Hi Everyone

I've previously posted regarding this issue before but could not solve it then. However, it is now a real pain as the problem files have grown is size.

We have an SBS 2003 network as such:

WAN > Netgear DG834 router > SBS 2003 Server > XP Pro clients

The router, SBS 2003 server and XP client are all plugged into a central switch.

Thye SBS provides DNS, Exchange, VPN etc. The router provides DHCP. I know this is not ideal. I can change DHCP to server but this will disrupt business ALOT.

We have two Excel files shared via mapped drive to all the client. They are 14BM and 8MB in size respectively.

The thing is it takes ages to open them. Even files half their size. I've restarted the server to see of it makes a difference but none whatsoever.

It take about 1 minute for the 14MB file and 45 seconds for the 8MB file to open via tyhe mapped drive. Even when saved locally on thye machine it takes that long.

Both files does contain loads of PivotTables for reporting from one worksheet to the other etc.

Any ideas? Or anyone working with SBS 2003 that experienced this before? This is really doing my head in. Other much smaller Excel (and all OFFICE files) works fine. We use Office XP.

Thanks in advance

"Even when saved locally on thye machine it takes that long."

There is nothing to troubleshoot here. If the results are the same locally vs network the network has nothing to do with the issue.

Sounds to me like these excel sheets should have been migrated to Access. THAT is your solution.

"I can change DHCP to server but this will disrupt business ALOT."

Wouldn't interrupt at all. Step1 you would set the same scope that exists in the router into MS DHCP. Step 2 you disable dhcp in the router. Step 3 you authorize the ms dhcp server. Total time between steps 2 and 3 five minutes max. Company wouldn't even notice.

Of course this thought was based on thinking DNS was an issue. If the workstations are pointed to the ms dns server and the ms dns server has the isps dns servers listed in the forwarders tab [not forward lookup zone]... dns is not an issue.

DHCP updating dns automatically is nice for station management but has no effect on your issue. After all you have a static dns entry on the server which houses the files in question.

Imagine the power of knowing how to internet search
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

Hi wanderer

Thanks for your post. I appreciate it. I've been arguing with my Manager over this for a while now about moving to a proper Database.

So in your opinion -

Would you say that it may have to do with the file size and/or the PivotTables or whatever data is in the file?

I just copied the file to my Desktop now and it took over a minute to open again. So I'm of the opinion that it is the file/s itself.

The strange thing is that in the past it did start to open much quicker after having the same problem a while back. Over time it got a bit quicker.

However, I restarted the server 2 days ago and back we are - to the slow age. But only for these two files and another programme called SAGE 2008 (Accounting software).

Thanks

Hi wanderer

Do you know of anything I can do or check to make my network a bit faster or more efficient in general?

Maybe a few tweak that you know I should be doing that I'm maybe not doing...

Also if you know anything about SBS 2003, do you know of such issues with SBS 2003 with regards to speed and performance?

The thing is it seems like our server is having difficulty or becomes slow when users need to access bigger files etc. Things like Sage 2008 which relies on data extracted from a mapped drive. And these two files also coming from a mapped drive.

Thanks

If you are wondering about how long it takes to access the files over the network just time how long it takes to copy a very large file from the server to your local computer. if you feel the copy took to long consider the costs in upgrading workstations/servers. Slower workstations will copy the file to the local computer slower then faster ones.

An excess of pivot tables overburden the sheet. You may even be dealing with some excel corruptions. I have much larger excel files on my network but my folks don't do much with pivot tables.

And YES a access database is the way to go. It can handle a lot more then excel can and you can do a report off the data anyway they want to see it.

Mapped drive, shortcut...doesn't make any difference.

Concerning your second post.

How much ram in the server?
Cpu ghz?
disk subsystem [how many disks and their config]?
what is your network topology [switches and how they connect to the server and pcs]?

Imagine the power of knowing how to internet search
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

Hi

Teliot - To copy the same files takes only seconds. And I mean it is really quick. Takes maybe 2 seconds or more.

wanderer - Our current server has got 4GB RAM. 2 X Intel Xeon E5320 @ 1.86GHz. RAID 5 with 3 SAS hot-pluggable 146GB 3.5inch drives @ 15000rpm.
Network topology - Internet > Netgear DG834 Router > Excel patch panel + switch (Dynamode SW240010-R switch) > all else connected to switch / patch panel (Server and workstation via wall points to patch panel).

Thanks