Re: network slows down after SP2 install

Final update to the problem.

Resolution is at hand, but the problem has not been completely fixed, as it
should be.

Working with top level MS support, they verified all steps taken by me were
done correctly to no avail to correct the performance issue. Replacing the
network switch with a crossover cable allowed the server to run at top
speed, 100MB/full duplex to/from a pc with no performance issues. Replacing
the crossover cable with a switch of known quality, the slowness came back.
Dropping only the server NIC to 100MB/half duplex allowed the file transfers
to work near full speed, or at least fast enough through the switch that the
client will not notice slowness unless they transfer GB size files. So this
is how I left it working.

MS says that it must be a confluence of items causing the issue, none of
which singularly fix the problem. The claim is that it is not the OS, which
is probably true. It is also odd that the physical network now cannot run
at its' original speed even with all new hardware (NICs, cables & switch)
in place and only the server card had to be slowed down. Since the NIC
handles its' own communications with the network, one would think it is not
the motherboard, especially since it works with a crossover cable just fine.

The net result of this marathon has been that after SP2 installed, certain
client programs can no longer run at all on the network and must now be
replaced with new programs; specifically, ACT. This same program can no
longer run on the local pc detached from the server and given a fresh
install. However, two old pc's upgraded to XP Pro from W2K still run ACT
using the server as a file server. So something happened to the new
machines with the SP2 install that prohibits running the program either
locally or on the network.

If anybody else has had such a "fun" run with slow performance, I would be
interested in hearing it.


"jim" <jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:A7900F82-BFD9-42CD-90C0-F31782C5C76D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The blog notes and instructions from the SBS blog have all been heeded.
32
hours of talking with tech support on the phone, changing the nic card,
updating all the drivers, and still, the system is dogging to the point of
being painful. Here is the unexplainable issue: I have 5 new machines,
all
came from Dell with XP Pro installed. They all had to be flattened and XP
Pro re-installed. They worked great until SP2 was installed. Now they
take
5 minutes to open an 8MB spread*** they used to open in 20 seconds. My
3
old machines were upgraded from W2K to XP Pro and they worked fine before
SP2
was installed. Afterward, they are slower, but work better than the new
machines. The old machines can still run ACT 6.0. The new machines fail
with a program error after opening the database. Explain that!

All file access to the network is so slow now. Don't suggest anything
previously mentioned in the blog. 4 MS engineers can verify that all the
tricks have been done as outlined in this blog.

There must have been some other deep layer of connectivity between the
server and workstations that does some kind of handshaking/security
checking
that is slowing things down. Excel seems to have been hit the hardest.
It
is a terrible thing to see a 2GB 4Ghz Dual Core processor take 60 seconds
to
copy 10 files of 80K each from the network to the local drive.

I have 5 SBS 2003 servers and 3 of them are just fine. This one is dying
and SP2 failed to install on the other one. I am afraid to work the issue
as
it might turn out like this one.

I really do need ideas and help short of flattening the server, as that
may
not help anyway. Ideas, anyone?


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