Ventrilo Severely Degrading Network Performance

NeoLojik · 07-23-2009, 03:15 PM

Update: Solved. See [URL]http://www.ventrilo.com/forums/showpost.php?p=139277&postcount=17[/URL]

Good evening,

I've discovered that when the Ventrilo client is running and connected to a server, the machine it's running on has it's ethernet receive throughput cut by up to 85%.

I have 2 PC's on my desk here, let's call them PC1 and PC2.

PC1 runs Windows Vista 64bit, has all the latest drivers and updates from Microsoft. PC1 also runs the Ventrilo client (v3.0.5).

PC2 runs Windows XP 32bit. Again all drivers are the latest and it has all updates available.

Using iperf, a command-line network performance utility, I'm able to measure throughput both before and after launching Ventrilo. Showing the issue.

PC1 is acting as the iperf server, PC2 is the client. They are connected via a gigabit switch.

Without Ventrilo running:

Code:

C:\Users\Nexx\Desktop>iperf -s -w 128k
------------------------------------------------------------
Server listening on TCP port 5001
TCP window size:  128 KByte
------------------------------------------------------------
[160] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3134
[188] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3135
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[188]  0.0-30.0 sec  1.65 GBytes   472 Mbits/sec
[160]  0.0-30.0 sec  1.65 GBytes   472 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.0 sec  3.29 GBytes   943 Mbits/sec

With Ventrilo running:

Code:

[164] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3136
[204] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3137
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[204]  0.0-30.0 sec   209 MBytes  58.4 Mbits/sec
[164]  0.0-30.0 sec   209 MBytes  58.4 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.0 sec   418 MBytes   117 Mbits/sec

Without Ventrilo running, or running but not connected, the actual throughput fluctuates by a couple of megabits each way. When Ventrilo is running the result is always -exactly- the same.

The issue is system-wide, it's not limited to iperf. When copying a file to PC1 the throughput drops from 65-70MB/sec to barely 12-13MB/sec when Ventrilo is running and connected.

I've also confirmed the issue with a friend of mine, who has spent weeks thinking there was something wrong with his gigabit network. He sees the exact same issue when Ventrilo is running and connected.

I have to wonder what on earth Ventrilo is doing to the networking stack to cause an 85-90% reduction in Rx traffic.

Hopefully someone from flagship will see this and look into the matter.

Prog-Rocker · 07-23-2009, 03:49 PM

where did you get iperf?

NeoLojik · 07-23-2009, 04:16 PM

[url]http://code.google.com/p/xjperf/[/url]

Download the zip, iperf.exe is in the bin directory.

Invoke the server like so:
iperf -s -w 128k

Invoke the client like so:
iperf -c SERVER_IP -w 128k -P 2 -t 30

It'll take 30 seconds then spit out the results. You're interested in [SUM] which is the combined total of both threads.

Prog-Rocker · 07-23-2009, 05:39 PM

here's my results and network config:
note - I do adjust some lan card properties. disable QoS and change some of the advanced settings for the card.

pc1 - vista 64bit SP2 all updates installed

pc2 - windows XP SP3 all updates installed

linksys 100Mb switch

first run is without vent running on either system

second run is with vent running on both, ver 305 and connected to an external server.

C:\Xfer>iperf -c 192.168.0.80 -w 128k -P 2 -t 30
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.0.80, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 128 KByte
------------------------------------------------------------
[1812] local 192.168.0.50 port 1455 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001
[1800] local 192.168.0.50 port 1456 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[1812] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.2 Mbits/sec
[1800] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.2 Mbits/sec
[SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 338 MBytes 94.4 Mbits/sec

C:\Xfer>iperf -c 192.168.0.80 -w 128k -P 2 -t 30
------------------------------------------------------------
Client connecting to 192.168.0.80, TCP port 5001
TCP window size: 128 KByte
------------------------------------------------------------
[1800] local 192.168.0.50 port 1463 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001
[1812] local 192.168.0.50 port 1462 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth
[1812] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.3 Mbits/sec
[1800] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.2 Mbits/sec
[SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 338 MBytes 94.4 Mbits/sec

NeoLojik · 07-23-2009, 06:56 PM

I had wondered if QoS was causing the issue, but I just disabled it and it made no difference. I'm also wondering if this issue only occurs on gigabit ethernet, as the reduced speed is still above 100Mbit.

