network bottle necks

[4ycr]

Can anyone recommend some software to test for bottle necks on a network?

They complain about it being slow at times but can't narrow it down to anything in particular and not getting any error messages.

It is in a domain if that makes a difference. I have seen the agent less tester that charges something like $50 per scan, however I have heard that it doe snot give the best results.

Just looking for recommendations.

 

[NETWizz]

NETFlow Analizer from Manage Engine is what we use.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Ixia QCheck....a free baby version of iChariot.
http://www.ixchariot.com/products/datasheets/qcheck.html

What is the compliant of slowness about though......LAN transfers, browsing the server, or internet?

 

[4ycr]

The complaint is slow internet, slow database (access database) and general slow access to files.

Most of the problems are down to his computers being so old and slow but need proof that it is not the network or if it is then where.

I cannot do anything with the access database, someone else does that and they want him to move onto SQL

Edit: Forgot to say thanks, I will look in to them

 

[datagnostic]

pathping.exe

The message you have entered is too short. Please lengthen your message to at least 20 characters.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Lot of variables there.

Are the disks on the server fast true server disks? Or is it a budget server with desktop SATA disks?

Gigabit switch?

Antivirus real time protection on the workstations set to exclude network resources/mapped drives?
Antivirus real time protection on the server set to exclude the access database?

Access...leave the decision to move to SQL to the database guy...but there are many ways to speed up Access....often they'll do split tables...have lots of stuff on the workstations local C drive, to lessen the load of what has to travel across the network per workstation.

As for slow internet...any QoS on the edge device? Anything preventing some end user from sucking up the internet bandwidth listening to pandora radio or other stuff.
Managed antivirus with a local update mirror, instead of each workstation pulling their own updates? Thus freeing up the internet pipe.
WSUS running locally, instead of each workstation doing trickle downloads of windows updates? Thus freeing up the internet pipe.

 

[4ycr]

Disks are SCSI it's an old Compaq ProLiant ML570 G2 Server with 8GB RAM. Just noticed THE OS disk is getting full so will need to move the users folder tomorrow.

AV in Vipre, will check if it excludes access tomorrow again.

No QoS

No Wsus going to install offline wsus this week

switch is 100Mb with Gb to server

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I put my money on the 2nd generation server...they 7,200rpm scuzzers or 10k rpm? Either way...they're getting tired...losing performance after all these years. Wow....G2..that's NT 4 early 2K era. Northwood hyper-thread based Xeons.

Over 85% full disk will start to cramp performance also.

New server with 10k or 15k SAS drives 'n gigabit switch would make much of their sorrows go away.

 

[Patch22]

I put my money on the 2nd generation server...they 7,200rpm scuzzers or 10k rpm? Either way...they're getting tired...losing performance after all these years. Wow....G2..that's NT 4 early 2K era. Northwood hyper-thread based Xeons.

Over 85% full disk will start to cramp performance also.

New server with 10k or 15k SAS drives 'n gigabit switch would make much of their sorrows go away.

Read through this thread and would almost put money on YeOldeStonecat being correct here. Almost full, old hard drives in an old server ring alarm bells for me!

Having said that, I upgraded an switch for a small business recently to a Gigabit switch and it cured all their ills!!