File Timeout

[johnnywi43]

I was wondering if there is a setting on cisco switches and routers that could cause a file to timeout while being transferred. Such as a max file size or time limit. We are transferring images from a server through our cisco switches to computers. The file is several GB's and goes out to 30 computers at a time. The transfer freezes after 2 hrs as if something stopped it. It use to work but all of a sudden stopped working. (The makers of the server and the software that it uses says nothing is wrong with it so the network is being blamed)

Is it possible that the switches are the cause of the problem? If so are there any commands that could cause it? (the firewall is not interfering and we have tried it on different switches and ports)

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

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A possible cause is the application might be particularly sensitive to cumulative drops.

[boss.silva]

Hello,

A capture(wireshark,tcpdump,snoop, etc...) would tell you from the network perspective what is going on.

As far as i know, there is no feature that can do such a thing, so only a capture (preferably on both ends) to say whether there is something stopping the transfer or not.    

Regards,

Bruno Silva.

[darren.g]

Johnny Williams wrote:
I was wondering if there is a setting on cisco switches and routers that could cause a file to timeout while being transferred. Such as a max file size or time limit. We are transferring images from a server through our cisco switches to computers. The file is several GB's and goes out to 30 computers at a time. The transfer freezes after 2 hrs as if something stopped it. It use to work but all of a sudden stopped working. (The makers of the server and the software that it uses says nothing is wrong with it so the network is being blamed)
Is it possible that the switches are the cause of the problem? If so are there any commands that could cause it? (the firewall is not interfering and we have tried it on different switches and ports)
Thank you in advance for your help.

Johnny.

I have seen similar issues when there is a duplex mis-match between the switch port and the device connected to it - sometimes auto negotiation fails, and you get one device in half duplex, one in full duplex, and buffers overflow resulting in dropped packets or crap throughput - although since you've moved to different ports this is unlikely.

Can you show the statistics from the port the server is connected to? run the "show interface x/x" command and look for excessive errors - runts, drops, CRC errors etc - this might point you in the right direction.

Have you changed cables? Sometimes a cable can go bad through oxidation or something which can cause interrmittent problems.

Cheers.

[johnnywi43]

Thank you all for your replies.  I have looked at the trafic using wildpackets and all it showed that the computers would continue to try and reach the server but the server wouldn't send any response.

We have already looked at the interface and it does not show any errors but here is that info:

     0 output errors, 0 collisions, 0 interface resets

     0 babbles, 0 late collision, 0 deferred

     0 lost carrier, 0 no carrier, 0 PAUSE output

     0 output buffer failures, 0 output buffers swapped out

FYI the server is a KACE Kbox.

Everything I have found says it is the server but since they had the company(Dell/Kace) that it is from looking at it and they say nothing is wrong with it, they claim that is has to be the network.

From what it sounds like there isn't a command/setting on the switch that would cause it to timeout after two hours.

Thanks everyone

[justinmitchell]

Is there anything in particular you have to do to get the download to begin again? Reboot switches? Reboot server? Restart the program?

I have seen something similar caused by anti-x software and failing network cards.

[johnnywi43]

To start the image transfer again we have to reboot the computers not the server or switches.

[justinmitchell]

That seems like an odd thing to have to do, restart 30 computers. Have you tested it with a single device to see if the same behavior occurs?

[johnnywi43]

It works with 15 computers but not 30. Six months ago, last time we were using it, we were able to do 90 computers at a time.

[justinmitchell · Accepted solution]

If nothing has changed in the network, it sounds like a systems related issue although I'm not certain what would cause it based on what you have described.

Does Dell/Kace have any suggestions on what might causing this behavior?

[johnnywi43]

Dell/Kace does not think anything is wrong with their side. Thanks everyone for your input. It sounds like it comes to the conclusion that I have been thinking all along that something is wrong from the kbox side of things.