[Samba] Profile loading/saving on gigabit network only runs at fast ethernet speeds! Help!

[Jonathan Bougher]

The VM is being saved to the Desktop, within a folder (or multiple folders
if the user puts it there)

If I redirect My Docs, and the VM files are there - Then won't VMware run
much more slowly trying to access this stuff across the network when the
user wants to run the VM? Profile loading/saving would speed up, but overall
performance would be impacted negatively I think

Thanks for the reply, I will look into it further - do you have any
thoughts about what I stated above?

On Tue, Oct 14, 2008 at 1:22 PM, Adam Williams <awilliam at mdah.state.ms.us>wrote:

> where are you saving the VM at?  My documents?  you can redirect my
> documents as well as most folders under c:\documents and settings\user
>
>
> Jonathan Bougher wrote:
>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> I could really use some help trying to diagnose a tricky issue within the
>> domain
>> I have set up.
>>
>> I am using samba-3.0.28-1.el5_2.1 and openldap-2.3.27-8.el5_2.4 on a
>> server
>> running Centos 5.1.
>>
>> I have everything working properly within the domain, users can log in,
>> netlogon
>> scripts are run, their profile is loaded, etc.
>>
>> I have been extremely happy with this software and can't thank the makers
>> enough
>> - great work!
>>
>> The issue I am having is with the speed of profile loading/saving. This
>> network
>> is hosted on a Gigabit Lan - this is a classroom environment where
>> students
>> must
>> save large files in their profile (virtual machines actually = ~3-4GB per
>> profile & will grow...).
>>
>> I know the best option is to save the work elsewhere, like their mapped
>> home
>> directory, but it would be highly inconvenient to copy the VM back and
>> forth
>> every time they wanted to use it (although much faster than the
>> logon/logoff
>> speeds).
>>
>> Let me elaborate: I have done speed tests transferring files and
>> directories
>> directly to writable shares. I have monitored the network speeds with
>> iptraf
>> on
>> the server while downloading/uploading a 1 GB or file or large directory
>> on
>> the
>> relevant interface (there are 4 local interfaces) and these are my
>> approximate
>> results:
>>
>> DL from Samba Share: 300,000 - 400,000 kb/s
>> UPL to Samba Share: 300,000 - 400,000 kb/s
>>
>> These speeds are GREAT! I was blown away! -- But then take a look at the
>> speeds
>> at which the network operates when loading/saving a user's profile while
>> logging
>> in/out:
>>
>> Profile Logoff: 50,000 kb/s (a ~3GB profile takes roughly 10 min to load)
>> Profile Logon: Not Tested - but observed to take about 10 minutes
>>
>> So my dilemma is that, while the networking is functioning exceptionally
>> well in
>> all other areas, it just takes so long to login/logoff! The users need to
>> have
>> roaming profiles (they do switch machines sometimes) & I would like them
>> to
>> be
>> able to store a lot of data inside their profile without speed becoming
>> too
>> much
>> of an issue like it is now.
>>
>> I have messed around with a few tweaking options in the smb.conf file, but
>> they
>> have not helped so far. So, I just went back to using TCP_NODELAY. I have
>> turned
>> off oplocks as well.
>>
>> I am not sure how to proceed now and I am pretty much taking random stabs
>> in
>> the
>> dark with this issue, any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
>>
>> Thank you all,
>>
>> Jonathan
>>
>>
>