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Avoiding Slowdowns on W2K Server

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by mmbarreca

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We have a W2K server for a small LAN and they are currently using a cable modem for Internet access. The modem is plugged into a router, which is then plugged into the hub. When the cable goes out, the network slows down severely. Even removing the CAT5 cable from the hub and rebooting the server does not speed up the network. The server is not assigning IPs as all IPs are static (to my knowledge). What would cause the network to slowdown and how do I correct this?

5 replies

by sgt_shultz

one thing i can think of is that your lan dns is incorrectly configured to send all dns requests out to the internet dns servers (should be set to first check lan for address requests, then go to internet)...

by charles_j_smith

If you are using a hub in the network, you could try and run a packet capture and see - what or who- is cramming the network so much that nothing works. There are many packet capture utilities out there that you can use, and then see who the "top talker" is. Some packet capture apps come with this feature built in.

See, I think what is happening is that someone is running some web app (like kazaa or something like that) and when your internet connection goes it just continuously tried over and over again (bringing your local network to its knees).

One recommendation I have is to put in a switch instead of a hub. A switch segments traffic to each port as opposed to a hub which will send traffic out all ports (its not too smart). So, if one person is running kazaa let's say it will kill the network for all other network users. With a switch this usage would be curved, but depending on how muc the urage is, it might not buy you much. I'd put a switch in, just for security - at the very least. If you want more information, let me know.

Good luck..

by pnmnelson

you may need to run some type of packet capture program just to see what is happening on your network. Try Ethereal. It is supposed to be free but is a really excellent program.

by ctmoore1998

My guess is that your router is the default gateway for the network. If you have the 2K server as a PDC and properly configure DNS then use the server as default gw and dns server your network shouldn't slow down when the cable drops. I think the slow down comes because the router default routes everything to the cable side and has to wait for Timeouts when cable is down. using dns on pdc should solve this

by rasman

Sounds like Nachi to me. Check your wins folder and see if there are a couple of executables there. I dont recall the names take a look at nai.com for virus information.

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