[Ethereal-users] Application Keeps Acking Same Packet, then Suddenly Catches Up

[Robinson, Eric R.]

Network geeks:   I have an application called ProLaw that runs off a NetWare server on the other side of a PIX firewall.   Most of my workstations perform fine. But two or three of them slow way down after a few hours of use, to the point that queries which usually take 10-15 seconds take 1.5 minutes! Meanwhile, other clients on the same switch keep working fine.   Traces show that during the slow periods, the client retransmits a lot of ACKs of the same data. It will transmit the same ACK maybe 9 or 10 times in a row with only about 0.000002 seconds between. Then the server finally retransmits a packet of its own.   When this happens, the client finally ACKs all of the previously received data at once and catches up.   Somebody please offer some insight on what could be happening here!   --Eric