Windows XP/Windows 2000 Server network is slow

Alright. I am not sure where to begin on this but here I go. I have researched this topic a lot and I have found no real solution to this.

We are running Windows XP Pro Dell workstations, and have 3 Windows 2000 Server systems. The workstations are running norton antivirus Corporate edition 7.6

I noticed that connection to Network Drives is incredibily slow. This includes using any Office product and other software applications.

If you attempt to copy files to the server, it takes about 5 mintues or so for like a 4-5 mb file.

I looked this problem up on Norton's website, and they said it was an XP problem that service pack 1 will fix. Microsoft's website says its an SMB block problem and said to do a few tweaks in the registry of the server to fix it, and to apply a hot fix Q329170

I disabled Norton, applied the tweaks to the Workstations and the Server as requested by MS, but nothing.

I found a few articles on the Microsoft website stating this is a problem, but there solutions do not work at all.

Anyone else having this problem?

Btw. I have attempted the following as well, which does not help

http://www.sbslinks.com/windows_xp.htm

 

Domain or workgroup?

Switch or hub?

Since the beginning or a sudden change? If sudden, when and what updates at about the same time?

How many work stations?

 

In addition to Newt's questions.

1. How is access performance from Xp to XP?

2. From server to XP?

3. Any win98 machines on network, if so same symtoms?

Little more info on LAN.

1. 3 different win2k server domain controllers, if so is same problem to all 3 servers?

2. Is problem in local domain or outside? Is local domain the primary?

3. Size of each domain?


Mike

 

Domain or workgroup? DOMAIN, 15-20 workstations

Switch or hub? Cisco switch

Since the beginning or a sudden change? If sudden, when and what updates at about the same time?

A sudden change. Right after we migrated the servers from Windows NT to Windows 2000 Server. The domain controller server was a clean install, as well as the mail server. The only server that we did an upgrade on is the SQL server, which is not the file server. The file server is the server that is the domain controller.

How many work stations? 15-20



1. How is access performance from Xp to XP? Speed is normal

2. From server to XP? Good question, I will test this on Monday.

3. Any win98 machines on network, if so same symtoms?
I noticed that the symptons are less or not at all. I was surprised that some of the windows 98 machines were copying at the correct rate. We only have one 98 machine left, and this one appears to be slow when copying as well, but not as bad.

30 mb from xp to server is about 45 mins
30 mb from win 98 to server is about 15 mins

Little more info on LAN.

1. 3 different win2k server domain controllers, if so is same problem to all 3 servers?

1 domain controller that has the ntfs file shares
server 2 is the mail server, it does have one share and if you copy to it from another server or workstation, it is slow as well.
server 3 is the sql server


3. Size of each domain? we only have one domain of 15-20 workstations

lastly,

domain controller to another server = problem
another server - domain controller = problem

I read something on Microsoft regarding decrease in performance when you promote a server to a domain controller that contains the files shares.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321543


Thanks for the help. I hope this helps

 

Rkid

I was hoping this info would help more! Something would pop out at me. I see the basic network as bieng OK as evidenced by the Xp to XP test.

Hopefully when Newt arrives he will see something I did not!

I do however have more suggestions.

1. When convienient to you and your users shut down the SQL server and retest while it is off. If this seems to be the problem skip item 2 and let us know! If not do item 2 next.

2. Unshare all resources on the server. Disconnect the connection from the XP computer you are using to test with. Shut Server down bring back up without the shares. Then reenable the shares! Reconnect XP to share! Test!

My fingers are crossed.

Mike

 

I will give that a shot. Thanks

Have any of you reviewed those Microsoft links regarding this as well?

 

Sounds suspisciously like DNS to me

How is DNS configured on the servers and also on the workstations ?

 

rkid021 - the link in your first post is to a set of tweaks for Small Business Server which is sort of a different critter. Is that what you are running?

You are now running 2K domain controllers. But you didn't say if running a standard NT4 style domain with PCD and a couple of BDCs or if you jumped into an AD setup and have 3 DCs. Again, makes a huge difference. And for a setup the size of yours, I don't see any real benefit from using AD. Or the need for 3 DCs if you have a single, flat network. 1 would be plenty and 2 gives you backup.

