my answer. The branch DOES have it's own gateway.
ASKER
Supposedly the DSL between us is 10MG UP and 10MG down
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ASKER
We use Rackspace.com for our email provider. Where are the setting you mentioned above that I need to check. Something on their end?
No, these settings are in Outlook, specific to each user profile. Slightly different access based on version of Outlook.
Looks like Rackspace has their own KB Articles on this -
http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/article/manually-setting-up-outlook-2010-with-microsoft-exchange-2010 is the Outlook 2010 version. If you have 2007, it's very similar. Outlook 2013 is the same destination, but you can get there from File...Account Settings in Outlook or the Mail Control Panel.
Looks like Rackspace has their own KB Articles on this -
http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/article/manually-setting-up-outlook-2010-with-microsoft-exchange-2010 is the Outlook 2010 version. If you have 2007, it's very similar. Outlook 2013 is the same destination, but you can get there from File...Account Settings in Outlook or the Mail Control Panel.
ASKER
LingerLonger
Just checked for sure and yes, the branch has it's own gateway to the internet
Just checked for sure and yes, the branch has it's own gateway to the internet
ASKER
I still don't find the area you discuss above for Outlook 2003. Will try to do some testing between us and the branch as you suggested
Check http://www.petri.co.il/configure_outlook_2003_to_use_rpc_over_http.htm.
Does Rackspace Support Outlook 2003 as an email client with your hosted environment? That could be causing issues.
Does Rackspace Support Outlook 2003 as an email client with your hosted environment? That could be causing issues.
ASKER
Tested file transfers between branch and main bank (larger files) Did that through out the day and after hours. No noticeable problems.
Rackspace (our email provider) suggested a workaround. Try saving files to local machine and open from there. Will deal with this until we can get upgraded to Office 2013
Rackspace (our email provider) suggested a workaround. Try saving files to local machine and open from there. Will deal with this until we can get upgraded to Office 2013
How are the printers accessible on the network? That is, do users print directly to the IP of the printers, or are they shared off a print server, and where is that print server physically?