Strange 3.70 client->server performance problem.

bpedersen
bpedersen Member Posts: 4
edited 2009-04-09 in NAV/Navision Classic Client
Hiya :)

We have a navision server with these specs:
2.8ghz xeon
2gb ram
Database is split into 4 2gb parts each on its own raid 1.

When i run the 3.70 client directly on the server it has just the performance we are looking for but when i run the same tasks on the different client computers performance is about 1/3 of what it is directly on the server.

Utilization on the server netcard is only 11% when using a client so that isnt the problem.

Can anyone help me speed things up on the clients?
What should i try?

Comments

  • Waldo
    Waldo Member Posts: 3,412
    Try this:

    - Open Object Designer
    - Forms
    - Create new form
    - Use wizard and type in table "Performance"
    - Select all fields
    - Click "preview"

    You will get 2 records. What are the values?

    (This is a basic network test)

    Eric Wauters
    MVP - Microsoft Dynamics NAV
    My blog
  • bpedersen
    bpedersen Member Posts: 4
    NetTest with 100 byte packets: 4063,00 Packets per second
    NetTest with 4000 byte packets: 663,00 Packets per second
  • Waldo
    Waldo Member Posts: 3,412
    Then, imho, your network should be OK. I was told that the second line should be at least 400 packets per second.

    What are the specs of the clients?

    Eric Wauters
    MVP - Microsoft Dynamics NAV
    My blog
  • Waldo
    Waldo Member Posts: 3,412
    Another thing ... you should do the network test on a client PC.

    I hope you did?

    Eric Wauters
    MVP - Microsoft Dynamics NAV
    My blog
  • bpedersen
    bpedersen Member Posts: 4
    Yeah i ran it on the client.

    The client is a p4 with 1gb ram and a realtek 10/100mbit netcard.

    I just think its strange that the client runs that much faster directly on the server.
  • Waldo
    Waldo Member Posts: 3,412
    Can you check how many resources are available on the server? (Available phys. memory).

    How many RAM did you reserve for the database server?

    What is the object cache on the client's PC?

    Eric Wauters
    MVP - Microsoft Dynamics NAV
    My blog
  • kriki
    kriki Member, Moderator Posts: 9,121
    bpedersen wrote:
    I just think its strange that the client runs that much faster directly on the server.
    A client on a server definitly runs faster. But I don't know how much faster.
    The exact reasons I don't know, but it has something to do with network overhead that is avoided when running on the server.
    Regards,Alain Krikilion
    No PM,please use the forum. || May the <SOLVED>-attribute be in your title!

  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    We have the same problem with our installation with NAVISION 5.0 .

    When we run the 5.0 client directly on the server or by terminal server, it has just the performance are ok but when i run the same tasks on the different client computers performance is about 1/3 of what it is directly on the server (also if I connected with a cross cable directly on the lan adapter of the server).
    The server is a Win 2003 on very performance hardware, the clients tested are new pc with xp or vista, lan Gb, ecc.

    Any ideas??????
  • prototyper
    prototyper Member Posts: 70
    Is the performance issue with all tasks or just certain tasks ?

    We have always acknowledged that a client pc runs Navision slower for certain tasks (particularily those using dialogs).
    Sleep on it... The best solutions come at 2am
  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    Hi prototyper!!! Thanks for your reply.

    Navision is slow in general with all tasks (for example to generate a report on server require 1 minute, on a client 3 minutes).

    Thanks in advance!
  • prototyper
    prototyper Member Posts: 70
    OK. So local connections or through extended networks ?
    Another thought. What is the object cache setting on the Navision clients (Toos --> Options) ?
    Sleep on it... The best solutions come at 2am
  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    Hi prototyper... is a local connection (gigabit).
    The object cache setting is 32000Kb.

    Thanks.
  • prototyper
    prototyper Member Posts: 70
    hmm.. this seems odd.

    Ok. Are you sure the clients are connected directly into the gigabit switch ?
    Sleep on it... The best solutions come at 2am
  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    we try a lot of test.
    for example we connected the pc client directly to the server with a cross cable (so we exclude switch problem), only a cross cable between server (Gbit lan) and the client (Gbit lan). The performance are the same: 3 time slower than launch the task on the server. So there is no problem on the network.

    We want to known if is correct for the client server structure of navision that performance difference.
    We image that to generate report need only server cpu and ram and no client resource, indipendent from the client position (on server or on pc client) so we think that the time of esecution must be the same

    thanks
  • prototyper
    prototyper Member Posts: 70
    No, it is not correct for the performance difference to be that large over all tasks.

    I seem to think this is still network related(?).
    Check your network settings for IP settings: same subnet, default gateway, DNS etc.

    Another thought, Anti-virus settings on the PC (??)

    I'm interested in knowing the cause.
    Sleep on it... The best solutions come at 2am
  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    we do this test few time ago (3 time slower) and also after the installation when antivirus were not installed on server and on client (3 time slower)
    so no antivirus problem

    if you think that problem is network, the only thing that i can think is MTU of the lan adapter, but why does client do network traffic if i ask to generate report?
    I suppose that the only network traffic from client and server on a task like "generate report" must be "do this with these paramenter" - "ok this is the result". During all the elaboration no network traffic need, is it right?
  • prototyper
    prototyper Member Posts: 70
    but why does client do network traffic if i ask to generate report?
    To get data for the report.

    Are you using SQL or Native ?
    Sleep on it... The best solutions come at 2am
  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    sql
  • prototyper
    prototyper Member Posts: 70
    Navision will pass the data back to the client to format the report (anyone please step in and correct me here ).

    Doesn't MTU restrict the network (?) :-k
    Sleep on it... The best solutions come at 2am
  • webbergate
    webbergate Member Posts: 7
    prototyper wrote:
    Navision will pass the data back to the client to format the report (anyone please step in and correct me here ).

    So you tell us that the server use 1 minute for execute the report and the other 2 minutes are dedicated to transfert data to client and format the report on the client, is it right?
    During the test we also monitoring network traffic with task manager, no activity was present during all 3 minutes, this is other strange thing.
    prototyper wrote:
    Doesn't MTU restrict the network (?) :-k

    if the mtu of the client is not 1500 like the server one this can generate frammentation of packages so the speed of the connection can decrease (we verify this on a bridge wifi connection last year)


    thanks

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