Windows 2000 and the Revelation Network Products (AREV Specific)
At 24 MAY 2002 06:36:01PM Don Lindbergh wrote:
What is the status of this issue?
What environments has Revelation Software tested with the updated Novell VIPX.EXE?
Is there any reason to believe something about Netware 5 may be important to getting better performance?
"Windows 2000 and the Revelation Network Products"
Novell Technical Information Document "Application software performance is slow" and updated VIPX.EXE
http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/searchtid.cgi?/2961598.htm
I see no performance increase in the below environments. I've found only one user reporting success in the Arev discussion forum with his particular configuration.
Unfortunately I don't have a way to test with Netware 5 at the moment.
–Don
Don Lindbergh
Regenstrief Institute
Arev v3.12, Rev nlm v1.5, lhipxtsr.exe v1.5a
Arev v2.12, Rev nlm v1.0, lhipxtsr.exe v1.12
Novell Netware 4.11
Win 2000 or Win XP + Novell Netware Client v4.83 + updated VIPX.EXE
At 24 MAY 2002 09:40PM Richard Bright wrote:
Don,
Yes I was the one reporting that the VIPX fix made a dramatic difference in Win 2000 /XP workstation environment for AREV. The mix was
Arev v2.12, Rev nlm v5.0, lhipxtsr.exe v1.5a
Oinsight v3.75, Rev nlm v5.0
Novell Netware 5.x
Win 2000 or Win XP + Novell Netware Client v4.83 + updated VIPX.
A client with substantial Novell 5 / 6 network has confirmed my anacdotal observations but I have not seen any serious lab trial data.
Kevin Ruane at RevSoft was increadably helpful when we were investigating mixed network environment issues. RevSoft have a lab environment which allows them to run simulations on all sorts of combinations of network O/S version + client + Arev / OI product. I'm sure that one of the reasons that they have not as yet fully endorsed this VIPX fix is that there is an infinite (or very large number) of possible environment variables that may or may not work.
As they get more feedback from the user community undoubtedly some comment will be published.
Richard Bright
At 25 MAY 2002 11:38AM Dan Reese wrote:
We have customers all over the country, using a mix of Novell 4.11, 5.0, 5.1 and attempting to use Windows 2000 and Windows XP. We have installed the latest vipx.exe patch at each. So far it has worked at only 2 sites. Most sites it has no impact. The most typical site is trying to use Novell 5.1 with the latest Novell Service Pack, Novell Client 4.83, Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2.
One of the successful sites had only ipx on the 5.1 server. The other successful site used Novell 4.11. Other than that, we can find no other differences between the successful and unsuccessful sites. Most of our sites need tcp/ip on the server and are not willing to remove it for testing. Perhaps someone else can test unbinding tcp/ip at the server to see if this is the difference.
We run benchmarks at each site. Workstations installed with IP and IPX Compatibility mode typically generate 10 transactions per second (tps), workstations with ipx or ipx and tcp/ip generate about 40 tps (regardless of the protocol order or preferences). Windows NT workstations on the same networks, using the same Novell Client typically generate between 450 and 500 tps.
Revelation has advised us they are working on a tcp/ip version of the NLM, which should sidestep the problem with ipx. I hope we see this product (or a Novell patch that works) before we lose all of our customers (75% of our customers use Novell), and everyone who is buying new machines is buying Windows 2000 or XP.
At 30 MAY 2002 08:44PM Don Lindbergh wrote:
Dan,
thanks very much for the reply and helpful information. I'm particularly interested in the success you saw with a Novell 4.11 installation.
Was the Novell 4.11 server at the site that saw a speed increase also only running IPX like the 5.1 site? On my test 4.11 Novell
server, IP is not running. Since I haven't seen the speed increase yet, I wonder if it's some other thing or possibly a configuration issue on the server or client.
Understanding you may not be able to get into a lot of detail troubleshooting this stuff here, below is the autoexec.ncf from my test 4.11 server and the settings I'm using on the client if you have any comments.
I've been mindful of the below Revelation documents and the independent FAQs
Recommended Configuration for the Revelation Windows 2000 Service (NT Service) Advanced Revelation and OpenInsight Environments
Revelation NLM Installation & Follow-up Tips
NOVELL CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS
http://arevweb.tripod.com/faqnovellconfig.htm
–Don
Don Lindbergh
Regenstrief Institute
=================================================
Test 4.11 Novell server settings as per Rev doc
http://arevweb.tripod.com/faqnovellconfig.htm
Minimum Packet Receive Buffers: 50
Maximum Packet Receive Buffers: 100
New Packet Receive Buffer Wait Time: 0.1 seconds
CACHE BUFFER SIZE - Unknown set parameter name
Dirty Disk Cache Delay Time: 0.5 seconds
Dirty Directory Cache Delay Time: 0.5 seconds
Minimum Directory Cache Buffers: 20
Maximum Directory Cache Buffers: 500
Volume Low Warn All Users: ON
Maximum File Locks: 10000
Maximum File Locks Per Connection: 250
Maximum Record Locks: 20000
Maximum Record Locks Per Connection: 500
display incomplete ipx packet alerts - ??? Unknown command ???
