Re: Bandwidth and delay problems

Let me answer in steps :-)

"Jack ***" <no-one@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:eDq$V$ZPHHA.3872@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I connect from home to office via a Citrix terminal server session on vpn.
I subscribe to a fairly cheap (ie low bandwidth) cable internet connection
(2Mb/s).

How high is the bandwidth? You say 2mbit - but I bet this is only hald the story. As in: The download bandwidth, while the upload bandwidth is a lot lower. Possibly like 256k.

Anyhow, that is not relevant for the topic.

This may or may not account for an irritating persistent delay between
keystrokes being engaged on the keyboard and those keystrokes appearing on
the screen. I think it may be at least a contributory factor as I used to
rent more bandwidth, recently reduced to save costs, and it *seemed* to be
smoother at that time but I would be the first to discount subjective
memories.

It should not. Seriously not.

It looks as though the keystroke has to get logged at the remote server,

Surely it works exactly like that. Citrix terminal is basically a copy of the screen (actually a virtual screen of a virtual session) on the other computer. Surely your ekystroke has to be sent up and then sent back.

then bounced back to my machine as acknowledgement, before it will appear on
my monitor. The delay is typically 5 to 10 seconds.

That is crazy. Not like you are crazy. It is crazy. Here is the point:

* Sending the keystroke is not a lot of data. Seriously not.
* Receiving the update is basically a bitmap update. That can be hugh, BUT:
* 2mbit are a lot of bandiwdth.

Not ucing citrix but the built in terminal server I had no problem working remote oin visual studio over a 2mbit connection. Things sometimes were slow - as in text appearing half a second after typing. A 5 or 10 second delay may appear occasioally when like opening a word document (whole screen update), but even then....

....I worked perfectly over 64kbit isdn connections years ago.

Are you sure the server has the bandwidth? If yo uare on a typical ADSL connection, and the server is too - you have indeed a crap bandwidth.

See, as example:
* You receicing with 2mbit, sending with 256kbit and
* The server receiving with 2mbit, sending with 256kbit

means that in the optimal case (no other traffic) the available bandwidth between you and the server is 256kbit in each direction - the lower of both sides. If more than one person works remote, or the server (or something else on the same conenction) is downloading something - the bandwidth may be a LOT lower, regardless waht your end has. Sure the server has enough bandwidth?

It is possible that my purchasing additional bandwidth may help. However I
am reluctant to take this step as I would only do this in order to connect
to work, and I anticipate problems getting the employer to pay for it. He
would argue that I would enjoy personal benefit from the increased bandwidth
when not working.

Really? I mean, depending where you are 2mbit are not exactly a lot of bandwidth. Most people I deal with that work remote are now upgrading tio 16mbit adsl2+ connections for like 60 USD a month - and get phone and even partially video rental over it.

I might have more joy getting the employer to pay for a faster connection if
the employer could be confident that the additional bandwidth would only be
consumed when on company business.

Ok, here is the deal: It SHOULD not.You are way above the bandwidth where you shouzld have such an impact. I mean, you said 5 to 10 SECONDS. That is a lot of time. ONE second, ok, but 10 not.

What may be is that you went WAY too cheap, and basically your ISP is totally overloading the connection, so that you indeed do not have a 2mbit connection. I had this with one customer I worked with who was in denmark, and his ultra cheap cable internet provide routed all traffic over a totally unsuitable (as in: overlaoded) radio link to sweden because bandwith prices were cheaper there - the result was a terrible real bandiwdth and pung times of about 2 seconds JUST on the radio link hop. He basically did not get what he paid for.

Unless that is the case, the bandwidth is NOT likely to be the issue.

While it strongly depends on the software you use (like graphical editors are hardly usable, while word etc works very nice) a 10 second delay on a normal keystroke (assuming a text editor) is just way out of proportion for a bandwidth problem.

So I was thinking along the lines of a "reverse the charges" arrangement,
where I dial up to the office and all of a sudden, just for the length of
that session, I have 5 lane highway at my disposal instead of a dirt-track.

Sadly that works with dial up connections (56k, or digitally 56k/64k per line), but with ADSL that does not work. The setup and bandwidth is simply static. That is like asking that while you use the computer for work, your employee gets charged for the electricity you use. Things are simply not set up like that.

A split arrangement might work, like the employee pays half of the bill.

Is this rocket science? Or is the facility already available?

It is neither rocket science nor available. It is simply something noone does, so noone does it. As in: noone offers that contract..

PS this may be the wrong newsgroup. My apologies if so and any suggestions
where I should post it instead would be welcome.

It is totally wrong. This is a forum for vpn connections over a specific firewall software.

.

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