|
|
|
|
The information in this article applies to:
Troubleshooting performance problems is a difficult process. This article outlines some basic steps that can be used to troubleshoot speed and performance problems.
System Response Time is Slow
Statement/Report Processing is Slow (including Conflict
of Interest Search)
Printing Issues
System Startup is Slow
Data Entry is Slow
A delay exists performing daily functions (i.e., data entry, report processing, Tabs3 statements, etc.).
We developed the STI Server and special Client Server versions of Tabs3, PracticeMaster, Trust Accounting, Accounts Payable and General Ledger System to improve network performance and increase software productivity. With STI Server, certain routines such as updating statements and report processing can process 10 to 30 times faster. Increases in speed will be most noticeable with complex tasks that require intensive disk I/O. Many firms have a reported more than 100% increase in performance. See KB Article R11142, "Tabs3 Performance Comparisons," for more information.
The following briefly describes the differences between the "Standard Method" of accessing data compared to the "Client/Server Method" of accessing data.
STI Server is based on the Client/Server technology developed by FairCom Corporation. The FairCom Client/Server technology uses an engine that has been refined over twenty-five years, thus offering the reliability and stability required of critical back office systems.
To see how much it would cost your firm to try the Client Server version of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster, contact your local reseller or consultant, or our Sales Department at sales@tabs3.com or (402) 419-2200. Alternatively, KB Article R10712, "Client/Server Overview", provides a detailed introduction to client/server computing and the STI Server.
Fast Access Mode allows a user to access the data files using a special technique that reduces the amount of time it takes to perform disk-intensive functions. Functions that are affected include statements, reports, filtering, and other programs that require reading from or writing to a large number of records. Functions that access a single record at a time such as the data entry programs will not be affected. When a user accesses a program using Fast Access Mode, limitations are placed on other users who attempt to access the software. Fast Access Mode is available in the following programs:
When enabling Fast Access Mode, it is important to understand the following:
There are several factors that need to be addressed in order to troubleshoot report processing performance. The first priority is to determine if and where a "bottleneck" exists. Bottlenecks can exist in one or more of the following components:
A qualified network technician can perform this type of troubleshooting.
Note: One area that is often overlooked when troubleshooting performance is disk fragmentation. Microsoft has recently begun recommending running a defragmentation program on a regular basis. If you are running on a network, the file server and workstations should be defragmented on a regular basis. Defragmenting a server's hard drive may noticeably improve performance.
One way to test if the network is a factor is to eliminate it entirely. You can accomplish this in one of two ways:
This method establishes a baseline for performance and is designed to measure components 1 and 2. Running the software locally should be much faster since the network components are being bypassed.
When accessing software at a remote location, the programs and data files must be loaded from the host server to the remote site via a communications link. The speed at which the data traverses the link is going to depend on what type of connection you are using. Depending on the size of the programs and data, this may take a considerable amount of time.
WANs may be connected by simple dial-up modems, dedicated lease lines, satellite links, or wireless services. Various types of network connections are listed along with the transfer rates associated with them. Transfer rates are measured in Kilobits-per-second (Kbps). It takes approximately 10 bits to send 1 byte (i.e., 1 character) of information. 1 Kbps is equal to 1,000 bits per second. The following are different types of network connections:
To calculate how long it would take to transfer data, the following formula can be used:
(Size of Data in Megabytes * 10,000) / Transfer Rate in Kbps = Total Transfer Time in seconds
For example, let's assume you were trying to access a 10 Megabyte (MB) data set. The following table shows the amount of time it would take to transfer 10 MB using various transfer rates.
Time Required to Transfer 10MB |
||
Method of Connection |
Transfer Rate |
Total Transfer Time |
Modem |
56 Kbps |
1,786 seconds or 30 minutes |
xDSL |
1,000 Kbps |
100 seconds or 1.6 minutes |
T1 |
1,500 Kbps |
66.6 seconds or 1.1 minutes |
10Mb (megabit) Ethernet |
10,000 Kbps |
10 seconds |
| T3 | 45,000 Kbps | 2.2 seconds |
| 100Mb (megabit) Ethernet | 100,000 Kbps | 1 second |
| Gigabit Ethernet | 1,000,000 Kbps | 0.1 seconds |
As you can see, even the fastest WAN connection using a T3 line is approximately 22 times slower than a Gigabit Ethernet connection on a LAN.
To help narrow down a performance problem, a performance monitor program can be used. On Windows Vista, there is a Administrative Tools program called Reliability and Performance Monitor. On Windows 2000 and XP, there is a System Administration program called Performance Monitor. On Windows 2000/XP you can monitor % Processor Time, Network Interface Bytes Received/sec, Network Interface Bytes Sent/sec. You can get similar figures for Windows Vista/7 using Reliability and Performance Monitor. If the network read/write figures are low (e.g., 200k on a 10M NIC), network bandwidth may be the problem. Tabs3 and PracticeMaster programs use much more bandwidth than typical (non-database) office software. The main advantage of Fast Access Mode and Client Server is that it uses less network bandwidth. Faster NICs, Hubs and Switches might help. Another useful utility program is PC Magazine's NetPerSec. This easy to use program shows your TCP/IP send and receive speeds over the network. This program runs on Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000.