=============
AUTOEXEC.NCF
=============
; The following lines were moved or added by the NetWare Support Pack
SET Maximum Concurrent Disk Cache Writes=500
SET Dirty Disk Cache Delay Time=0.5
SET Maximum Concurrent Directory Cache Writes=100
; End of modifications made by NetWare Support Pack installation
set Time Zone=EST5EDT
set Daylight Savings Time Offset=1:00:00
set Start Of Daylight Savings Time=(APRIL SUNDAY FIRST 2:00:00 AM)
set End Of Daylight Savings Time=(OCTOBER SUNDAY LAST 2:00:00 AM)
set Default Time Server Type=SECONDARY
file server name REGEN-NEW
ipx internal net 3CD1387B
# Note: The Time zone information mentioned above
# should always precede the SERVER name.
LOAD N100 SLOT=10001 FRAME=Ethernet_802.2 NAME=N100_1_E82
BIND IPX N100_1_E82 NET=86441F02
LOAD IPXRTR routing=NLSP
mount all
load monitor -ns
; load rconsole access
LOAD REMOTE GUMBY
LOAD RSPX
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; Start the Revelation NLM ;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
LHStart
===========
LHSTART.NCF
===========
; This is an NCF file to LOAD the REVELATION NLM.
; Please read your documentation for optional parameters available
load lh
load lhipxser /p:1472
==========================================
Win 2000 Local Area Connections Properties
==========================================
Novell Client for Windows 2000 - checked
Client for Microsoft Networks - not checked
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks - not checked
NWLink NetBIOS - not checked
NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol - checked
=========================================
Novell Client for Windows 2000 Properties
=========================================
Protocol Preferences
Preferred Network Protocol - IPX
===============================================================
NWLink/IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol Properties
===============================================================
Internal network number - 00000000
Frame type - Ethernet 802.2
Network number - 00000000
=====================
AREV START PARAMETERS
=====================
LHIPXTSR /p /c:30 /r:32
AREV %1 /M4096 X
At 31 MAY 2002 03:30PM Don Lindbergh wrote:
Sorry to do an Emily Litella here, but "nevermind". The good news is I'm now able to see the speed increase with both below environments, which include using IP and IPX protocols on both the server and client, the bad news is I'm not sure exactly what made the magic finally happen. At this point though, I highly suspect client side configuration issues as nothing changed on the server and re-installing the Novell client 4.83 + nt483pt1 update (nwfs.sys) + vipx.exe fix did apparently effect a change. Based on the Novell TID 2961866 I doubt the new nwfs.sys is critical, but I don't know for sure at this point. I didn't add the IP protocol to the client until after the Novell install. During the Novell client install I had specifed IPX only. I notice that the the Novell Client Configuration now only lists IPX in the protocol section, even after adding Microsoft's native IP protocol, which is definitely different from what I was seeing before. I suspect this may be important and that IP listed in this Novell Client Configuration Protocol section refers to Novell's version of IP, which may be different from Microsoft's native IP support on the client side. But I'm probably be in a little over my head right now and have just enough rope to hang myself.
If I can come up with any specific reproducible things I think may be of help, I'll post. At this point, all I can say is that I see the speed increase with the below general environment. I will look at XP next.
–Don
Don Lindbergh
Regenstrief Institute
===
Arev v3.12, Rev nlm v1.5, lhipxtsr.exe v1.5a
Arev v2.12, Rev nlm v1.0, lhipxtsr.exe v1.12
Novell Netware 4.11
Win 2000 + SP2
Novell Netware Client v4.83 + nt483pt1 update (nwfs.sys)
updated VIPX.EXE
At 31 MAY 2002 08:03PM Don Lindbergh wrote:
At the risk of creating a thread mostly of replies to myself, in the interest of helping others I can offer one observation which appears to be important. I noticed in autoexec.nt that some lines sometimes get left behind when either un-installing or re-installing a Netware client (Microsoft or Novell). These lines can have a major effect on seeing or not seeing the speed increase with the new vipx.exe and Win 2000 or XP systems.
In the case of a Novell netware client un-install, if the lines which loaded the Novell netware dos client get left behind, this can cause a 'file note found' error to occur when starting up a dos box afterwards, because autoexec.nt is referencing files which no longers exist. This appears to be a bug with certain versions of the Novell client un-install. As a side note I've seen other various nasty behavior attempting to un-install various versions of Novell clients from Win 2000 and XP systems. This kind of behavior is referenced in this Novell TID
http://support.novell.com/cgi-bin/search/tidfinder.cgi?10013922
In the case of the Microsoft client, if it's present when installing the Novell client, the Novell install will offer to un-install it. The problem is, this un-install process seems to often leave behind the two lines in autoexec.nt which loaded the Microsoft netware client for dos sessions
%SystemRoot%\system32\nw16
%SystemRoot%\system32\vwipxspx
After a Novell netware client install in this case, these will then be followed by two lines which load the Novell netware client for dos sessions
%SystemRoot%\system32\vipx.exe
%SystemRoot%\system32\vlmsup.exe
In such a case, things will still work, but the speed increase with the new vipx.exe will never be achieved, apparently because the Microsoft client is still getting loaded and is interfering. Remarking out the two lines loading the Microsoft client will solve this.
This seems to be what has kept me banging my head against a wall for days. I thought I'd save someone else a similar headache.
FYI For those that aren't familiar with autoexec.nt, this is a replacement for autoexec.bat for Dos sessions, and is executed whenever a Dos box (command.com) is run. Also see config.nt
for the equivalent to the old config.sys Note that autoexec.nt and config.nt are found in both Win 2000 and XP installations, in slightly different directories. For Win 2000 they are usually in \winnt\system32, in XP it's usually in \windows\system32
–Don
At 07 JUN 2002 11:45AM Don Lindbergh wrote:
Dan,
If you try it, I'd be interested in the results of trying my technique at the sites where you haven't seen a speed increase. My guess is clients at those sites are loading both the Microsoft network drivers and the Novell network drivers in Dos boxes. In my experience so far, Win 2000 and XP installations with the v4.83 Novell client and the new vipx.exe that *don't* see the speed increase all have the Microsoft network client loading in dos boxes via config.nt. Remarking out these lines seems to solve the problem.
–Don