mapped drive traffic route

  • Thread starter Thread starter DBruceM2
  • Start date Start date
D

DBruceM2

Trying to understand the path in which data flows when transfering data
between 2 mapped drives accross a 10/100 network. I've been reluctant
to find a straitforward answer anywhere
..
Scenario: Windows XP workstation has 2 mapped drives. Each drive is
located on a different server. All are connected via 10/100. (3 PCs
total, 1 workstation, 2 servers)
If I copy/paste or move files from one mapped drive to the other, what
path does the data take? Moreover, does the file get moved directly
from server A(mapped drive #1) to server B(maped drive #2) OR does the
file temporarily get moved from server A to workstation and then back
through the network to serverB?

My rudimentary testing indicates the 2nd scenario, since I am seeing a
significant decrease in overall transfer rate. Essentially, I am
trying to move files from server A to server B w/o logging into either
one locally and minimize network traffic at the same time. Opionions,
thoughts, ideas are welcome.

Thank you for reading.
David
 
Trying to understand the path in which data flows when transfering data
between 2 mapped drives accross a 10/100 network. I've been reluctant
to find a straitforward answer anywhere
.
Scenario: Windows XP workstation has 2 mapped drives. Each drive is
located on a different server. All are connected via 10/100. (3 PCs
total, 1 workstation, 2 servers)
If I copy/paste or move files from one mapped drive to the other, what
path does the data take? Moreover, does the file get moved directly
from server A(mapped drive #1) to server B(maped drive #2) OR does the
file temporarily get moved from server A to workstation and then back
through the network to serverB?

My rudimentary testing indicates the 2nd scenario, since I am seeing a
significant decrease in overall transfer rate. Essentially, I am
trying to move files from server A to server B w/o logging into either
one locally and minimize network traffic at the same time. Opionions,
thoughts, ideas are welcome.

Thank you for reading.
David
Click to expand...

Copy is a pretty dumb process. It reads a chunk of the source file into
the local PC's RAM, then writes that chunk from that RAM into the target
file, then it repeats until EndOfFile occurs; and it works the same way
whether the source file is on a local HD or a mapped HD; and it works the
same way whether target file is on a local HD or a mapped HD. (Copy may
do some overlapped I/O to speed things up, but that doesn't change the
overall data flow.)

Windows could take the shortcut path you hoped for, but that method
(called third-party I/O) gets rather complicated when errors occur.
So, M$ takes the simple approach, as outlined above.
 
Back
Top