Topic: Poor VPN Performance

[Paul Isaacs]

Hi All,
We are experiencing poor VPN performance for our users from home. Our server is SME 5.12 on an ADSL link, while the home users are cable.
It is the standard Microsoft orioducts that are giving us the poor performance with Word being the worst.
Word is almost unusable, with every keystroke generating VPN activity and slowing the system right down.

Does anyone have any ideas, or know where I could look for a solution,

regards

Paul Isaacs

[Luke Drumm]

Hi,

I'd make sure that word isn't creating the temp files over the VPN. (as this would produce the results you're experiencing).

If you're editing files across the VPN, I'd suggest copying the files locally, editing and then uploading them back afterwards.

Failing that, check Word's settings to see if you can default the temp files to a local spot rather than the same directory as the source file.

Regards,
Luke

[Paul Isaacs]

Thanks Luke,
Thats my guess as well, but.... I cant find anywhere to stop Words default behavour. All 'folder' settings are to my local drive, but its my guess that the ~temp file is still on the server.

regards

Paul

[John Henry]

Hi,
Are you using a Terminal Server (win2000) with VPN behind SME in server/gate mode?
If you are, look at the Terminal Server settings and adjust as need be for each client.
John

[Paul Isaacs]

Hi John,

No, I'm using W2K Professional as the client and the pptpd in e-smith. It appears the problem is that I am getting ling packet transfer times. My ping time is 140ms (they used to be 20ms). This is somenting that has just gone off over the last few weeks.
The pakcet daleyas seem to be between mt home subscriber (optus) and my work provider (netspace / telstra wholesale).
I guess I'll have to be patient and wait for them to fix the problem,
Paul

[Dave Donaldson]

Paul,

You're never going to get any kind of decent performance with Word over a VPN unless you've got a symetrical T1 connection, and even that will be slow.

Mostly I guess, it's that ADSL thing, along with the slow upload performance of a Cable Modem link that's doing you in.  You'd need a 768/768K SDSL connection on both ends to make it usable.

With ADSL at the office limiting you to 128K (typically) outbound, plus a Cable Modem connection also limiting your user's outbound connection to 128K (again typically), you've got nothing more than a meager 128/128K connection.  And even if you double or tripple those speeds, it'll still be a yawner.

Besides the "were's your temporary files" issue...

MS networking makes 200 calls (no dah) just to open a single file through a mapped drive when using Windows Explorer.  Just imagine how many calls something like Word uses to move the file pointer, lock a file, etc.

That's why you'll never run into anybody that's ever done it...'cause it's a totally impractical solution.  I know, I've tried it.

And before I did, I asked everybody I knew if they had first hand experience - but none did.

Then I asked my broadband provider, who kept advertising they could provide VPN point-to-point service, if they could get me in contact with even one customer who was using VPN this way.  They couldn't.  So I tried it myself in several controlled experiments over several weeks.

Opening a 500K Act! database over an MS VPN with a mapped drive takes 2 minutes and 45 seconds on a 192Kbps link.  Screw that!

Just doing a directory scan on 250 files using Windows Explorer took 45 seconds.

Someone here suggested you copy the file to your machine, edit it locally and then return it.

I agree.  And in fact, since an Internet connection is rather fickle, it's the only safe way of doing it.  You can turn on "Off-Line Files" and synch the file to your PC.  That way you can edit it, and put it back with some modicum of asurance it'll actually get there intact.

Either that, or use Terminal Services which is faster than anything else including pcAnywhere - but costs you a special server with lotsa RAM and BIG bucks for the licenses.  What-a-deal!  Huh?

Everybody talks VPN up big, but nobody actually uses it (on Windows) for accessing files in real-time over MS networking - in other words...opening a file remotely with an application, because it's just too slow and way too dangerous over what is a fairly volatile Internet connection.  Don't try this at home kids!

Oh, well...

dave...