[handyman]

Originally Posted by Rob

Is it the network bandwidth or actually the print server function causing the issue? I'd be looking at the print server, especially if the files are very large. Is the USB server capable of properly buffering the data and note it may only be operating at 10meg speed?

I've tried printing over the network direct to the printer (It's a large Kyocera - think photocopier size).

Can you try hanging the printer directly off a workstation, or even the server itself and get rid of the USB print server? If that proves to be the issue then look at getting a printer with an integrated network card.

I've tried setting up a slave machine connected via usb to the printer and getting the user to vpn so no print data hits the network. The ppt files seem to spool to 1.5gb

How do you ensure the data traffic is going through to the correct router i.e. netgear firewall or the VOIP thingy. Is there a chance that stuff is bouncing though one before it hits the correct one? What is actually controlling the QoS / load balancing routing rules?

Erm Pass, not sure how that all works.

I'm not sure from your diagram. Is the top row of connectors a patch panel as I can't see why you would have a connector to that as well as the switch

Correct it is a patch panel.

SBS2011 is different to my SBS2003 setup as our server has two network connector, one to the Internet, the other to the office network switch, so our server does the routing, DHCP and firewall stuff for the workstations. Perhaps with the data flowing around your network, especially the added VOIP traffic, an upgrade of you swithc to gigabit might add extra capacity?

We have just migrated from an older 2003 server to a brand new 2011 server, this has had zero impact on the issue. We used to have dual network points in the old server at one stage and ran ISA I think.

Originally Posted by Uncle Peter

...forgot to ask, is your switch managed and does it support snmp so you can pull some stats off?

The netgear supports snmp but I have been unsuccessful in configuring software to get stats from this.

---------- Post added at 15:07 ---------- Previous post was at 15:05 ----------

Originally Posted by Rob

which is why first thing I'd plug the USB into a work station (probably that users) and see what changes that makes.

Longer term would be to look at the general bandwidth i.e. gigabit switching, as well as true network printers (if you are buying / replacing), but also to understand that the routing is working efficiently without duplicating bouncing traffic.

Printer is too large/noisy to have in the same office as the user.

The network traffic is what I supspect. A few times during the day it will stall and our bb provider have been very helpful in stating that the problem is being caused internally. I actually believe them with this as they are a smallish firm and I have been able to speak to proper techs that configure their whole service.