We have created a built-in utility, Network Test, that you can run from each remote workstation to test the reliability in which data is written to and read from the network. This utility is designed to test for basic network reliability (i.e., reading and writing across the network) and a basic idea of read/write speed. Network Test was not designed to be a comprehensive diagnostic test, but rather, the purpose of the program is to move as much information as possible over the network and to compare the data read from the file server to what was written to the file server. More accurate timing results occur when more than one workstation is running the same copy of Network Test at the same time. When more than one workstation is running the program, client side caching issues should be eliminated thereby presenting a more realistic network performance number.
The network may be utilizing the maximum bandwidth.
As more users are added to a shared network or as
applications requiring more data are added, performance deteriorates. One alternative is
to segment network traffic by installing a bridge
or switch to divide the network into smaller and faster segments.
Improper configuration of NIC link speeds and duplex settings can cause sluggish network performance, timeout errors and lost network connections. It is important that each NIC, including those on the file server(s), are configured to match the speed and duplex settings used by the ports on the hubs or switches to which they are connected.
Many NICs, hubs and switches support auto-detection (also called auto-sensing and auto-negotiation), which automatically detects and matches the speed and duplex settings configured for the connected hub or switch port. However, auto-detection may not work correctly when connecting certain brands of NICs, hubs and switches to certain other brands. Therefore, it may be necessary to manually configure the NIC to match the exact speed and duplex settings used by the hub or switch port. The following articles from Microsoft's Knowledge Base and Novell's Knowledge Base provide detailed information regarding speed and duplex settings:
Instead of having the remote workstation directly access the programs and data files from the host workstation, an alternative is to do the computing at the host workstation and just send the screen, keyboard and mouse information through the connection media. The screen, keyboard and mouse information is minimal compared to the programs and data; therefore, less information has to be transferred. Examples of methods to do this include:
PcAnywhere uses a workstation at the home office to do the work and send the video, keyboard and mouse information to the remote computer. A workstation is needed at the home office for each simultaneous remote user.
Citrix XenApp and MS Terminal Server are similar in concept to pcAnywhere but one server at the home office is shared among all remote users.
The advantage of this method is that the amount of network traffic is greatly reduced since the program files and data do not travel the communications link.
A disadvantage to this method is cost. Additional software may need to be purchased, as well as a potential need to purchase extra computers and equipment, in addition to a faster connection line (e.g., T3, as opposed to wireless). Although the program and data files are not being sent over the WAN, the video overhead will still be slow when using anything less than a T3 connection.
Statement and Report processing consists of three areas:
You must first determine where the "slow-down" originates. The best way to do this is to compare the time it takes to preview a report on the screen to the time it takes to begin printing the report.
If a delay exists between the time the Print button is clicked and the printer begins printing, possible causes might be:
Virus checking software can slow down performance in certain situations. Some virus checking software systems, such as McAfee VShield, have the ability to virus scan continuously in the background any files that are accessed. Normally, virus checking software is configured to check specific file types such as EXE, COM, DLL, etc. as opposed to all files. However, if for some reason the virus software is configured to check all files, this type of configuration can slow down performance of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software particularly in a network environment. This is because the software is data processing software which is very disk i/o intensive. The software is constantly opening files, writing to them and closing them. Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software also makes frequent use of temporary files. If you are using this type of virus scanning software and you have it configured to scan all files, consider changing the configuration so that it excludes the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster program directory or excludes the following files in the program directory: *.DAT, *.DTA, *.KEY, *.IDX, *.TMP, *.LOG. KB Article R10760, "Antivirus Software Information", provides additional information regarding issues with antivirus software.
If the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software is taking a significant amount of time to launch, it is possible there is an issue with the paths for the spell check dictionaries due to an IP address or mapped drive letter change. KB Article R10892, "Spell Checker Detailed Information", contains information on correcting these paths in the registry.
If you notice a delay when saving entries in Tabs3, it may be due to a large number of records being displayed in the entry list at the bottom of the screen. While in the Fee, Cost, or Payment Entry window, press Alt+O and make sure the Include Archived Records check box is cleared. Excluding archive records may significantly reduce the number of records displayed in the entry list, thus speeding up performance when saving transactions. You can also select to filter the entries using one of the options in the Filter section of the View Options window. Additionally, pressing Alt+G will toggle the entry list on or off.
When entering Calendar records or viewing the graphical calendar, you may experience times when it is slower than usual. For detailed information on why this occurs and the various settings that affect PracticeMaster Calendar's performance, see KB Article R11292 - Optimizing PracticeMaster Calendar.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, INC. OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.
© 1999-2012 Software Technology, Inc. All rights
reserved. Terms of Use
The maker of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster
Tabs3, PracticeMaster, and the “pinwheel” symbol (
) are registered trademarks of Software Technology, Inc.
e-Mail Suggestions for the Knowledge Base to: kb@Tabs3.com
Technical Support via e-mail is not available.
Knowledge Base: http://support.Tabs3.com
Web Site: http://www.Tabs3.com
