Apache HTTP Server causing slower internet speeds.

Before I start with the problem, I'll give a few details about my Apache server. It's Windows XP Home Edition, with Service Patch 2 and all updates complete. It runs Wamp, which has Apache and MySQL. However, I have done tests to show that the problem lies with Apache. The server is behind a router, but I doubt that is causing the problem. People can access my server from my domain, without a problem. My internet connection is 2MBit, with around 200Kbs upload.

Now for the problem. I have noticed that when Apache is running, my internet connection slows down drastically, from around 1800Kbs, to anything as low as 300Kbs. When I close Apache, within about 5 minutes, my connection goes back up to a proper speed. When I start Apache, it can take anything between 5 mintutes, and half an hour for my connection to slow down, but it always does.

Is there a way to fix this? I appreciate any help given. I am fairly new to this, but I have done my research where needed.

Thanks a lot.

PS. If it helps you to access my site, it can be found at www.wormstournaments.com. However, due to this problem, I have Apache off a lot of the time, so you may not be able to access it.

 

Are your NIC drivers up to date? I've see NIC drivers cause problems with server setups before. It's odd that your download speed changes, because apache doesn't use much of it!

Does your ISP allow HTTP servers on connections? The speed restriction could be a "punishment" for running a server on their connection. And odd thing to do, they could just block port 80, but possible.

 

I just checked, they are indeed up to date.

Just what I was thinking.

My ISP is www.freedon2surf.net, who appear to be fine with servers. They say that no ports are blocked, and a static IP is given with any of the packages. I even read somewhere that they were perfect for servers in their help files.

Thanks for your reply!

 

Most peculiar. What version of apache are you running? And have you tried using a different version? I know switching apache versions with WAMP/LAMP is a pain, what with needing to reconfigure everything, but its probably worth a try. If it is a bug in apache I'd imagine the latest version would fix it, and conversly the new version (2.x) may have introduced the bug and going back to an older version may irradicate it.

Worst comes to worse, you could upload your httpd.conf file (with sensitive elements removed or obscured, of course) for us to look at to check for problems.

 

Right, well the latest version of WAMP has Apache 1.3.33, and the latest version of Apache is 2, so I'll upgrade, and see if this fixes the problem. I'll also upload the configuration file, but it hasn't been touched at all, simply because I'm fine with all the defaults (port 80, etc). I changed it from .conf to .txt so that it could be uploaded here.

 

I see you've updated now

Only thing I'd change...

Code:

ServerName 127.0.0.1

Change that line to

Code:

ServerName www.wormstournaments.com

Can't garuntee that'll work, so just change back if it doesn't.

 

Right, done that. I'll update this thread soon (probably tomorrow, allows a good time to see if my connection going to slow down again).

 

Damn, it made no difference. My connection has slowed again.
Thanks for your help so far.

 

Totally weird.

Does it slow the connection for your whole network, or just the PC running WAMP? Clutching at straws here, I'm very confused!

 

My entire network slows down. It's consists of 4 PC's of which about 3 are used at the same time (one is the server). The other two are only used for websites, so I know that's not slowing it down. Plus they all speed up when Apache is off.

 

Ok I've had a think.

Logically, the problem must lie somewhere between the router and your ISP. That's the only way it could affect the other machines on the network. Unless apache was generating massive ammounts of traffic (which it isn't by the sounds of it) and congesting the network to a huge degree, the router must be involved somewhere.

Possibly your router is having problems with the packets Apache is sending or the packets that its receiving and forwarding to Apache? Do you have a web interface for your router and is the "remote" side of it fully disabled? That could interfere.

I'm pretty certain that a bit of networking gear is having trouble with the packets Apache is sending or receiving. I can't think what though.

 

Okay, well if it helps you to know, I'll give you some details about my router, and how it's set up for the server.

My internal network IP's are all static. Just for reference, my servers IP is 10.0.0.11. In order to have my static IP forward to this PC, I opened port 80, and had it forward to 10.0.0.11. The strange thing is, that no matter how slow my internet has got, when Apache is open, people can download from my server at about 20 - 25kbs, which makes sense, as my upload speeds are around 230kbs.

From what I can see, there is no option to turn on a remote interface. (If it helps, like most routers, you configure the router from 10.0.0.2).

EDIT: Just in case this is suggested, I have to say that setting up DMZ is out of the question, I play games and things on other PC's, so I need to be able to decide what PC I forward the ports too.

EDIT 2: I am prepared, if you think it may be nesessary, to reinstall Windows on the server PC.

 

Have you tried setting up the same configuration on another PC temporaily? If that works fine, a reformat might work. That's probably a near to last option though.

Also, you say you can't use DMZ but if you do DMZ to that PC temporarily, does it work OK?

I know it sounds odd but have you tried changing the port that the server PC is plugged into on the router? Shouldn't make a difference, but if you've got an autosense uplink port, that might interfere with packet transmission.

 

All try all three of those, and get back to you. Thanks.

 

Well, this really is strange. I haven't had time to do any of your suggestions yet, I was planning to to them tomorrow. However, I just checked the server and realised that I left Apache on, but that means my internet connection hasn't slowed down in the last two days. Perhaps, somehow, it's fixed. I'll update this thread in a week or so. Or sooner, if it slows down again.

Thanks for your help.

 

Hmmmm... do you have it running as a service? Because you might have had it running twice... and that might explain the slowdown, with two instances bound to the same port... but that shouldn't really happen.

 

Ahh, good point. I'll check that.

EDIT: It is indeed running as a service. Should I disable that?

 

If its running as a service, you'll want to only run apache from the service control panel, NOT in the console. Otherwise you'll have 2 conflicting instances of apache running.

If its running as a service, you don't need to run it any other way anyway

 

Right, I've turned off the console, and restarted Apache as a service. I'll update as nesessary.

 

Bah, it's still doing it. It seems to last a few days now, rather than hours, but it just did it again (cost me a bid on ebay! ).