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Windows Stack Changes Boost Network Performance

Posted by Mike Fratto, Editor on April 24, 2007

Tags: CTCP,  Compound TCP,  IPv6,  LAN,  Longhorn,  Microsoft,  Mike Fratto,  TCP stack,  WAN,  Windows Vista,  enhancements,  integration,  network performance,  platform,  utilization,  Access and Authentication,  Antivirus,  Benchmarks,  Data Encryption,  Data Networking & Management,  Data Protection,  Enclosures,  Energy,  File Servers,  Firewalls,  Green Computing,  Hotspots,  Network Design,  Network Operating Systems ,  Other,  Security Standards,  Servers & Storage,  Smartphones,  Software,  Software and Web Development,  Technology,  VPNs ,  WLAN Security,  Windows,  Wireless

Channel: Data Protection, Green Computing, Networking & Mgmt, Other, Servers & Storage, Wireless

THE PROSPECTS /

TCP stack enhancements in Windows Vista and Longhorn help the platform use the network more efficiently and ease IPv6 integration. As you'd expect, Microsoft has total control of changes to the TCP stack in Windows. Windows users have long suffered with poor network performance on short, fat pipes like the LAN. Performance problems on the WAN were often masked by available bandwidth. With the growth in faster networks, like business-class broadband, poor performance is rearing its head. The TCP stack changes in Longhorn and Vista should improve both LAN and WAN performance, though admins will have to rethink network management and provisioning because of the increased utilization.

The next release of Windows Server, code-named Longhorn, will bring a number of TCP-related improvements to the Windows platform.

Enhancements to the network stack, like receive-side-window autotuning and the Compound TCP algorithm, will increase network performance. But upgrading to any new system brings some pain. Before you deploy Longhorn, or even Vista, have a clear understanding of the impact these modifications will have on your network.

Besides network stack enhancements, Longhorn's management features bring efficiencies. Group Policy-based QoS (quality of service), for instance, will let you manage Windows bandwidth consumption. And IPv6, already available for previous versions of Windows, is installed and enabled by default. However, these changes to the TCP stack affect network performance.