The information in this article applies to:
When the Network Test is started, a log file named STNWTEST.LOG is created within the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster current working directory. This article includes information regarding the contents of the Network Test Log and how to interpret the results. Information regarding the Network Test program can be found in KB article R11304, "All About Network Test."
The Network Test Log contains the test parameters, setup information, and results for each workstation that is running the Network Test. The Environment section lists the test parameters and workstation setups, such as operating system and processor. Each time the test is stopped on a workstation, the results of the test and any errors encountered are appended to the Network Test Log in the Results section of the log.
The following is a sample of the Network Test log:
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10/26/2011 10:42:42 | \\JOHN | John | JOHN --
========================================================================================
TEST BEGAN at 10/26/2011 10:42:42.577
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10/26/2011 10:43:20 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN -- Initializing
10/26/2011 10:43:20 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN --
>>> ENVIRONMENT <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*** Parameters ***
Filename Prefix: stnwtest
Number of Testers: 1
Number of Testers to Wait For: 2
Number of Records: 256
Size of Each Record: 131072
Deviation in Size of Records: 0
Size of Record Checksum: 4
Test Type Flags: 10
Stop on Error Switch: False
Target Cycles Per Second: 0.000000
*** Workstation Info ***
Computer Name: \\JOHN
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 3
Windows User Name: John
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.80GHz
Terminal Services: No
Administrator Privileges: Yes
*** Workstation Settings ***
OplocksDisabled: 0
EnableOplocks: 1
EnableOplockForceClose: 0
CachedOpenLimit: 0
Client SMB 2: 2
Server SMB 2: 0
Burst Mode: 1
Large Internet Packets: 1
File Caching: 1
File Commit: 0
NetWare: No
NetWare Vista: No
Workstation SMB 2.0: Not Available
*** Server Info ***
Server Name (Local): fs5
Server Name (Server): fs5
Server OS: Windows XP
Server Type: 0x00869203
Server Comment:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10/26/2011 10:43:20 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN -- Waiting - Participant Needed
10/26/2011 10:46:19 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL -- Initializing
10/26/2011 10:46:20 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL --
>>> ENVIRONMENT <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*** Parameters ***
Filename Prefix: stnwtest
Number of Testers: 2
Number of Testers to Wait For: 2
Number of Records: 256
Size of Each Record: 131072
Deviation in Size of Records: 0
Size of Record Checksum: 4
Test Type Flags: 10
Stop on Error Switch: False
Target Cycles Per Second: 0.000000
*** Workstation Info ***
Computer Name: \\CHERYL
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP, Service Pack 3
Windows User Name: Cheryl
Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 2.50GHz
Terminal Services: No
Administrator Privileges: Yes
*** Workstation Settings ***
OplocksDisabled: 1
EnableOplocks: 0
EnableOplockForceClose: 1
CachedOpenLimit: 0
Client SMB 2: 2
Server SMB 2: 0
Burst Mode: 1
Large Internet Packets: 1
File Caching: 1
File Commit: 0
NetWare: No
NetWare Vista: No
Workstation SMB 2.0: Enabled
*** Server Info ***
Server Name (Local): fs5
Server Name (Server): fs5
Server OS: Windows XP
Server Type: 0x00869203
Server Comment:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10/26/2011 10:46:20 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL -- Waiting - Participant Needed
10/26/2011 10:46:20 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL -- Running
10/26/2011 10:46:20 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN -- Running