If you are primarily using DNS within your local domain (as you would with the AD thing) it certainly could be a DNS problem and huge amounts of traffic that isn't really doing anything but hogging bandwidth. Do you have any way to sniff a download connection to see what most of the packets contain? If not, you could try a little experimenting.

Set up hosts files on a server and a workstation that contain at least entries for both machines. Need to use static addressing for that if you aren't already. Then stop DNS service on the servers (and WINS, if running, and browser service) and try a download. If speed is normal, you have probably at least located the problem area. If still slow, you have ruled out a major possibility.

Also, have you checked thru the event logs on the servers to see if any errors pop out at you?

 

We are running AD using 1 domain controller, the other two servers are just servers. The computer consultant that worked with me on migrating the servers from NT 4 to 2k decided to use AD and not the standard NT style domain.

WINS is turned off.

I just spoke with him and he also pointed in the direction of WINS and it being a DNS situatation.

I will give that a shot when I get into the office after fighting this stupid cold.

Thanks for your help and I hope this will solve the problems.

 

rkid021 - couple more things to look for/at while you are tweaking things.

If no WINS (and there certainly should not need to be with AD) make sure none of the NICs is set to use NetBios over TCP/IP (or NetBT or NBT - all three are the same).

I'd strongly suggest setting each NIC to the highest speed your switch will handle which should be 100Mbps Full Duplex. And a good Cisco switch will probably allow setting the port speeds so make them the same. It won't be your entire problem but the auto setting for speed can often result in switch port & NIC spending lots of time negotiating a setting and they frequently arrive at a slower speed than they can handle.

Look around in the DNS tables and make sure you don't have some bad entries.

And browser service only needs to be running on your DC and one other server. Stop & disable on all other machines.

If all the above things don't help, you seriously do need to look at hanging a sniffer on a slow connection to see exactly what packets are being sent around and what they look like. May be lots of extraneous stuff from something that isn't running right and you are getting tons of retransmits. May be that somehow the severs got set to fragment IP packets at way too small a size. Around 1400-1500 bytes is about normal.

And you said "The computer consultant that worked with me on migrating the servers from NT 4 to 2k decided to use AD and not the standard NT style domain. " I think that (a consultant) is often a good idea but IMO he/she didn't finish the job if you have speed issues like these.

 

I just reviewed my log files and I have the following errors in there a few times. Could this be related at all.

The DNS server was unable to complete directory service enumeration of zone .. This DNS server is configured to use information obtained from Active Directory for this zone and is unable to load the zone without it. Check that the Active Directory is functioning properly and repeat enumeration of the zone. The event data contains the error.



The DNS server encountered a packet addressed to itself -- IP address 192.168.1.10.

The DNS server should never be sending a packet to itself. This situation usually indicates a configuration error.

Check the following areas for possible self-send configuration errors:
1) Forwarders list. (DNS servers should not forward to themselves).
2) Master lists of secondary zones.
3) Notify lists of primary zones.
4) Delegations of subzones. Must not contain NS record for this DNS server unless subzone is also on this server.

Example of self-delegation:
-> This DNS server dns1.foo.com is the primary for the zone foo.com.
-> The foo.com zone contains a delegation of bar.foo.com to dns1.foo.com,
(bar.foo.com NS dns1.foo.com)
-> BUT the bar.foo.com zone is NOT on this server.

Note, you should make this delegation check (with nslookup or DNS manager) both on this DNS server and on the server(s) you delegated the subzone to. It is possible that the delegation was done correctly, but that the primary DNS for the subzone, has any incorrect NS record pointing back at this server. If this incorrect NS record is cached at this server, then the self-send could result. If found, the subzone DNS server admin should remove the offending NS record.

 

I tried all of the above and still nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unless I didn't incorrectly, I am sure I didn't.

No change what so ever.

 

At this point I'd suggest 2 things:

1. Set up a hosts file containing info about all your PCs and put a copy on each PC (including servers) and turn DNS off for the time being. With a single, small domain I don't really see any reason for using LMHosts since it is a little more complicated and mainly good if you are dealing with multiple domains. This will also mean static addressing of all the PCs but again, not enough for that to be an issue and you really don't need the extra overhead of DHCP. Or if you prefer, just put the essential static information (IP/netmask/gateway) on the PCs and let DHCP continue to assign the other settings.

2. Tell your consultant he has DNS set up wrong and needs to come fix it.