Jumbo frame gigabit issue crashing my computer...

[MIDIman]

OK - a bit of background...

This is just two systems. I have my cable internet coming in the home -> Wireless router. Each computer has gigabit, so I'm sending both to an SMC gigabit switch (upports jumbo frames) and one of its ports is going to the wireless router. IP addresses are assigned correctly, and I can surf the net fine on both machines. I've actually had NO problems with this setup for about a year now.

Today I reformatted one of the machines. Its an Asus A7N8X Deluxe. The "gigabit" is a US Robotics gigabit PCI card. I have not moved anything, just a fresh reformat, using all the same drivers as before. I suppose the only difference is SP1 vs now installed with SP2.

So, the reformatted computer actually works fine. I can use it for hours surfing the web, installing software, etc. - BUT, when I connect to the other system to transfer files from the shared folders on the other computer, the system crashes. No blue screen or error...its a direct reboot.

 

[MIDIman]

Conclusions already...I've narrowed the problem down to enabling or disabling jumbo frames. If I enable jumbo frames, the computer fails when transferring data with the other computer (but still works fine surfing the net). If I disable jumbo frames everything works fine.

The gigabit switch is an SMC GS5. The Intel box is built-in gigabit with jumbo frames enabled at 9K (Abit IC7-max3). The AMD machine has a US Robotics PCI gigabit card. It has options for jumbo frames at 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7K, but not 9K.

Again - the odd thing is it worked fine before formatting. I had it on 7K. The only difference was SP1. I really need to fix this, cause its VERY slow!


Any thoughts?

 

[promposive]

Try finding different drivers on the machine crashing, that would be my first try. (Newer or older, just try different ones)

Also, make sure you have the "automatically reboot on failure" turned off so that you can view the blue screen
Also, check the event viewer (system events) for a crash log.

 

[JackMDS]

I am not familiar with your Hardware, and I do not understand well your post.

When Giga hardware is Jumbo Frames capable it means that you can set your computer's TCP/IP Stack to MTU=9000 and you get better performance.

However if you have the Giga together with your Internet connection on the same TCP/IP Stack the Internet should go Bad because the MTU is too big.

May be this can Help, Setting a Home/SOHO Giga network.

:sun:

 

[MIDIman]

However if you have the Giga together with your Internet connection on the same TCP/IP Stack the Internet should go Bad because the MTU is too big.

Very interesting - I have not read about this before, and I'm surprised I didn't run into it before reformatting?

So I should have a secondary 10/100 going to the wireless router for Internet only? I'll give it a shot, though I'll have to drop a 10/100 card in my Intel box (the AMD one has 2x 10/100 + the gigabit I've put in it).

 

[Yeormom]

Since you've only got two machines and neither appears to be running in 66MHz+ slots, you do realize that you can't even use a fraction of the speed right?