GOOD networking diag program?

[Warthog912]

Hey fellas, I've had my home lan set up for a while, on the lan there are 4 machines: 3 run XP, 2 are XP cpus(difference), 1 runs win 98 (doesn't matter, this is a SLOW seti cruncher) Here lately, My lan gaming, and overall network performance has just plain sucked. mp3's pop, gaming SKIPSSSSSSSSSSS, and file transfers= corrupted files. I think my hub Linksys 8 port 10/100 hub might be the culprit. What ya guys think? Oh, all comps are 10/100 cept the Seti cruncher

-Peace

 

[N11]

My first recommendation would be to replace that hub with a switch.

 

[JackMDS]

Get the following utility, and check all your connections.

A FREE Utility for Network Troubleshooting, and Speed.

 

[Nothinman]

If the hub's collision light is on a lot, get a swtich.

 

[BIGMACC]

A hub adds a lot of "talk" to your network. Switches are smarter and faster. Are you running straight file sharing or are the systems being served? File sharing tends to be slower. Def upgrade to switch!!

My lowly Heatware

 

[cmv]

The advice to upgrade to a switch is good if you happen to use the network alot for big transfers. If you don't do this, don't worry about it. A switch is cheap though!

I doubt the problem is your hub. I would look at:
- network cards
- network card drivers
- cabling
- hub/switch/whatever

Maybe you can borrow a friends hub or switch to test that item?

 

[Tallgeese]

Are you talking about LAN-only communications?
If so, where is the data you mention (mp3s, files) stored?
If not, what data is coming from the Internet and what data isn't?

Do ALL machines see the same latency problem?
What NICs are you using?
Any recent change about the time you noticed the difference in performance?

 

[Nothinman]

A hub adds a lot of "talk" to your network. Switches are smarter and faster. Are you running straight file sharing or are the systems being served? File sharing tends to be slower. Def upgrade to switch!!

A switch isn't a definite upgrade for everyone, I have a hub and I can pull 8M+/s out of it which should be more than enough for anyone at home.

The problem is more likely a speed/duplex mismatch somewhere.

 

[fivepesos]

<< Switches are smarter and faster >>


switches add a very tiny amount of latency. plus they add cost. if you arent getting collisions, u dont need a switch. that said, im in a switched environment at home, but im constantly using my network. it all dependso n your access.