[Snap] HSNS circuit in Chch

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dickytim

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#111831 16-Nov-2012 09:05

We have a HSNS circuit at one of our branches in Chch and they are complaining of slow performance on terminal server.

We have 10 - 12 PC's running over a 2mbit/2mbit HSNS connection back to our servers which are hosted in Chch somewhere.

I have been recieving complaints about slow speeds, and apparently the speeds have been slow since they moved due to the earthquake in Feb 2011.

Snap have been running tests on the circuit and have sent me a graph. Just wanting to get an opinion on what the graph is showing, the upload speed seems very slow to me, but I don't know if this just means that uploads are less frequent on terminal server or if they are just slow.

I had a collegue in Chch run a speed test and the results are below.

I have been openly communicating with Snap but need some further outside advise.

One solution I have been advised by sales at Snap is to increase the bandwidth, obviously at a higher rate, however I haven't been convinced that we are getting the service we have been paying for so far.

We don't have the option to change to another provider, or go to UFB at this stage due to the higher costs and set up.

dickytim

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#718094 16-Nov-2012 09:10

for reference here is the circuit we have in Auckland on 5mbit/5mbit circuit.

I would expect the Chch circuit to show 1.7 - 1.8 each way.

sbiddle

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#718096 16-Nov-2012 09:11

Are you running any QoS on the link?

dickytim

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#718117 16-Nov-2012 09:29

not that I am aware of but I will check that out, thanks.

dickytim

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#718166 16-Nov-2012 11:05

sbiddle: Are you running any QoS on the link?

We do have some QoS set up on this system, I have had Snap turn it off for testing, thanks for a clue where to look.

I will report back as to if this has solved the problem.

Zeon

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#718175 16-Nov-2012 11:14

The circuit looks OK TBH. Check for jitter and dropped packets if you can from your router.

Speedtest 2019-10-14

Nebbie

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#718252 16-Nov-2012 13:00

Have you removed the entire network and plugged in only one device while running these speedtests?
Is your Bandwidth contention ratio 1:1 Guaranteed 2Mbit?

---------------------------------------------------------------
Nebukadnessar

dickytim

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#718261 16-Nov-2012 13:09

Nebbie: Have you removed the entire network and plugged in only one device while running these speedtests?
Is your Bandwidth contention ratio 1:1 Guaranteed 2Mbit?

unfortunately it is not possible to isolate the network to one device for testing.

My understanding is that we have a garanteed 2/2 service.

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mercutio

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#718313 16-Nov-2012 14:29

the upload looks shocking, i'd personally try doing a udp test with iperf. hopefully you can iperf server on the terminal services server.

you may want to consider using normal adsl too. that's slower than adsl upload speeds.

insane

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#718541 16-Nov-2012 23:09

mercutio: the upload looks shocking, i'd personally try doing a udp test with iperf. hopefully you can iperf server on the terminal services server.

you may want to consider using normal adsl too. that's slower than adsl upload speeds.

Almost looks like a zero was been missed during provisioning. I would have also suggested to look for a duplex mismatch but that is too obvious to overlook given its been looked into.

quakeguy

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#718582 17-Nov-2012 06:34

dickytim: We have a HSNS circuit at one of our branches in Chch and they are complaining of slow performance on terminal server.

We have 10 - 12 PC's running over a 2mbit/2mbit HSNS connection back to our servers which are hosted in Chch somewhere.

I have been recieving complaints about slow speeds, and apparently the speeds have been slow since they moved due to the earthquake in Feb 2011.

Snap have been running tests on the circuit and have sent me a graph. Just wanting to get an opinion on what the graph is showing, the upload speed seems very slow to me, but I don't know if this just means that uploads are less frequent on terminal server or if they are just slow.

I had a collegue in Chch run a speed test and the results are below.

*snip*

Hi dickytim,

Disclosure: I work at Snap.

Looking at the graph you've been provided, the traffic is sampled at 5-minute averages. Because the link is only 2mbit/sec, it's possible that some activities are causing spikes of traffic which are shorter than this (say, 10 seconds or less) - but are actually maxing the link out for a short period.
If this was happening we'd expect to see users complaining about their 'cursors lagging' or 'text on the screen not keeping up with typing'.

These short bursts of high bandwidth usage won't show the graph shooting up to 2mbit/sec; it would only do that for sure if you performed a constant download for about 10 minutes (twice the sample period) - and if the link is working correctly.

If we don't have any Quality-of-Service settings applied to your connection, activities like printing or copying files to/from the Terminal Server from your thin clients are most likely to cause these complaints, because they tend to use large amounts of bandwidth. While we can't break down your Terminal Services traffic further, we can possibly adjust your router's settings so that printing or other non-terminal-services traffic won't cause a problem.

You can make a request for Quality of Service to our Business Services team by e-mail or by your support phone number. If you don't have these details, please call us on 0800 BROADBAND. We'll do our best to optimise your capacity to suit your application.

It's also possible Quality of Service is enabled and causing the upload speed for certain types of traffic to be limited.

Another important and handy hint: If someone sets a screen-saver in their Terminal Services session, they will use quite a bit of bandwidth when their workstation is idle.

Depending on where you're located, new types of service may be available since your HSNS circuit was installed, so it's a good idea to have our Sales team looking at this for you - something faster might have become available for a similar price.

I hope this somewhat helpful!

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in my posts do not necessarily reflect those views of my employer.

dickytim

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#718583 17-Nov-2012 06:43

Thanks Quakeguy, what you have mentioned is happening, cursor and text slow to respond.

I have been informed of the above by guys at Snap and was really chasing a second opinion.

bender

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#718584 17-Nov-2012 06:47

Question: is that graph from Snap's interface facing you? If it is, then the download (blue line) is actually upload traffic.

If the graph is from your side of the circuit, then your upload is averaging 40kbit, or in other words your upload is basically idle.

Assuming that your upload is idle by the looks on that graph, then your speed test says to me that there is a fault with that connection. Get Snap to log it with Chorus and specifically find out what the sync rate on your HSNS is.

Low speed HSNS is delivered via copper generally and it's DSL so still vulnerable to bad wiring, cable noise etc. I'm throwing a guess out here that one of the earthquakes damaged your cable pair which would explain why your staff said it started being slow around the same time.

dickytim

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#719278 19-Nov-2012 08:45

Hi All, Well on friday the QoS was taken off, and this morning when the guys got in to work they reported that so far there was no speed issues.

We will see when everyone gets online how it all goes but so far the results are positive.

Thanks again everyone for your input.

sbiddle

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#719307 19-Nov-2012 09:25

What was the QoS doing? It's essential to have this in place if you are running voice due to droped rather than queued packets when you exceed your CIR.