Like I said, I've encountered this here, and also with a friend, we both have gigabit LANs and both have the problem of massively reduced speed (85%+ reduction) when Ventrilo is running and connected.

Closing Ventrilo resolves the problem.

Prog-Rocker · 07-23-2009, 10:13 PM

i'll see if i can get hold of a Gb switch and rerun the test.

mjgraf · 07-25-2009, 04:23 AM

I have GigE and with the ventrilo client running I get the following using your commandline options.
I have a similar setup, server is running XP32bit, client I used is running Vista 32bit.

Connecting locally on the server, same with and without ventrilo running/connected

Code:

[1868] local 192.168.2.105 port 5001 connected with 192.168.2.105 port 3307
[1832] local 192.168.2.105 port 5001 connected with 192.168.2.105 port 3308
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[1868]  0.0-30.0 sec  1.45 GBytes   416 Mbits/sec
[1832]  0.0-30.0 sec  1.39 GBytes   398 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.0 sec  2.85 GBytes   814 Mbits/sec

Connecting on GigE internal lan
Without Ventrilo running

Code:

[1812] local 192.168.2.105 port 5001 connected with 192.168.2.108 port 49227
[1820] local 192.168.2.105 port 5001 connected with 192.168.2.108 port 49228
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[1820]  0.0-30.0 sec   505 MBytes   141 Mbits/sec
[1812]  0.0-30.3 sec   490 MBytes   136 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.3 sec   994 MBytes   275 Mbits/sec

With Ventrilo running on the server, client connecting from the other computer

Code:

[1848] local 192.168.2.105 port 5001 connected with 192.168.2.108 port 49243
[1832] local 192.168.2.105 port 5001 connected with 192.168.2.108 port 49244
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[1848]  0.0-30.3 sec   521 MBytes   144 Mbits/sec
[1832]  0.0-30.0 sec   469 MBytes   131 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.3 sec   989 MBytes   274 Mbits/sec

seems I need to tweak that laptop!!

Kerrisis · 07-26-2009, 06:17 AM

I'm the friend NeoLojik mentioned as also having the same problem. I run Ventrilo 3.0.4 (64bit) on Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit. I've performed the same tests as him, using Iperf for Windows v1.70. The destination PC is on the same switch, and is running Windows Vista Business 32bit. This is what happens when I run Iperf with Vent running:

Code:

[116] local 192.168.0.3 port 49787 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001
[108] local 192.168.0.3 port 49786 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[116]  0.0-30.0 sec   204 MBytes  56.9 Mbits/sec
[108]  0.0-30.0 sec   206 MBytes  57.6 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.0 sec   410 MBytes   115 Mbits/sec

And this is without Vent running:

Code:

[116] local 192.168.0.3 port 49794 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001
[108] local 192.168.0.3 port 49793 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001
[ ID] Interval       Transfer     Bandwidth
[108]  0.0-30.0 sec  1.14 GBytes   325 Mbits/sec
[116]  0.0-30.0 sec  1.10 GBytes   314 Mbits/sec
[SUM]  0.0-30.0 sec  2.23 GBytes   639 Mbits/sec

As you can see, it's a pretty significant performance hit. Bear in mind that this is only a *one-way* performance hit, too; if I rerun the tests in the other direction, it all works fine. This implies to me that Ventrilo is somehow affecting the RX (IE Download) bandwidth of the machine it's running on...

Further information if it's needed.
- The PC running Vent has an Asus P5K Premium Black Pearl edition mobo with an onboard Realtek RTL8110SC PCI Gigabit LAN controller. The drivers are the latest I could find, and are dated 25th May 2009. The problem occured with earlier driver versions.
- The destination PC has an Asus P5Q-EM mobo, running a Realtek 8111C PCI-E Gigabit LAN controller, drivers dated 3rd July 2009. Again, updating drivers update did not affect the problem.
- Both systems are connected to a a Netgear GS605 v2 gigabit-capable switch via known-working moulded-connector Cat5e.
- Both PCs show as connecting to the network at 1.0Gbit, and are perfectly stable at that speed.
- The RX and TX on both systems will allow for ~75-80MB/sec transfers (SATA II bottlenecks permitting) in both directions under normal operations.When the problem occurs, RX is limited to 14MB/sec.

