Report speed over VPN issue

[Nancy Palmquist]

Steve Wiltsie wrote:
> One of my customers is running filePro 5.0.13 on a Windows 2000 server that
> is providing filePro apps and regular file services to about 20 Windows PCs
> on their LAN.  Everything runs fine on-site and the speed is very good.  The
> filePro programs and files are run from the server from a mapped drive with
> a desktop icon.  No filePro programs have been installed on the PCs.
> 
> One of the VPs of the company needs to access the network and run the
> filePro apps from his Windows XP Pro notebook.  It has wireless built in and
> he has a wireless router at home that is connected to his cable modem.  He
> will also be using this wireless function on the road as he travels.
> 
> The company's network is connected to a Netscreen router for Internet
> access.  This router can be accessed from the outside by the Netscreen
> Remote VPN software that came with the router.  I have installed the
> Netscreen Remote software on 3 or 4 of the home PCs for the staff that needs
> to access the network from home (this is a 24/7 manufacturing operation).
> The setup has always been to use PC Anywhere over the VPN to control the
> person's office PC and do the remote work.  This has worked well and
> provides reasonable speed although they don't have a really fast Internet
> service coming in.
> 
> The problem is that the wireless notebook needs to access the network via a
> mapped drive - not PC Anywhere.  This works but is pretty slow for menu and
> screen functions.  The real problem is in generating reports to view or
> print.  A report that would have been ready in a couple of minutes is still
> selecting records an hour later!!!  I tried it with the filePro programs
> installed on the notebook and didn't see any increase in speed.  How can I
> get the reports to prepare faster over this VPN link with the existing
> hardware/software?
> (Switching operating systems is not an option)
> 
> Thanks,
> Steve Wiltsie
> microCONCEPTS Div. multi/user/inc.        Since 1981
> (812) 474-0127                          Fax: (812) 474-0147
> 
> 
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> 
> 
Steve,

In order for filePro to generate a report, filePro has to drag each 
record selected back to the client to process.  I think with the slow 
down for a wireless connection, this adds a lot of time to the 
functioning of a report.

We used to see these kinds of differences between the server and a 
client in the early days of networking.

As long as you are functioning in a windows environment where the 
processing is done on the client, you will experience this issue. 
Running the application on a system that processes server-side would 
eliminate this issue (i.e. linux, unix, *ix).  Then only the final 
output is sent back to the client once the report has been generated.

Nancy

-- 
Nancy Palmquist 		MOS & filePro Training Available
Virtual Software Systems	Web Based Training and Consulting	
PHONE: (412) 835-9417		   Web site:  http://www.vss3.com