10/26/2011 14:27:20 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL -- Finished
10/26/2011 14:27:22 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL --
>>> RESULTS <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start Time: 10/26/2011 10:46:20.810
End Time: 10/26/2011 14:27:21.607
TOTAL TIME (s) MAVG LAVG MIN MAX
Throughput (in MB): 28810.500 13259.739 1.902 2.173 0.980 2.941
Cycle (in MB): 28810.500 9542.484 2.693 3.019 1.346 4.442
Read (in MB): 19145.000 5483.204 3.219 3.492 1.327 5.943
Write (in MB): 9665.500 2179.202 3.877 4.435 1.287 7.350
Seek (in ms): 77324.000 2741.602 39.767 36.307 21.113 96.442
Lock (in ms): 77324.000 3213.600 49.972 42.558 27.033 110.934
Unlock (in ms): 77324.000 159.965 2.086 2.118 0.719 7.521
Verify (in MB): 9572.500 391.717 22.993 24.437 16.599 25.680
Generate (in MB): 9665.500 829.512 10.905 11.652 8.367 12.315
Misc (in ms): 77324.000 22.571 0.350 0.299 0.252 1.008
TOTAL CYCLE SEEK LOCK READ VERIFY GENERATE WRITE UNLOCK MISC
Lifetime Avg (LAvg) (in ms): 175.598 126.371 36.307 42.558 72.614 5.188 10.985 28.859 2.118 0.299
50 Cycle Avg (MAvg) (in ms): 201.914 142.570 39.767 49.972 79.534 5.567 11.737 33.017 2.086 0.350
Min MAvg (in ms): 129.595 86.454 21.113 27.033 43.077 4.984 10.394 17.414 0.719 0.252
Max MAvg (in ms): 391.993 285.387 96.442 110.934 192.883 7.712 15.299 99.456 7.521 1.008
Max MAvg Timestamp: 13:48:00 13:48:12 13:50:22 13:49:19 13:50:22 12:32:57 12:34:15 12:40:24 13:48:41 12:32:56
^'READ' times are part of both 'SEEK' and 'LOCK'
Errors: 0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10/26/2011 14:27:22 | \\CHERYL | Cheryl | CHERYL -- Finished
10/26/2011 14:27:25 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN -- Finished
10/26/2011 14:27:27 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN --
>>> RESULTS <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start Time: 10/26/2011 10:46:20.810
End Time: 10/26/2011 14:27:25.607
TOTAL TIME (s) MAVG LAVG MIN MAX
Throughput (in MB): 13915.875 13112.607 1.241 1.061 0.430 1.722
Cycle (in MB): 13915.875 10928.047 1.516 1.273 0.619 2.235
Read (in MB): 9248.500 13652.893 1.106 0.677 0.376 1.782
Write (in MB): 4667.375 1157.793 3.397 4.031 1.056 6.224
Seek (in ms): 37339.000 6826.447 113.672 187.211 71.824 340.031
Lock (in ms): 37339.000 1964.392 68.202 53.872 33.796 258.763
Unlock (in ms): 37339.000 98.705 3.057 2.707 1.371 11.497
Verify (in MB): 4624.250 282.904 13.468 16.346 7.690 19.680
Generate (in MB): 4667.375 545.114 7.675 8.562 3.976 10.463
Misc (in ms): 37339.000 17.132 0.414 0.470 0.341 4.348
TOTAL CYCLE SEEK LOCK READ VERIFY GENERATE WRITE UNLOCK MISC
Lifetime Avg (LAvg) (in ms): 359.605 299.695 187.211 53.872 374.423 7.758 14.949 31.752 2.707 0.470
50 Cycle Avg (MAvg) (in ms): 305.385 249.890 113.672 68.202 231.529 9.504 16.677 37.679 3.057 0.414
Min MAvg (in ms): 222.958 171.785 71.824 33.796 143.648 6.504 12.233 20.567 1.371 0.341
Max MAvg (in ms): 881.749 615.496 340.031 258.763 680.062 16.646 32.196 121.234 11.497 4.348
Max MAvg Timestamp: 14:24:28 14:24:25 10:44:02 14:24:25 10:44:02 13:48:25 13:48:23 10:45:32 14:25:17 14:09:23
^'READ' times are part of both 'SEEK' and 'LOCK'
Errors: 0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10/26/2011 14:27:27 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN -- Finished
10/26/2011 14:27:30 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN --
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEST ENDED at 10/26/2011 14:27:30.595
========================================================================================
There are separate Parameters and Results related to each workstation. This makes it easier to compare data from one workstation to the next and determine where a hardware issue may exist.
The Network Test Log is divided into two separate sections: Environment and Results. The Environment section describes the test settings, workstation setup, and server connections for each workstation. The Results section describes the performance of each workstation throughout the Network Test.
