Linux <--> Windows Networking extremely SLOW! <SOLVED>

Message

OrangeToque · Post by **OrangeToque** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:05 am

Here is a brief summary of the problem ::

I essentially have 3 Machines,

1 Windows only box,
1 Linux / Windows dual boot,
1 Linux only box

The problem lies in LINUX <-> WINDOWS networking, by that I mean the following ::

Between the Linux box and the dual box booted into Linux I can transfer files using (sftp) at speeds of approximately 40 MB/s ... however, between the Linux box and the dual box booted into Windows I can only reach speeds of 1.5 MB/s !! This is over the exact same network, with the same hardware, and over the same protocol (sftp)...

Furthermore, the two Windows configurations can transfer files between each other much faster than either can download from the Linux box!

My problem then is what is preventing or limiting the LINUX <-> WINDOWS network throughput?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Katphish · Post by **Katphish** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:19 am

Hmm, you are missing some specifics like LAN speed, NIC types, Switch type and OS version.

I assume you are running on gigabit by the 40MB/s comment. You might need to tune the windows install for the network. See here for example:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodte ... mspx#EWBBG

OrangeToque · Post by **OrangeToque** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:34 am

Gigabit Lan,

In the Dual/boot box I have tried two seperate Gigabit ethernet cards, One is the built-in (on motherboard) Marvell Yukon Gigabit controller ( ASUS A8V Deluxe board ), and also a brand new D-Link Gigabit adapter.

The Switch is a 5-port Gigabit Switch, and all cabling is CAT 5e.

I actually have 2 full-time linux boxes, each having a Gigabit Ethernet card, one is Realtek 8168 Gigabit controller ( built into ASUS P5B-VM motherboard) and the other is a Intel 82547EI Gigabit controller built into an Intel Motherboard.

Between the 2 full time linux boxes I get speeds of 30 - 40 MB/s , and between those two an the linux side of the dual boot box, I also get 30 - 40 MB/s speeds...

However, the Windows side of the dual boot, only gets speeds of ~1.5 MB/s with either linux box! ( This occurred with both of the network cards mentioned above)

Finally, my laptop (100/10 baseT connection) can download the same file at speeds much faster from the windows side of the dual boot than it can from any of the linux machines...

Clearly, there is something wrong between the Linux <--> Window network. This problem is observed between both windows boxes and the linux boxes, so I'm not sure where the problem lies, but it is very frustrating!

I hope this is more specific, but if you need more, I can provide more.

InsaneHamster · Post by **InsaneHamster** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:42 am

OrangeToque wrote: windows networking

i dont run windows so this is going to be a very simplistic theory responce,

do u have firewall, antivirus, snort like IPS/IDS, anything that checks what u are transfering basically ?

not too sure but samba, NFS, and kernel level communications protocols for windows are in ur kernel and running / configured properly ?

do a ping see how it comes back ? maybe ur windows connection is not trusted therefore scanned and held back.

other then that i would think u need special linux level special kernel modules running properly to have them communicate.

(if all else failes ftp the data ?)

OrangeToque · Post by **OrangeToque** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:51 am

Any thing like that i have tried in both enabled/disabled mode,

This is an absolutely fresh install of windows, so there isn't any extra programs that i'm not aware of. I was using sftp, so this problem is very strange, as I can reach speeds of 40 MB/s with Linux, and on 1.5 MB/s with windows...

this is an increase of 25 times!!!!

This isn't as simple as a network card tuning issue... I'm not sure what is wrong, but two different, respectable network cards had the exact same result, and furthermore, this problem is not present on the same hardware when booted into linux...

Furthermore, my Laptop also downloads much slower from all the linux boxes then it can from the Windows box,

is there something missing in my linux installation?

One full time linux box has IP Tables enabled and running, the other does not, so this is not a factor

Katphish · Post by **Katphish** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:53 am

What version[s] of the MS OS?

I suspect you have an MTU issue. Can you check the MTU for the cards and make sure they jive between Windows and Linux?

Katphish · Post by **Katphish** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 4:55 am

Um, what version of sftp are you using on windows? Windows does not ship with a native version of sftp. ftp would make for a much better comparison.

OrangeToque · Post by **OrangeToque** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:13 am

Sorry,

WinXP

I was using PSFTP (putty) and winSCP

OrangeToque · Post by **OrangeToque** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:26 am

MTU... I've check it out, and nope, not the problem.

Linux box ::

Code: Select all

$ ifconfig

eth0    Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:18:F3:03:29:83  
          inet addr:192.168.1.98  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::218:f3ff:fe03:2983/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500 Metric:1
          RX packets:1088478 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1273915 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:660127070 (629.5 Mb)  TX bytes:1290569950 (1230.7 Mb)
          Interrupt:17 Base address:0x6000

Windows Machine (default setting 1500) also, double checked.

I check to make sure this setting was correct with a MTU ping test, and yes it was correct.

Unfortunately not the problem.

OrangeToque · Post by **OrangeToque** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:45 am

WOW...

I installed an FTP server, and transfered the data...

51 MB/s

I guess, it just must be the SFTP and SAMBA in windows that is soooo slow.

Sorry for the troubles!

Katphish · Post by **Katphish** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 4:41 am

hehe, it is okay. I am glad you got it working. What version of psftp are you running? I know filezilla+psftp runs very slow but I have normally had good luck with straight psftp from the command line.