Apache file transfer speed

[smreka]

Hi my name is Tom, I'm a big fane of the Uniform Server. Great work!

 

I hope you don't mind I'm just gonna copy what I wrote on the HP forums because I also think it might be the hardware problem but then again maybe not really strange problem.

 

 

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The server is connected to a 100/100 FTTH Mbit line. On LAN the speed is normal. Everything outside the local network is extremely slow. The first thing we noticed was that the network card was working weird; when set to 100/100 it transfers data with 90% loss over the internet, about 10-15 Mbit (not MB) speed up/down. At 10/10 it's about 1-1.5 up/down. When set to Gbit or Auto the download speed is normal but upload speed is about 50%.

 

Next thing we tried was downloading from different lines(All same ISP, different locations). We used HTTP(Apache) and FTP(Serv-u) protocols. First we tried localy, but using the external server IP (Internet IP)but still on the same internet connection, and it was normal. On another 100/100 Mbit the speed was 5-6 MB download for the client. On a 30/8 Mbit line the speed was 1.7 MB. On a 8/512 the speed was 450 KB. That was HTTP. FTP was different, 100/100 same results, 30/8 almost max speed, 8/512 max speed.

 

That was with Windows Server 2008.

 

 

Then we tried Ubuntu with same results.

 

 

Windows Server 2003 with the same results.

 

 

Things were getting ugly. We used a different network card. Same thing, slow speed.

 

Of course we've been checking the Apache installation over and over. No luck. We tried without the router, same thing. We were not sure what was the problem until we just decided to do 1 more thing to exclude our Apache installation/settings and FTP settings.

---We took a personal computer with Vista and installed the exact same installation of Apache with the exact same configuration and tested it. Everything worked full speed. External network, internal network. Everything that was wrong with the ML350 was working on a normal low budget PC.

 

So here I am writing to you if you know what could be the problem or suggest anything. Feel free to ask specific questions about the Apache installation and anything you would need to know. Just please help us with this problem!

 

 

EDIT:

 

And one more thing I forgot to mention, even if it went as slow as it did the speed was not consistent. For example the 100/100 line we tried it on, the speed was jumping from 4-6 or even 2-6 MB/s.

[smreka]

Solved the FTP problem, went over to Filezilla, and goes at normal speed now. Altho I still dont understand why Apache is so slow.

[Ric]

I have read this post several times; Filezilla (protocol) is a red hearing. I would be looking at a hardware issue just wondering if there is an issue with a network card.

 

“We took a personal computer with Vista and installed the exact same installation of Apache with the exact same configuration and tested it. Everything worked full speed. “

 

A wild gust, network card firmware and I could be totally wrong. If possible try a new card or alternative card.

 

All the best

Ric

[smreka]

Well, thing is everything is updated. And there was another network card in play also, same thing. It seems it has nothing to do with Apache, since I noticed now, that the FTP also isnt working full speed. It did work for a while, then it stoped again, started working good again and slow again, etc...

 

 

The interesting thing also is that everything works half speed now. Lets say a client with 100Mbit/s download had the speed of 50Mbit/s, a 30Mbit/s client had 1.7 about and so on... The other interesting thing is, I connected the server to a Gigabit router, enabled Gigabit Full duplex on the server and another PC(the one that had normal speeds) and the speed was download from server 10MByte/s and upload to server 20MByte/s over file sharing, Cat6 cable of course . Now I think I'm smart enough to know that's just so obviously, seriously, totally, stupidly WRONG!

 

The server is going to undergo service at the HP partner firm. I already talked to a technician and the first thing he said after I explained was "I'm sorry, what? That doesn't make sense." Well OF COURSE it doesn't. It's like me buying a Bugatti Veyron that can only go 300Km/h and not 400Km/h, there's obviously SOMETHING wrong.