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Topic: Slow Downloads

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-08-2001 01:29 PM

Am I the only one recently experiencing slow downloads?

I access Film-Tech at work using a IBM Thinkpad Laptop with Windows NT and Netscape 4.6 via an ethernet line to a Kodak proxy server (and firewall). At home, I'm using a new Dell desktop with Windows ME and Internet Explorer 5, using a cable modem and Time-Warner RoadRunner with a personal firewall.

During the last few weeks, Film-Tech has been very slooooooooow at times on both systems, and at other times, its usual fast self. The Film Handlers Forum Menu (less than 50K) has sometimes taken several minutes to display. Other sites have been consistently fast.

Any chance the recent huge video downloads on the interlocking and IMAX booth tour are bogging down the server(s) when lots of people get on? Or are these on a separate server from the Forums?

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Jerry Chase
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1068
From: Margate, FL, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 02-08-2001 01:49 PM

"What we-ah have he-ah is a... failyawh to communicate!"

I've found the same thing lately. Maybe Brad can slide the forums to a seperate server? As I mentioned before, having the photos in a rouge's gallery and off the threads would keep the forums loading faster.

"So nobody argues with the landlord?"

Mark DeLettera
Film Handler

Posts: 54
From: Venice, Florida
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 02-08-2001 01:51 PM

As John stated: Film-Tech has been really slooooow for me too. I observed John's computer to verify it wasn't a unique problem to my computer or his.

------------------
Mark DeLettera
Eastman Kodak Co.
Worldwide Technical Svs.
Rochester, NY
mark.delettera@kodak.com
716-588-4189

Greg Mueller
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1687
From: Port Gamble, WA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-08-2001 04:09 PM

Yep, slow up here in rainy Washington state too.

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Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 02-08-2001 04:57 PM

To answer the question...the manuals are on one server, the video downloads are on another and the forum (along with small things like the links page, chat room, reviews and tips page) are on a third.

There is really nothing I can do at the present time to remedy this. The site is slow everywhere and is not a problem of anyone's particular location nor ISP. These changes which resulted in the recent slowness were absolutely necessary and could not be avoided, but are only temporary. I can assure everyone that a very major and ludicrously overkill solution has already been signed off on and is just a matter of time before it will be implemented. I expect full implementation by the end of March/first of April. Just hang on a little bit longer.

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-08-2001 06:12 PM

Thanks, Brad. What times and days are the servers the least busy? Can you share the latest figures on "eyes", "hits", registered participants, "lurkers", etc.?

Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 02-08-2001 06:31 PM

Actually the reason the forums are so slow is because of all the lurkers from Christie snooping around (just kidding, guys!)

Keep in mind that Film-Tech is run entirely from Brad's basement computer which is hooked up to a 14.4kbps modem and running Windows 3.1.1. His cat started chewing on the phone wire one day and frayed it up. That's when things got slower. The "ridiculous overkill" Brad is talking about is indeed overkill! He is upgrading to a 33.6kbps modem at the end of March or early April, whenever he can find one on sale used.

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-08-2001 07:17 PM

Thanks Joe.

I was really worried that Brad's pet hamster was getting so old that it couldn't run fast enough in the treadmill power generator, so the servers were suffering a "brownout", and the drives were slowing down, affecting access time.

Of course if he had a pair of hamsters, he'd have a UPS (Uninterruptable Pet Supply).

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 02-08-2001 09:47 PM

John, I'm really not sure of the hits the site has been getting over the last couple of months, as I've been without stats pages on the main 2 servers. The only stats I have access to are on the video download server. What I can tell you was that the Interlock video was downloaded approximately 3500 times the first 3 days. It's amazing that poor overloaded and shared server didn't explode due to the size of those downloads!

From past experience, mornings, late afternoons and most of the evening/late evening are high traffic points for the site. Basically the best times to download a large file are from about 2-6am Central Standard Time. Again, none of this will be an issue any more soon.

John Walsh
Film God

Posts: 2490
From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 02-08-2001 09:58 PM

Be careful using terms like, "major and ludicrously overkill" to describe servers. They never seem to be enough. Remember last year when you redid everything? You probably thought THAT was going to be the last time!

We bought 3 Gateway 7250r servers last June, and thought; "That's that, at least for a year." Then we needed another two in Sept.

Now, we have 11!

Michael Barry
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 584
From: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 02-08-2001 11:36 PM

Joe and John: Too funny!

I got a big laugh out of those two responses. I needed that!

I've been experiencing some slow-downs too, but I managed to get both videos without a hitch. For large downloads, I thoroughly recommend a download manager such as Gozilla (www.gozilla.com). This can be set to switch to a mirror server when the one you're downloading from drops below a certain rate, and can resume broken downloads. If your ISP drops your line, it will automatically reconnect and resume.

Greg Mueller: You mentioned that you had a slow dial-up account...try using a download manager. It will still take time, but it will succeed!

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 02-08-2001 11:46 PM

John W, had it not have been for an unaccounced massive rate increase on bandwidth, I would still be working off of the solution that was arrived at last fall. This will not be a problem.

Colin Wiseley
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 123
From: Blacksburg, VA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-09-2001 11:40 AM

I haven't noticed any significant slow down in the past few days, but I mostly view the site at work where we have a T1. I did read today that an undersea cable was cut near Japan slowing internet traffic in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Exactly where are the film-tech servers located?

------------------
Colin Wiseley
Lyric Theatre
Blacksburg, VA
www.thelyric.com

Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 02-09-2001 11:52 AM

They are in the states.

John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 02-11-2001 06:56 PM

Brad --- I don't know what you have done, but the site is really flying tonight! Accessing from home using a Dell Dimension desktop, with Windows ME and IE5.5, and a cable modem with Time-Warner Road Runner. Thanks.

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