Todd, We run all Dell servers as well with the exception of a 2 cpu $1500 screamer that routinely out performs them. To make our web based email perform better I moved the images and such over to the IIS machine, as suggested in the readme for kwm, and it actually did increase the page delivers to the end user. Granted we do not have the amount of client base that you possibly do and thus that is why we haven't experienced very many errors of the 804 nature. Many thinks can cause error's such as a faulty ois within a Cisco router, an over heated hub, etc, can all cause errors that would make us believe that the 'servers' nic card is a fault. Since 1976 I have probably replaced a dozen nic cards because of a true failure. I have seen many many systems. The other issue would be the software. What are the limits of IMail not the capabilities but actually how much data of an average size can it send and receive assuming all the networking issues are correct? I'm under the belief that there are about 65,000+ sockets available per thread and find it hard to believe that the os doesn't fire an error into the event log if something goes wrong. Running Dell servers with Dual and Quad Xeons have probably shadowed the problems that you are experiencing. We too have Intel Nics but I've set them up on the 'back side' for data i/o between servers. The 'front end' has all 3com 3c980 nics and I have multiple ips per nic card. We run a lot of different apps and many 'socket' type of applications and have experienced the same errors. Most of our errors were attributed to loss of stability, high packet loss, between the client/server over the internet.
Best of luck to you and please let me know if / when your problem gets resolved, ~Rick ----- Original Message ----- From: "Todd Ryan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 6:59 AM - SATCOM Subject: Re: [IMail Forum] FIXED! Imail SLOW When Running On Fast W2K Hardware > With all due respect to Rick, I DID try the latest Intel drivers from > Microsoft, then Dell, then the Intel site. No difference. I also > flashed the server's bios, ESM, Raid, etc. EVERYTHING was up to date. > And I had the problem with IMail only. The server being a DC and file > server performed with great speed. Only IMail showed problems. And > it showed those problems if I was sitting at the server console > logging into webmail using the server's IP address. I would think > that should rule out any network card-related issues. *AND* after > disabling the Intel NIC (admittedly only in Windows) and putting in a > 3com NIC, I *STILL* had the problems. > > Dev may have found a way for us to get around whatever shortcomings > there are in IMail's software. But we certainly can't be expected to > spend countless hours of finding tweaks and fixes to get around > someone elses problematic software. And even if that WAS the > solution, it should come from IpSwitch. Their answer should not be to > change hardware when evidence is becoming more clear that the problem > is not the hardware. > > We run all Dell hardware with Intel NICs. And we run some very > specialized applications on them. None of them exhibit any > performance problems (or ever have). So I have a very hard time > believing that this NIC is to blame. > > --Todd. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Rick Leske" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 9:25 PM > Subject: Re: [IMail Forum] FIXED! Imail SLOW When Running On Fast W2K > Hardware > > > > Here's an interesting article from toms hardware: > > http://www6.tomshardware.com/network/20010820/nic-08.html which they > have > > done some test of various nics. I believe that Dell based servers, > with the > > intel nic's, all have had options to upgrade the intel drivers. It > was my > > understanding that the intel nic chipsets were off loading tasks > faster than > > the older Dell's could keep up with. I also think that Intel has > driver > > updates to fix/patch many of these concerns. I personally, with > much > > supportive information, prefer to us 3Com nics for servers and > business > > based workstations. I have had more problems with 'drivers' for > most nic > > cards either 3com, Intel, linksys, d-link, etc. than any other > 'hardware' > > related nic problem. A good starting point for troubleshooting nic > problems > > would be to 1st ensure that the most updated nic drivers are > installed for > > your operating system. For us Dell users it is also a good idea to > > routinely check the Dell site for updated/upgraded bios too. I had > updated > > a dell server from A05 to A11 yesterday and it solved A Lot of > network > > problems. A good 'fine' tuning of your w2k server is also essential > to it's > > performance or failure. w2k