So, does anyone have any ideas what NeoLojik and I could to to narrow down or solve this? Any help would be greatfully received.

Edit: I've updated to Ventrilo 3.0.5 (64bit), with no change to the problem.

Kerrisis · 07-27-2009, 05:11 PM

Apologies if this is seen as rude on these forums, but consider this a thread bump, in the hope that someone may be able to help.

mjgraf · 07-29-2009, 01:36 PM

what is the port number for the ventrilo server you are connecting to when you test this?

07-23-2009, 03:15 PM	#1
NeoLojik Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8	Ventrilo Severely Degrading Network Performance Update: Solved. See [URL]http://www.ventrilo.com/forums/showpost.php?p=139277&postcount=17[/URL] Good evening, I've discovered that when the Ventrilo client is running and connected to a server, the machine it's running on has it's ethernet receive throughput cut by up to 85%. I have 2 PC's on my desk here, let's call them PC1 and PC2. PC1 runs Windows Vista 64bit, has all the latest drivers and updates from Microsoft. PC1 also runs the Ventrilo client (v3.0.5). PC2 runs Windows XP 32bit. Again all drivers are the latest and it has all updates available. Using iperf, a command-line network performance utility, I'm able to measure throughput both before and after launching Ventrilo. Showing the issue. PC1 is acting as the iperf server, PC2 is the client. They are connected via a gigabit switch. Without Ventrilo running: Code: C:\Users\Nexx\Desktop>iperf -s -w 128k ------------------------------------------------------------ Server listening on TCP port 5001 TCP window size: 128 KByte ------------------------------------------------------------ [160] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3134 [188] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3135 [ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth [188] 0.0-30.0 sec 1.65 GBytes 472 Mbits/sec [160] 0.0-30.0 sec 1.65 GBytes 472 Mbits/sec [SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 3.29 GBytes 943 Mbits/sec With Ventrilo running: Code: [164] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3136 [204] local 192.168.0.20 port 5001 connected with 192.168.0.21 port 3137 [ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth [204] 0.0-30.0 sec 209 MBytes 58.4 Mbits/sec [164] 0.0-30.0 sec 209 MBytes 58.4 Mbits/sec [SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 418 MBytes 117 Mbits/sec Without Ventrilo running, or running but not connected, the actual throughput fluctuates by a couple of megabits each way. When Ventrilo is running the result is always -exactly- the same. The issue is system-wide, it's not limited to iperf. When copying a file to PC1 the throughput drops from 65-70MB/sec to barely 12-13MB/sec when Ventrilo is running and connected. I've also confirmed the issue with a friend of mine, who has spent weeks thinking there was something wrong with his gigabit network. He sees the exact same issue when Ventrilo is running and connected. I have to wonder what on earth Ventrilo is doing to the networking stack to cause an 85-90% reduction in Rx traffic. Hopefully someone from flagship will see this and look into the matter. Last edited by NeoLojik; 08-10-2009 at 04:54 AM.

07-26-2009, 06:17 AM	#8
Kerrisis Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 2	I'm the friend NeoLojik mentioned as also having the same problem. I run Ventrilo 3.0.4 (64bit) on Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit. I've performed the same tests as him, using Iperf for Windows v1.70. The destination PC is on the same switch, and is running Windows Vista Business 32bit. This is what happens when I run Iperf with Vent running: Code: [116] local 192.168.0.3 port 49787 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001 [108] local 192.168.0.3 port 49786 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001 [ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth [116] 0.0-30.0 sec 204 MBytes 56.9 Mbits/sec [108] 0.0-30.0 sec 206 MBytes 57.6 Mbits/sec [SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 410 MBytes 115 Mbits/sec And this is without Vent running: Code: [116] local 192.168.0.3 port 49794 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001 [108] local 192.168.0.3 port 49793 connected with 192.168.0.2 port 5001 [ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth [108] 0.0-30.0 sec 1.14 GBytes 325 Mbits/sec [116] 0.0-30.0 sec 1.10 GBytes 314 Mbits/sec [SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 2.23 GBytes 639 Mbits/sec As you can see, it's a pretty significant performance hit. Bear in mind that this is only a one-way performance hit, too; if I rerun the tests in the other direction, it all works fine. This implies to me that Ventrilo is somehow affecting the RX (IE Download) bandwidth of the machine it's running on... Further information if it's needed. - The PC running Vent has an Asus P5K Premium Black Pearl edition mobo with an onboard Realtek RTL8110SC PCI Gigabit LAN controller. The drivers are the latest I could find, and are dated 25th May 2009. The problem occured with earlier driver versions. - The destination PC has an Asus P5Q-EM mobo, running a Realtek 8111C PCI-E Gigabit LAN controller, drivers dated 3rd July 2009. Again, updating drivers update did not affect the problem. - Both systems are connected to a a Netgear GS605 v2 gigabit-capable switch via known-working moulded-connector Cat5e. - Both PCs show as connecting to the network at 1.0Gbit, and are perfectly stable at that speed. - The RX and TX on both systems will allow for ~75-80MB/sec transfers (SATA II bottlenecks permitting) in both directions under normal operations.When the problem occurs, RX is limited to 14MB/sec. So, does anyone have any ideas what NeoLojik and I could to to narrow down or solve this? Any help would be greatfully received. Edit: I've updated to Ventrilo 3.0.5 (64bit), with no change to the problem. Last edited by Kerrisis; 07-26-2009 at 06:39 AM.

