RichB

With SBS on a Dell server with 1gb NIC and gigabit switch and all networked PCs with 1gb cards, why is it that when I copy a few GBs to the server, the task manager/network usage graph on the server never goes much above 10%...

I would (incorrectly obviously) have thought it would take whatever it could.
The network is generally very quiet so why would this be?

Does SBS have user throttling? I've not found anything like that.

Any one have any ideas on why this might be.
We used to copy xxGBs across the network between local machines using normal sharing but this is way slower.

Apart from the cable connecting the server to the switch, what else could it be? The server has 3x250 SATA RAID 5 (I think) with C being the std 12gb and the rest as D: storage...
I know C is rather full though...
Server has 1gb of RAM.

Also - The server has recently performed a software update and since then, the network traffic has increased significantly. To the point of the outgoing traffic icon being constantly on with the incoming regular.
I've not been in to the office to check it yet, going in tomorrow and would like some suggestions of things to check if possible
Server is running Symantec but whether it is configured correctly I couldn't say. (I set it up )
I am fairly sure the two are not connected, the network copying speed thing has been an issue since day 1 (few months ago)

Any help gratefully received!

Rich

ChrisB

Are all the NIC settings done manually? Ie set to 100Mbps Full Duplex and not left to auto-sense? Assumes it's a managed switch though. Check the Flow Control setting if the switch supports that as well.

RichB

Any thoughts on why the network traffic might be high (about 8k a sec)?

Looking now at the syslog of the router doesn't give any clues....

Rich

aqua

are you also running SUS/WUS on the server? Have you got any VPN traffic?

RichB

No VPN.

Sorry - Its number of packets not bytes! (from Network Connection properties)

Dont know what SUS/WUS is?

After all machines are shutdown on network except server packets are about 30 per sec.
If the server is disconnected from network this stops.
When machines are reconnected/powered up then this stays at almost nothing for a while but then builds up to about 1000 packets per sec....
Have seen it hit 8000 packets occassionally.
Have blocked all incoming and outgoing internet traffic on FW. (Vigor 2600)

Annoyingly as I type this packets are now very low as you would expect...

Now ive just launched Access and the packets went up to 40 per sec...
Now I've quit Access again but the packets are still going up...
Weird.

ChrisB

SUS/WUS

It might be an odd question Rich, but what's the concern behind the packet going up? I've just looked at an SBS 2003 box, along with a couple of WS2003 and all have the packet count going up every second. A server (especially an SBS) will be broadcasting all manner of stuff related to DHCP, WINS, DNS, Active Directory, Group Policy and the rest.

RichB

A paranoid client/mate who needs a bloody answer to everything!

The fact you are asking me that question puts my mind slightly at rest... I must say I wasn't too bothered but obviously it was doing something, just couldn't pin point what.
Also odd that is went from 30-40 packets a sec to about 5-8 thousand at one stage...

I think I've weathered the storm with it though....

Thanks for the comments chaps.