Thursday, December 07, 2006
by Ted Romer
I would say, compared to Windows XP’s TCP/IP stack, the Vista stack has been redesigned from the ground up, instead of merely patched. The result is that there are a number of features in the new stack, (which Microsoft calls “The Next Generation TCP/IP Stack”), which are a bit exciting. (Windows Server Longhorn also runs the same stack as Vista.)
There’s been some pretty interesting changes with Receive Window Auto-Tuning and Compound TCP, which provide more aggressive scaling for the network window. Windows scaling is now enabled by default, and is also configured automatically.
If we think about a TCP conversation right now, a sender is given a window as to how much they can send without acknowledgement. The service slowly ramps up in a linear fashion, and if something happens (like a packet loss) we go back to a slow start and slowly ramp up again.
(Continued...)
Continue reading "Vista's "Next Generation" TCP/IP Stack and the Enterprise" »
Monday, December 04, 2006
by Chandra Hosek
Dr. Cathy Fulton, NetQoS’s chief technology officer, will be at the Computer Measurement Group’s (CMG) 32nd annual conference in Reno, Nev., on Thursday, discussing the trials and tribulations of achieving and maintaining optimal application performance across enterprise wide area networks.
In a session entitled “Best Laid Plans: Enterprise Network Performance Case Studies and Lessons Learned,” Cathy Fulton will share real-world case studies that demonstrate how well-intentioned network and systems engineering efforts can sometimes produce unexpected results - and how to avoid these mistakes - drawn from her years as a leading network engineering consultant and her in-the-trenches experience working in large enterprise network environments. Examples will include the results of implementing caching devices to improve application response times for remote users, improper application of QoS techniques, active agent monitoring software running amuck, and others.
NetQoS will also present a vendor training session at the CMG conference, from Dr. Steve Fulton, our director of product management, called “Why Utilization is not a Proxy for Performance.” Many IT professionals monitor utilization as a proxy for network performance, but modern techniques are proving this is not the best approach, especially with the advent of WAN optimization technologies. The most meaningful performance metric is end user response time captured by measuring real user transactions which, when combined with traffic flow data and traditional device statistics, enable network managers to optimize performance and accurately assess infrastructure needs. In his presentation, Steve will provide best practice examples that illustrate this new approach.
Ed Tittel, contributor to Network Performance Daily, has provided a rundown of events from the CMG 2006 conference at NetPerformance.com.
Chandra Hosek is Public Relations Manager at NetQoS.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
by Joel Trammell
Microsoft released Windows Vista (along with the new Office suite and Exchange server) to business customers today.
From a networking perspective, there have been several changes in the networking stack in the move from Windows XP to Windows Vista. We’re doing a fair amount of work, because we understand what Microsoft says they did, and we’re doing a fair amount of work to find out if that’s the way things actually work in reality. There’s testing that needs to be done, once network engineers understand the new Vista network stack, changes in the way that network engineers need to think.
For a networking person, I think Vista’s a pretty big deal, whereas some of the other Windows upgrades, maybe from a pure networking perspective, weren’t. You’re going to see some changes because of it. We'll have some details about how networking is different in Vista on this blog soon.
Joel Trammell is the CEO of NetQoS.
Monday, November 27, 2006
by Cathy Fulton
For any technical mistake, there’s usually a technical solution. Losing time while a problem persists is embarrassing, but you can recover from such delays. Much bigger problems occur when you try to change the workflow of the people who use the software. That’s when IT projects become difficult.
It’s extraordinarily difficult to get people to change the way they’ve been doing things. If you deploy an expensive piece of software in the expectation that people will automatically change the way that they normally do their jobs as a consequence of the switchover, you will greatly reduce your chances of success.
Continue reading "Perspectives on What's Missing in the Field of Network Management" »
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
by Carol Schiraldi
I’m not a gamer myself, but the recent launch of the PS3 and Wii consoles (podcast from Gamingbits available here) makes this a good time to discuss game programming and the idea of performance in the enterprise.
Austin is a big center for video game development – NCSoft, Midway Studios-Austin and Retro Studios are all located here – and I know many game programmers. I think that game programmers are some of the best programmers out there, and a lot of performance enhancements are coming from gaming.
If you code for gaming, there’s a different mindset. Emphasis on performance is included (and essential) by design.
Continue reading "Performance-Driven: Why enterprise developers (generally) use Java and game programmers (generally) use C++" »
Monday, November 20, 2006
by Cathy Fulton
Monitoring business transactions over the network has never been more critical to operational efficiency. Yet, there’s much confusion over methodology.
The implementation choices consist of different deployment strategies (client-site or server-site, agent or appliance) and distinct monitoring technologies (active or passive). Each of these options has individual strengths and weaknesses. This series of articles discusses industry best practices for effectively monitoring business transactions in a global environment.
Part 1 of 2: Deployment Strategies
One of the most important decisions is the deployment strategy for the business monitoring solution. Should monitors be deployed at the client sites or should they be deployed at the data centers? Should software agents or hardware appliances be used? While this may seem like a minor matter, it has the most serious ramifications from both an immediate “headache” and long-term recurring cost standpoint.
Continue reading "Best Practices for Monitoring Business Transactions, part 1 of 2" »
