[Techtalk] Slow networking connection

[Jeff Dike]

JDavis at JUSTICE.GC.CA said:
> The hub is a 10Mbps hub.  It seems to only be an issue with ftp.  When
> I telnet between them, it's fine. I can browse the web fine with the
> desktop.  (The router machine is my gateway).  For some reason when I
> try to ftp between them, it is slow.  It seems that nothing is going
> to the router from the desktop.

I had a similar-sounding problem when I got my laptop.  ssh, X, rlogin, etc
were fine.  File copies (i.e. ssh - didn't use ftp iirc) didn't.  A bit of
data got through and then progress just stopped.  This was the same regardless
of whether I was using a hub or a cross-over cable.

It turned out to be that the laptop driver was acting as if the network
was full-duplex, when in fact it was half-duplex.  I (still) don't understand
what that means, except that my desktop error log filled up with complaints
when it saw the laptop trying to communicate with it.

So, what I ended up doing was forcing the laptop ethernet driver into 
half-duplex and everything was fine after that.

				Jeff