Help with a server setup decision.

[silvertrip]

The situation:

I work for a school and we use a gradebook program that centerally locates all the teachers gradebooks. The gradbook program also runs off the same server (not installed on the local workstations). When there are more than about 5 people logged in using the program, the system starts to slow noticably.

My question is, I want to setup a second server, but I dont know which services to use. Should I cluster the two together, but what I have read says that one server does all the work until it starts to fail then another in the cluster takes over.

Should I use Network Load Balancing, but I read that is mainly for web servers. How about DFS?

I dont know, I am confused. I have tried looking on google, but all I get is install info, not concept or idea info.

Please help if you can,
Mike

 

[beerhunter2]

Mike,
When you say "the system starts to slow noticably", do you mean the server, or the gradebook program?

If it's the gradebook program that is slowing noticably, then I would suspect that the program is using an Access database, and Access can only handle about 3 simultaneous logins efficiently. If this is the case, then no amount of server power is going to help, and you will need to look at a program that uses SQL or Oracle as its database.

If it's actually the server that is slowing down, hopefully another expert in this forum can help you out.

Help! I've fallen and I can't reach my beer.

 

[lgarner]

Microsoft's clustering is for failover, not performance. Assuming the app isn't imposing an artificial performance limit, like beerhunter2 mentioned, then a beefier server is probably your best bet.

I'd lean toward more RAM, faster disks, and faster CPU, in that order.

All this assumes that it's a type of client-server app and not just a local app reading a remote data file. If it's just being run from the server but executed locally, then installing a local copy to the workstations will probably make it faster also.

 

[silvertrip]

The program does not save the grades in to a access database. It saves all the grades for one class into a separate file. So, a typical teacher here has 6 different classes and 6 gradebook files.

And what I about being system slowing noticably is that the response time get slower. Instead of taking a second for the Open File window to appear, it takes upwards of 5 to 10 seconds.

Mainly, what I want to do is increase preformance. I will try to upgrade the memory and see about purchasing a second processor for it (we were told no on the second processor when it was orignally purchased). I dont think we can upgrade the hard disks because they are SCSI 320 and on a 320 raid 5 bus.

 

[silvertrip]

To help clear up some confusion, the program gets a download from the district mainframe nightly to update the class rosters for the next day. Now when the teachers open their gradebooks, it adds new students and remove the students that have changed classes.

And the way the program was written, it will not allow a local install on a workstaion to have access to to those rosters.

Personally, I find this program very lacking and very confusing to use. But it is mandated by our MIS department that we have to use it, so we are.

 

[beerhunter2]

Upgrading the memory may indeed help. A few questions to help clarify / diagnose this issue.

How much memory do you currently have in the server?

What is the size of each of the Gradebook files?

WHen the Gradebook files are being opened, are they using server memory or workstation menory?

Help! I've fallen and I can't reach my beer.

 

[defekt]

What does the software publisher recommend for server requirements for X amount of users? Because if you meet the specs for 10 users, and you are slowing down at 5, there maybe a technical issue that needs to be resolved instead of throwing money at it.

 

[silvertrip]

I believe the server has a gig of memory.

The largest gradebook file is 60 Kb.

I dont know how the program was written but I believe that the program part of the software uses the server's and workstation's memory and the gradebook part uses the workstation's memory.

 

[beerhunter2]

It doesn't sound like your server is the problem.

I would get in touch with the software publisher to find out what is going on. There may be a limitation in the software when X number of files are open simultaneously.

Help! I've fallen and I can't reach my beer.