can anyone point me to a good network speed/error tester ?
playing network games with my nephew and they run great for a while... then crawl along slow... then great again etc. etc...
I thought it was just the games.... but now Im backing stuff up to my file server (via ftp) and the network speed is all over the place....
42mb/sec peek
38 to 40mb/s average
but then itll randomly run at 4mb/s for no apparent reason..... then back to 40 again... (lasts about 4 or 5 min)
thought i should run a network test progie before i start looking into anything else.... and everything i find with google is either crappy, or full or spyware :(
Id use ping -t redirected into a text file whilst playing the game.
Then youll see latency go through the roof, then Id use traceroute when the latency tops out, to see whats causing the slowdown.
sounds like a plen to me !
but how do i get it to dump into a text file ?
actually... will this work ? were playing on the home network, just 2 wires and 1 switch between the 2 pcs :o
ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx -t > c:\directory\file.txt
Quote from: knightysounds like a plen to me !
but how do i get it to dump into a text file ?
actually... will this work ? were playing on the home network, just 2 wires and 1 switch between the 2 pcs :o
Good question. To be honest there shouldnt be an issue. Must be one of your machines naffing up.
Are both of you experiencing the issues?
well for the games its the same for both of us so we can;t tell whos causing it...
Id always just assumed it was the games untill i noticed my ftp transfer speeds going all over the place...
A ping is a nearly useless test in this case, and traceroute is completely useless. I assume the machines exist on the same lan so a traceroute isnt going to tell you anything. A traceroute is only of use to telling you how a device is being reached between two hosts that have a route between them.
What you do need to do is run a packet sniff whilst youre doing what you normally do, and analyse the output capture for anything untoward.
Look for a lot of retransmits - fast or otherwise.
You should expect to see very few of either to be honest, or you have a problem.
also check that speed and duplex match on all concerned interfaces
Id also test ftp backing up to your server from your nephews pc. If you dont get the random slowdown then, that would suggest something with your pc is the issue. If it does slow down, then something more odd is going on.
Quote from: knightycan anyone point me to a good network speed/error tester ?
playing network games with my nephew and they run great for a while... then crawl along slow... then great again etc. etc...
I thought it was just the games.... but now Im backing stuff up to my file server (via ftp) and the network speed is all over the place....
42mb/sec peek
38 to 40mb/s average
but then itll randomly run at 4mb/s for no apparent reason..... then back to 40 again... (lasts about 4 or 5 min)
thought i should run a network test progie before i start looking into anything else.... and everything i find with google is either crappy, or full or spyware :(
Translation:
My nephew is kicking my arse and...
/Is this wifi?
Quote from: MarkA ping is a nearly useless test in this case, and traceroute is completely useless. I assume the machines exist on the same lan so a traceroute isnt going to tell you anything. A traceroute is only of use to telling you how a device is being reached between two hosts that have a route between them.
What you do need to do is run a packet sniff whilst youre doing what you normally do, and analyse the output capture for anything untoward.
Look for a lot of retransmits - fast or otherwise.
You should expect to see very few of either to be honest, or you have a problem.
Agreed didnt get the "lan" game aspect, thought his nephew could be in another house and they were playing via VPN or similar.
True... retransmits would be key, Id say f**ked cable from you to switch, or your network card/driver/stack is f**ked.
That said if you use the same cable to connect to your ftp server, Id also query that one.
Maybe its crossing power lines? Could be youre immersion heater or something is flicking on as you play and you just dont realise it... causing interference and bam.. retransmits :)
eliminate any duplex issues first though
Also make sure the MTU is the same on both computers (not entirely sure how you check that in windows - google will tell you thou).