00136: NetWare Client Kit optimizations and configurations for speed

Title:

NetWare Client Kit optimizations and configurations for speed

Description:

Here are some suggestions for optimizing VLM performance: 

These suggestions have different effects on different configurations. You may need to experiment, so if one suggestion doesn’t seem to have any effect, it’s probably safe to change it back. 

First, in addition to these workstation specific changes, make certain that the drivers for your network card at the server are current. MAJOR performance improvements have been seen by updating to the most current drivers. 

1) Don’t use LH to get VLM into UMB. Instead, use VLM /MX to get it into XMS. This leaves a larger stub in conventional memory, but performance may increase because of it. LH VLM /MX might work OK, depending on your workstation hardware/BIOS and other variables. You’ll know if it doesn’t because you’ll have problems like hanging when VLM is loading. 

2) PB BUFFERS = 0 (default is 3) in the NETWARE DOS REQUESTER section of NET.CFG will turn packet burst off. Set PB BUFFERS to a non-zero value to enable packet burst. 

If you don’t have packet burst enabled at the server, you should disable this at the workstation. For many, packet burst does not work well, and turning it off improves performance, although it is supposed to be the other way around. 

3) LOAD LOW FIO=ON|OFF {default is OFF) FIO.VLM now can be loaded low (In conventional or UMB memory). This increases performance for repeated reads and writes, such as with data base applications. To load the transient portion of FIO.VLM into conventional or UMB memory, add the following parameter to the workstation’s NET.CFG under the NETWARE DOS REQUESTER heading: 
        LOAD LOW FIO = ON 

4) LOAD LOW NETX=ON|OFF {default is OFF} NETX.VLM now can be loaded low (in conventional or UMB memory). This also increases performance for repeated reads and writes, such as with database applications. To load the transient portion of NETX.VLM into conventional or UMB memory add the following parameter to the workstation’s NET.CFG under the NETWARE DOS REQUESTER heading: 
        LOAD LOW NETX = ON 

5) LOAD LOW REDIR = ON|OFF {default is OFF} REDIR.VLM now can be loaded low (in conventional or UMB memory). This is another parameter which can increase performance for repeated reads and writes, such as with database applications. To load the transient portion of REDIR.VLM into conventional or UMB memory add the following parameter to the workstation’s NET.CFG under the NETWARE DOS REQUESTER heading: 
        LOAD LOW REDIR = ON 

6) Append NOMOVEXBDA to the EMM386 line of CONFIG.SYS. This setting can be critical with Compaq workstations due to the way their BIOS handles memory, but it also can help with other PC’s. 

7) In the Windows SYSTEM.INI file, [386 Enhanced] section include the following lines: 
        MaxBPs=768                  <— Not so much a speed issue as a reliability one. 
        TimerCriticalSection=1000         <– With VLM prior to v1.20b, use 10000. 
        ReflectDOSInt2A=TRUE 
        OverlappedIO=OFF 
        UniqueDOSPSP=TRUE 
        PSPIncrement=5 

8) Append D=32 to the EMM386 line in CONFIG.SYS. In the Windows SYSTEM.INI file, [386 Enhanced] section include the line: 
        DMABufferSize=032          <—- Note: leading zero is important here. 

This can help specifically when using TCNS NIC’s and/or floppy controller based tape drives which rely on DMA access like Colorado Tape backup or Connor Tape backups. If making this change doesn’t help, revert back to the way it was before the change. 


ADDITIONAL MEMORY INFORMATION 
Loading various VLM components low will cost you in conventional memory. Lack of sufficient conventional memory before starting Windows is known to cause various problems. Try to keep your free conventional memory at about 520K or higher, if possible. 

VLM considers low memory to be conventional plus UMB. The load low arguments cause VLM to take about 55k of lower memory. Try calling ‘startnet.bat’ early in the autoexec.bat (before other TSRs like smartdrv) in order to get the VLM to use about 5k conventional and 50k UMB. The issue is that with 50k in UMB it must be contiguous. 

Some other additional basic considerations about VLM are the options of checksums and packet signatures. Checksums is actually supported by IPXODI, where as packet signing is handled by VLM. Disabling both may improve performance by reducing them from the overhead cycle. 

If using Windows, make sure the version is 3.11 (even for standard Windows). 
If using Windows 95 32 Bit Client Kit, verify the v2.12 kit is loaded. 
DOS only based stations running BBx PROGRESSION/4 require least 4mb memory. 
Running under Windows, at least 8mb is recommended. 

Last Modified: 12/29/1997 Product: PRO/5 Operating System: Novell

BASIS structures five components of their technology into the BBx Generations.