will run 'out of the box' but you > should take > > the time to properly set it up and 'tune' it for what it's being > used for. > > There are many resources available for tuning a w2k server here are > some: > > www.regedit.com www.is-it-true.org www.pureperformance.com > > www.speedguide.net and many many others. There is a massive amount > of > > imformation within the ipswitch kb's or this lists archives for the > tuning > > and set up of imail on w2k servers too. > > > > As a final note and not mean to through flames out here but the > simple i/o > > of data stream via sockets is not such a difficult task. The > difficulties > > arise when that 'pure laboratory grade stream' gets slammed with > DDos, ping > > floods, icmp slams and other non essential protocols trying to share > the > > path. Huh.. today we had a company that didn't understand why web > ramp with > > 2 phone lines wasn't enough to support his business.. so the journey > > begins.. > > > > ~Rick > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Dev" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Friday, December 13, 2002 6:19 PM - SATCOM > > Subject: Re: [IMail Forum] FIXED! Imail SLOW When Running On Fast > W2K > > Hardware > > > > > > > > > > Wednesday, December 11, 2002, 2:17 PM, Joseph Mann > > > (Ipswitch) wrote with a straight face: > > > > > > > As you probably are aware I just wanted to mention > > > > that IMail doesn't interact directly with hardware. > > > > > > You're kidding, right? Maybe in an MS Press book it > > > doesn't interact with hardware. In real life, software > > > breaks when it is fed the unanticipated--even through a > > > driver and Hardware Abstraction Layer! > > > > > > A very simple example: Not too long ago, some Win32 > > > apps began having their installation routines bomb. > > > Why? Because of TOO MUCH disk free space being reported > > > back by the driver on new large capacity disks (causing > > > an overflow condition). That installer software > > > "doesn't directly interact with the hardware" either, > > > but a bigger harddisk than the programmers ever > > > imagined possible broke it just the same. > > > > > > Coding for unanticipated conditions has always been a > > > challenge. How many remember programs that were > > > hard-wired to install and run only on the C: drive? > > > Heck, how many remember the timing loops used to > > > control execution speed in some 8088 DOS programs, and > > > that those programs became instantly unusable when run > > > on a 386? > > > > > > Look, I really like Imail's administrative simplicity > > > and functional elegance. That's why--when wearing my > > > consultant hat--I've recommended it to many clients. > > > > > > But with all due respect, the userbase experience here > > > is clear: Imail has issues running on some popular > > > server hardware. If not, how is it that dozens of other > > > commercial mail daemons, and Win2K itself, work > > > absolutely flawlessly with these allegedly "faulty > > > buffering" NICs? > > > > > > My intuition tells me that Imail probably has an aging > > > core codebase that is in need of a rewrite for today's > > > realities. Loyal supporters like me hope you are hard > > > it work on it. > > > > > > In the meantime, perhaps Ipswitch programmers could > > > check if any of the user-tweakable Intel NIC driver > > > settings would help Imail function more reliably. > > > > > > Several posters here have expended a lot of time and > > > effort to help define and narrow the problem. Now get > > > to work and FIX IT so I can continue recommending Imail > > > solutions to outside clients! :) > > > > > > > > > Regards, > > > > > > Dev > > > > > > -------------- > > > Dev Anand, MCSE,CCNA,A+ > > > Network Manager > > > Biomorphic VLSI, Inc. > > > Westlake Village, CA 91362 > > > dev_at_biomorphic_dot_com > > > pcpro_at_vcnet_dot_com > > > > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > Virus Scanned and Filtered by http://www.FamHost.com E-Mail System. > > > > > > To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html > > List Archive: > http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ > > Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/ > > > > > To Unsubscribe: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html > List Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ > Knowledge Base/FAQ: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/ > ___________________________________________________________________ > Virus Scanned and Filtered by http://www.FamHost.com E-Mail System. > > ___________________________________________________________________ Virus Scanned and Filtered by http://www.FamHost.com E-Mail System. 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