Jumbo frames/internal bandwidth

[imported_panicatak]

I now have a full GBe soho network consisting of the following:-

Pc using P35 Based Chipset with onboard Realtek GBe supporting Jumbo Frames upto 7k

Server using realtek PCI GBe card supporting Jumbo Frames upto 7K (onboard is only 10/100).

Server using Nvidia 7050/630a chipset with onboard Nvidia PCI-e GBe uing Realtek PHY (Board manufacturer advises no Jumbo frame support - nor do Nvidia's drivers)

Dell GX270 with Intel GBe supporting upto 9K Jumbo frames

Netgear GS608 supporting Jumbo frames upto 9K

Netgear DG834GT Router 10/100

now I have a spare PCI GBe nic that supports jumbo frames


As far as the Nvidia based server goes there are no PCI cards in the Server, there is one IDE device (DVDRW) all HDDs are connected via Sata.

Am i better off with the onboard Nvidia GBe nic with out Jumbo frames or the PCI realtek GBe nic with jumbo Frames?

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Jumbo frames are really difficult to get going correctly on consumer hardware. Additionally, it's benefits are really only seen on massive transfers. I personally wouldn't bother with it, but that's only me.

 

[bluestrobe]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
Jumbo frames are really difficult to get going correctly on consumer hardware. Additionally, it's benefits are really only seen on massive transfers. I personally wouldn't bother with it, but that's only me.

+1

Getting jumbo frames to work correctly on the said hardware is like chasing the magical dragon. I tried and eventually gave up on it.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: panicatak
Am i better off with the onboard Nvidia GBe nic with out Jumbo frames or the PCI realtek GBe nic with jumbo Frames?

It depends.. in part on the impact of jumbo frames on the other side of the transfer. The only way to determine the "right" answer for your environment is to try both options.

 

[Crusty]

I set up a gigabit network with all Intel Pro 1000mbps cards, and an SMC Switch that supported jumbo frames. There was 1 file server and 2 clients. This network was physically separate from the WAN side so jumbo frames worked very nicely. Theoretical network xfer was around 800mbps, while actual xfer was around 350mbps for larger files. If done right it's very nice 🙂

 

[narzy]

IPv6? I belive it supports a larger datagram size...(right terminology there?)

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: Crusty This network was physically separate from the WAN side so jumbo frames worked very nicely.

:thumbsup:

 

[her209]

How does increasing the TCP window size compare in terms of throughput?

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: her209
How does increasing the TCP window size compare in terms of throughput?

It varies depending on variables that are specific to the individual Network but it is not really a lot.

The problem is that it can Reduce the Internet "Speed" if it is all on the same subnet.

 

[Madwand1]

Most of the network-level tweaks have little impact on actual file transfers. Look at crusty's figures for example -- 350 Mb/s actual file transfers. Not very impressive for gigabit, but typical.

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: Madwand1
Most of the network-level tweaks have little impact on actual file transfers. Look at crusty's figures for example -- 350 Mb/s actual file transfers. Not very impressive for gigabit, but typical.

That's mostly due to HDD bottlenecks though and protocol overhead. Samba isn't the best for file serving 🙁