Network Adapters?

[wes221]

Hi there,

I recently upgraded one of my old PC's that I had in storage and decided to make a CSS server with it. I bought a real cheap Micro-ATX motherboard for like $75 along with a couple of RAM chips. I installed my old AMD Athlon 64-bit Dual core 4200 +2.2 GHz processor in it along with my old 650 WATT psu. ( Runs on Xp home)

My network card that is installed on my main computer is a ( NVIDIA nForce 10/100/1000 Mbps ). The new motherboard unfortunatly has an onboard networking controller which is a ( NIVIDIA nForce 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ). The packet size comparison of both cards are substantially different. My main PC's network card has much more activity in terms of received/sent packets and adjustable settings as opposed to the onboard chip having limited configurable options.

The links below signify the packet/byte difference between both adapters as well as the customizable advanced configurations. (First link is my main PC's connectivity, second one is server PC's connectivity)





I run on a 100 Mbps connection and I was hoping that someone could recommended an adapter that would be suitable for this kind of use or whether or not I should just buy the same adapter I currently have on my main PC, and if anyone knows of any good cards in particular that are better than others for the purpose of running a server, please share, i'd love to hear

Thx in advance
Cheers

[pengy]

Intel nic cards are great for running servers, Vista provides more options that you see in the first one (i see the little UAC sheild...), something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833106121 is okay for servers. Also you probably dont have a 100mbps connection, that is your lan network speed, your real internet speed can be found at speedtest.net

[wes221]

thx alot mate, real helpful

I didn't think anyone was going to reply to this lol. I gave you some rep

[wes221]

wes221 Wrote:thx alot mate, real helpful

I didn't think anyone was going to reply to this lol. I gave you some rep

I decided not to buy this as i stumbled upon an article explaining different things you can do to maximize and optimize the network card for optimal performance. Thx for the link though

Cheers bud

[pengy]

Well the only problem with running it onboard is that your cpu has to analyze all of the packets which increases cpu usage and increases lag to the windows network stack. (as explained on killernic website) The processor on the network card helps reduce this lag and its buffer ram reduces ping. If your only running 1-2 servers non-commercially you don't need a network card, but if its for commercial use go with the network card.

[wes221]

Would buying an NIC be better than sticking with the onboard chip?How would it be any different in terms of its capabilities of prioritising itself to address the amount of dataflow provided to the client(s)? Other than consuming CPU power, what other benefits would the card offer? reduced time interval for packet send, more throughput allocated to the server?

Here are some of the commands I have managed to customize with the aid of articles/forums, etc. The TCP/IP within the settings within the registry are as follows:

**************************************************
TCP options string: 020405b401010402
MSS: 1460
MTU: 1500
TCP Window: 65535 (NOT multiple of MSS)
RWIN Scaling: 0 bits
Unscaled RWIN : 65535
Recommended RWINs: 64240, 128480, 256960, 513920, 1027840
BDP limit (200ms): 2621kbps (328KBytes/s)
BDP limit (500ms): 1049kbps (131KBytes/s)
MTU Discovery: ON
TTL: 117
Timestamps: OFF
SACKs: ON
IP ToS: 00000000 (0)
**************************************************
According to http://www.speedtest.net

**My upstream = 0.50 Mb/s
**My downstream = 6.97 Mb/s

I read through numerous articles related to tweaking TCP/IP settings via registry and have made some simple changes that have slightly improved my packet flow. I will continue my research and edit the registry as I go along.

This is somewhat irrelevant to the thread topic, however could you possibly tell me the maximum amount of slots/tickrate I would be able to run with the knowledge that you acquired above and on a system that consists of the following specifications?

***
- Xp Home
- 2GB RAM
- AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200 + 2.2 Ghz
***

Help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thx in advance
Cheers

[pengy]

Well, your biggest problem is your upload speed, your cpu will be able to hold about ~20 slots 100 tick each core. But i don't know about your bandwidth being able to hold servers.

[wes221]

pengy Wrote:Well, your biggest problem is your upload speed, your cpu will be able to hold about ~20 slots 100 tick each core. But i don't know about your bandwidth being able to hold servers.

Damn, that's quite a shame , aw well heck, I guess i'll just need to have fun in my 8 slot 33 tic haha.

Thx for the input and the fast reply
Cheers mate
( Btw, just out of curiosity, what kind of internet connection are you hooked up with?)