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Date:      Mon, 25 Oct 1999 15:32:15 -0400
From:      "Adam Woodbeck (KEYKERTUSA)" <Adam_Woodbeck@KeykertUSA.com>
To:        <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Network performance woes under FreeBSD 3.2. Please help!
Message-ID:  <0039010009149140000002L102*@MHS>

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I'm currently running FreeBSD 3.2 on a custom-built Pentium-II 350 MHz =
PC with
64 MB SDRAM, Western Digital 4.3G HDD, Acer 32X CD-ROM, Trident 975 AGP=
 video
card and an Intel EtherExpress Pro 10/100B NIC connected to our etherne=
t network
(100MB/sec).  The PC is our company's Intranet server (www/ftp/dns/qmai=
l/mysql)
so throughput is important.  Network performance on this server has bee=
n very
unsatisfactory, to say the least.  I've obtained a maximum of 100k/sec =
(average
of 50k/sec) while ftping files onto the server or downloading files fro=
m the
server.  When I first installed FreeBSD, I had a 3Com 3C905B-TX NIC in =
the
computer.  Soon after I finished the installation of FreeBSD, I noticed=
 the poor
network performance.  I figured I did not have the correct drivers inst=
alled for
the 3Com NIC and decided to create a custom kernel.  I followed the ker=
nel
configuration howto found on the FreeBSD.org web page very carefully.  =
I
commented out the lines corresponding to the network cards I never plan=
ned on
using in the future and left support for the 3Com 3C905B-TX and the Int=
el
EtherExpress Pro 10/100B NICs in the kernel.  I booted to the new kerne=
l and
still experienced the slow network performance.  I checked the ifconfig=
 output
for the xl0 device to make sure it was using 100baseTX <full-duplex>, w=
hich it
was.  I was stumped since I originally had Red Hat 6.0 installed on the=
 exact
same server and the throughput under Red Hat was exceptional.  The only=
 thing
that had changed was FreeBSD.  The next thing I tried was switching out=
 the 3Com
card for the Intel card (I had this card in another system so I know it=
 is a
good card).  I made sure the following lines were in my /etc/rc.conf fi=
le:

    ifconfig_fxp0=3D"inet 170.0.11.100 netmask 255.255.0.0 media autose=
lect"
    network_interfaces=3D"fxp0 lo0"

and the following lines were in my dmesg log:

    fxp0: <Intel EtherExpress Pro 10/100B Ethernet> rev 0x08 int a irq =
10 on
pci0.11.0
    fxp0: Ethernet address 00:90:27:7b:c1:28

I greatest speed I could achieve with the Intel card was the same as th=
e 3Com
card (max of 100k/sec).  I don't know where to go from here.  I'm very =
new to
FreeBSD so please bear with me.  Let me know what additional informatio=
n would
be helpful to diagnosing this problem.  Thank you!

Adam
=


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