Windows 2012 R2 - Dell PowerEdge R810 - Slow Network Performance

Here is a link to Dell's Windows 2012 R2 reference guide: ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_software/esuprt_operating_system/ms-win-srvr-2012-r2_Reference%20Guide_en-us.pdf     It shows that Dell will release drivers on the release date, October 18, 2013.   This may help your slow file transfer issue.   It does appear to be a network driver causing the slowness in both the Intel and Broadcom platforms on 2012 R2.  Here is also a link to a Microsoft technet article :

How much memory is installed? 

Have you tried testing with a direct wire connection between two machines, eliminating any switches/routers? " have a number of 2012 R2 virtual machines (running on Hyper V)", number of posts of similar issue where Hyper-v was unaffected, but physical machine was due to switches.

I have tried the direct connection and the issue is still present.

In addition, I have searched for new drivers since GA (18th October) and nothing appears to have been released by Dell.

Can anyone confirm if any updated drivers/firmware are available in relation to 2012 R2?

Sounds like we may have narrowed down the root cause.

Please let me know how you get on with the VLSC media.

I'll join the +1 gang on this.

I am also experiencing similar transfer speed issues with 2012 R2, but using the Dell VRTX with M520 blades.

I'm busy trying to rectify it so I'll let you know how I get on.

Previously I have been using the installation media from the MSDN site.

Today I have downloaded the 2012 R2 media from the Volume Licensing Service Center site and re-installed to the same physical server.

This has rectified the issue, file transfer speeds are now as expected.

Very strange, I can only surmise that the in-box drivers are different (updated maybe) in the VLC version of the media.

I'm rebuilding my lab infrastructure now, so will know soon.

However, I did a quick extract and comparison on the WIM files and as I suspected, the Volume License media has been serviced with the following updates which aren't on the MSDN media:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2883200 - GA Update Rollup. Also includes updates KB2894029 and KB2894179

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2880289 - Adobe Flash Player security update

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2889543 - Corrupt text on webpages using Adobe Flash Player

While it initially looked promising, I'm experiencing the same issues after the rebuild.

It's very late at the moment and I'll do some more tests in the morning.

Have you guys disabled SMB signing for testing?

If your dealing with older versions of software and associated data files, Lower the SMB protocol to SMB 1.0 (different issue then above)

http://blogs.technet.com/b/josebda/archive/2013/10/02/windows-server-2012-r2-which-version-of-the-smb-protocol-smb-1-0-smb-2-0-smb-2-1-smb-3-0-or-smb-3-02-you-are-using.aspx

My testing environment is 2012 (R1 and R2).

As indicated, the issue is no longer present when using the Intel NICs.

I have not tested the Broadcom devices since switching to the VLSC media (they did exhibit the issue previously).

I will try the Broadcom adaptors to check if the issue remains with them.

Mines a completely 2012 R2 environment, so I would hope that it could correctly negotiate on SMB 3.02.

Having said that I will double check what it's running.

I did however try disabling the Checksum Offloads and VMQs across the board (I've tried before) and it is presently working as I would expect it.
Since I broke the age old rule of changing one thing at a time and disabled both at the same time I'm going to go back through and re-enable them and see the effect then one at a time.

If that "fixes" it, then it would look like the inbox Broadcom driver is suffering the same issues as the pre 15.6.0.10 driver from Broadcom/Dell and I'll be restlessly waiting on an updated driver.

I have just tested with the Broadcom adaptors and can confirm the issue is no longer present.

And I've just tested and re-tested with VMQ enabled and disabled.

Broken/Very Slow transfers between VM's with VMQ enabled.

Works as expected with VMQ disabled.

VMQ Enabled:

VMQ Disabled:

So it looks like (In my circumstance anyway) that the R2 Inbox driver has re-introduced the VMQ problem, unless anyone had anymore suggestions?

Dicki, I know you say your problem is now resolved across both Intel and Broadcom NICs, but could you confirm if the network transfer speed problems you were having were related to physical server transfers or with VM's on that host as that is where my issues are?  Transfers to my physical host are fine.

The issues I experienced related directly to the physical host.

I did not get to point of deploying virtual machines.