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07-23-2009, 03:49 PM	#2
Prog-Rocker just tryin to help Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Local Space/Time Continuum Posts: 23,460	where did you get iperf?

07-23-2009, 04:16 PM	#3
NeoLojik Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8	[url]http://code.google.com/p/xjperf/[/url] Download the zip, iperf.exe is in the bin directory. Invoke the server like so: iperf -s -w 128k Invoke the client like so: iperf -c SERVER_IP -w 128k -P 2 -t 30 It'll take 30 seconds then spit out the results. You're interested in [SUM] which is the combined total of both threads.

07-23-2009, 05:39 PM	#4
Prog-Rocker just tryin to help Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Local Space/Time Continuum Posts: 23,460	here's my results and network config: note - I do adjust some lan card properties. disable QoS and change some of the advanced settings for the card. pc1 - vista 64bit SP2 all updates installed pc2 - windows XP SP3 all updates installed linksys 100Mb switch first run is without vent running on either system second run is with vent running on both, ver 305 and connected to an external server. C:\Xfer>iperf -c 192.168.0.80 -w 128k -P 2 -t 30 ------------------------------------------------------------ Client connecting to 192.168.0.80, TCP port 5001 TCP window size: 128 KByte ------------------------------------------------------------ [1812] local 192.168.0.50 port 1455 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001 [1800] local 192.168.0.50 port 1456 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001 [ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth [1812] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.2 Mbits/sec [1800] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.2 Mbits/sec [SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 338 MBytes 94.4 Mbits/sec C:\Xfer>iperf -c 192.168.0.80 -w 128k -P 2 -t 30 ------------------------------------------------------------ Client connecting to 192.168.0.80, TCP port 5001 TCP window size: 128 KByte ------------------------------------------------------------ [1800] local 192.168.0.50 port 1463 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001 [1812] local 192.168.0.50 port 1462 connected with 192.168.0.80 port 5001 [ ID] Interval Transfer Bandwidth [1812] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.3 Mbits/sec [1800] 0.0-30.0 sec 169 MBytes 47.2 Mbits/sec [SUM] 0.0-30.0 sec 338 MBytes 94.4 Mbits/sec

07-23-2009, 06:56 PM	#5
NeoLojik Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 8	I had wondered if QoS was causing the issue, but I just disabled it and it made no difference. I'm also wondering if this issue only occurs on gigabit ethernet, as the reduced speed is still above 100Mbit. Like I said, I've encountered this here, and also with a friend, we both have gigabit LANs and both have the problem of massively reduced speed (85%+ reduction) when Ventrilo is running and connected. Closing Ventrilo resolves the problem.

07-23-2009, 10:13 PM	#6
Prog-Rocker just tryin to help Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Local Space/Time Continuum Posts: 23,460	i'll see if i can get hold of a Gb switch and rerun the test.

07-27-2009, 05:11 PM	#9
Kerrisis Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 2	Apologies if this is seen as rude on these forums, but consider this a thread bump, in the hope that someone may be able to help.

07-29-2009, 01:36 PM	#10
mjgraf Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Some say in my own little world Posts: 15,502	what is the port number for the ventrilo server you are connecting to when you test this?