The following explanations apply to the Parameters group of the Network Test Log:
The next three groups in the Environment section of the log are dedicated to the test environment. These groups provide information regarding the workstations running the Network Test and how they are connected to the server.
The Workstation Info group provides the Computer Name, Operating System, Windows User Name, Processor, whether the workstation is connected via Terminal Services, and whether the user is logged into Windows with Administrator Privileges.
The Workstation Settings and Server Info group provides the same information that is described in KB Article R11309, "Network Settings Technical Information."
The Workstation Settings group described the computer describes the relevant registry settings for network settings on the workstation.
The Server Info group describes how the workstation is connected to the server. This includes the Server Name (Local), which is how the workstation references the server, and the Server Name (Server), which is how the server references itself. This section also includes the Server Operating System, Server Type, which denotes attribute settings about the server, and miscellaneous Server Comments. If the server information cannot be detected, a message will be displayed in this section stating "Could not determine server path from <path>."
The Results section for each workstation begins with the Start Time and End Time for the associated workstation. These lines describe the time at which the workstation joined and left the Network Test.
The following explanations apply to the rows of the Results section of the Network Test Log:
The following explanations apply to the columns of the Results section of the Network Test Log:
The following explanations apply to the rows of the Results group devoted to the average time spent on each operation. These totals can be used to spot problem areas, such as lock contention.
The following explanations apply to the columns of the Results group devoted to the average time spent on each operation.
The Errors section of the log is reported after the Results section for each workstation. More information regarding common errors and how they are displayed in the log file is available in the Errors section of this article. The Network Test will continue to run until an error occurs that the Network Test cannot ignore, or until the second to last participant clicks the Stop button.
When reviewing the statistics for each workstation, ideally the results will be similar from one workstation to the next. In the event that one or more workstations display a discrepancy in comparison to the rest of the workstations on the network, or a greater number of errors, then it is likely that the existing hardware and network software is having trouble reading and writing to the network server.
To determine where the actual problem lies, additional testing of the network hardware and software would be required by your computer technician.
If the Network Test does report a problem, it is helpful to know if the problem occurs on only one workstation or not. If the problem only occurs on one workstation, you should start troubleshooting at that workstation. If multiple workstations receive errors, you may want to start at the file server and work backward through the network.
While all workstations should have the latest service packs, it is more likely that the culprit of errors that the Network Test can detect are due to defective NIC drivers, NIC hardware, hubs, switches, cabling and so on.
When starting the network test, it is possible to encounter a fatal error after the parameters have been set, but before the test can begin. If this situation occurs, the error will be logged at the beginning of the Results section for the affected workstation. The error will be included similarly to the error shown below.
10/26/2011 10:23:03 | \\ JOHN | John | JOHN -- An error occurred while trying to run the test.
1150-0-0-32
CtreeBase_NTC::initialize
NetworkTestSupervisor::initializeTest
NetworkTestManager::cycleInitState
NetworkTestManager::cycle
StInvokerBee::run
WorkerBee_ThreadMain
Each unique error that occurs during the test is recorded in order of occurrence in the Results section for each workstation. Each entry includes the details of the error, the number of times the error was encountered, and the time at which each occurrence happened. Below is an example of how a fatal error that may interrupt a workstation's participation in the Network Test will appear in the Network Test Log.
Errors: 1
1: 0-0-0-0 (1)
10/24/2011 08:44:27.935
Additional Information:
The network test stopped responding for more than 30 seconds: (30.03). The test has been stopped.
Stack:
NetworkTestClient::cycle
StInvokerBee::run
WorkerBee_ThreadMain
Fatal errors are the most common way in which participation in the Network Test is interrupted before the time you had planned to end the test. The number in parenthesis next to the error identification number will increment if the error is received a second time by the same workstation. The number is more likely to increment when caused by intermittent, or temporary, network issues where the error can be reported while the test is allowed to continue.
The Log File Submission feature in System Configuration allows you to submit this log file to a Technical Support Representative while on a support call. Details regarding the Log File Submission process are provided in KB Article R11236, "Automatic Error Reporting and Submitting Log Files."
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