Based on a speed test with a user:
From user’s PC at one of our remote plants (one mile away from our Network Server ? IBM NAS 100). There is one (1) 10/100 switch between the user’s PC and the Cisco PIX VPN which is connected to the ADSL modem. Our corporate data center, where the netowrk server resides, has a full T-1 frame relay dedicated internet connection.
737 kb Excel file took 25 seconds to open from I drive on Network Server
737 kb Excel file took 62 seconds to save to I drive on Network Server
737 kb Excel file took 37 seconds to copy from PC hard drive to I drive using Windows Explorer
This user’s results are typical of all remote users, regardless of which remote plant the user is working from.
Why does it take longer saving from within the application, than copying and pasting within Windows Explorer? And, how much of a difference should there be?
The file size in question is 737 kb = .737 MegaBytes
DSL downloads at .15 MegaBytes per second (1.2 megabits divided by 8)
Therefore, if my math is right the file should move from one location in about 5 seconds plus overhead. Why then, does it take 37 seconds to copy, and 62 seconds to save?
DSL claims to have DOWNSTREAM speed of approx 1.5 megabits per second. We normally get about 1.2 to 1.3 which is satisfactory. DSL claims to have UPSTREAM speed of 256 kilobits per second. When we are saving files from a remote location to our server via DSL / VPN, are we going downstream or upstream?
How much can the VPN (Cisco PIX 501) slow down the process?
