We have 5 users at single remote site using new XP Pro workstations [with all updates and patches installed] across 500adsl VPN connection to a Windows2000 server. They also use this setup to access specialist industry specific software which runs as fast as if they were local to the server.
However when they attempt to use Word2003 accessing files on the remote server the air turns blue. We have run some tests as follows:
1. For our main office with 10 users all Word2003 functionality – with their files also al saved on the server – is fine effectively instantaneous for all actions
2. For the remote site the following are typical timings:
a. Open their local copy of Word2003: instantaneous
b. Select open file [icon or file-open command] which opens their space on the remote server: 6 secs until list completed [typically contains about 30 to 50 smallish files]
c. Open a specific word document of 25k size (to the time regain mouse/cursor control): 12 secs
d. Close and save the file to moment regain cursor control: 40++ secs
Have asked our VPN provider to monitor traffic and they tell us there is no bottleneck issue, which the speed of the specialist software seems to confirm. We decided to allow the remote site to save word documents locally to a (currently) spare XP pro workstation and created a shared folder for them all to use there. If then redo the above tests the following results apply:
a. instantaneous opening Word2003 as would expect
b. Select open file and wait for directory file list: 3-4 secs
c. Open specific word file of about 25k size, to time regain cursor control: 3-4 secs
d. close and save the word file to this spare local PC shared directory: 3-4 secs
Whilst these speeds are not instantaneous they are a lot better than the times above across the VPN. My understanding however is that times should be no more than a few seconds for each action unless we had loads of files in a single directory or very large files being used which we