Sage 100

Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premium. They are using Citrix Storefront w/ Windows Server 2012. Ultimately the Sage 100 is on Azure server. They report that only for the Citrix Storefront based users they notice a ""slow down"" which includes ""not responding"" for a portion of when they are printing forms. Eventually, the printing does start and finish. They usually are first previewing the form then printing it from the preview windows (I went through AV exclusions and they swear that there is no AV in play here). I logged in remotely and the printing works but they are concerned about the speed of printing when using Citrix. They note that some users are coming in via Remote Desktop and not seeing the same type of delay. This is a high volume - 40+ user site so they are concerned that even a delay of a minute or two multiplied by the number of times they print per day adds up to real money. Has anyone run into this and any suggestions other than to move away from Citrix, etc. Specifically looking for way to solve the speed with Citrix.

Is Storefront and the Remote Desktop server also in Azure, or is it on-premise? Any printing on-premise from Azure services is going to have increased latency. If the print server's on-premise, we've had good luck with third-party add-ons like ThinPrint (https://www.thinprint.com/en/products/thinprint-engine/) which will compress the data, transfer it to the client, and then print from there.

Steve, not sure. I'm forwarding this info on to their IT person who is pretty sharp. Apparently if they use RDP they have no similar delays it is just noticeable for Citrix users.

Possible issue: Customer was using VLAN for different segments of their network. Some (all?) of the slow printers were on a VLAN that was different than the one the printers were on. As relayed to me by their IT person who is pretty bright.

OK, maybe there's a 100Mb switch somewhere in that chain that's crippling performance. Should be straightforward for them to move one of the printers to a different vlan to see if that changes performance.

@Steve Iwanowski, @Wayne Schulz, others:  Based on my understanding that VLAN is a "subcategory of VPN", is it safe to say that running Sage 100 over a VLAN is comparable to running over a VPN? - meaning that you'd have the same performance concerns. ​​

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Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
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Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2017 07:08
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

OK, maybe there's a 100Mb switch somewhere in that chain that's crippling performance. Should be straightforward for them to move one of the printers to a different vlan to see if that changes performance.

I also found out that Sage 100 should likely be on its own VLAN, separate from everything else (e.g. VOIP).  We had a situation previously with a client where their VOIP was running on the same VLAN as Sage 100, and that apparently caused issues 'related to the network packet transfer and protocols and the Sage application and phones fighting over IP addresses and bandwidth'.

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2020 09:36
From: Brett Zimmerman
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

@Steve Iwanowski, @Wayne Schulz, others:  Based on my understanding that VLAN is a "subcategory of VPN", is it safe to say that running Sage 100 over a VLAN is comparable to running over a VPN? - meaning that you'd have the same performance concerns. ​​

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2017 07:08
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

OK, maybe there's a 100Mb switch somewhere in that chain that's crippling performance. Should be straightforward for them to move one of the printers to a different vlan to see if that changes performance.

Yeah, VoIP is usually the first VLAN that places create, to separate voice traffic from data since voice is heavy and requires the packets to arrive in exact sequence.

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Steve Iwanowski, NextStep Technology Advisors, aka DSD Lancaster PA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2020 10:03
From: Brett Zimmerman
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

I also found out that Sage 100 should likely be on its own VLAN, separate from everything else (e.g. VOIP).  We had a situation previously with a client where their VOIP was running on the same VLAN as Sage 100, and that apparently caused issues 'related to the network packet transfer and protocols and the Sage application and phones fighting over IP addresses and bandwidth'.

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2020 09:36
From: Brett Zimmerman
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

@Steve Iwanowski, @Wayne Schulz, others:  Based on my understanding that VLAN is a "subcategory of VPN", is it safe to say that running Sage 100 over a VLAN is comparable to running over a VPN? - meaning that you'd have the same performance concerns. ​​

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area


Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2017 07:08
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

OK, maybe there's a 100Mb switch somewhere in that chain that's crippling performance. Should be straightforward for them to move one of the printers to a different vlan to see if that changes performance.

I wouldn't have the same concerns.  VLANs are mainly used to logically separate one physical local network into many virtual segments, usually for management, grouping, traffic priority or security reasons, in which case they usually increase performance (less broadcast traffic to process or interfere).  Just like physical LANs, you need a router to connect VLANs together.   They're not really related to VPNs, however, you could use a VPN to connect one-or-more VLANs together across an unsecured path (like the public internet), in which the VPN would be the bottleneck and negatively impact performance.  Let me know if that's clear-as-mud...

------------------------------
Steve Iwanowski, NextStep Technology Advisors, aka DSD Lancaster PA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2020 09:36
From: Brett Zimmerman
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

@Steve Iwanowski, @Wayne Schulz, others:  Based on my understanding that VLAN is a "subcategory of VPN", is it safe to say that running Sage 100 over a VLAN is comparable to running over a VPN? - meaning that you'd have the same performance concerns. ​​

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2017 07:08
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

OK, maybe there's a 100Mb switch somewhere in that chain that's crippling performance. Should be straightforward for them to move one of the printers to a different vlan to see if that changes performance.

Thanks for the feedback, @Steve Iwanowski!​

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2020 10:24
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

I wouldn't have the same concerns.  VLANs are mainly used to logically separate one physical local network into many virtual segments, usually for management, grouping, traffic priority or security reasons, in which case they usually increase performance (less broadcast traffic to process or interfere).  Just like physical LANs, you need a router to connect VLANs together.   They're not really related to VPNs, however, you could use a VPN to connect one-or-more VLANs together across an unsecured path (like the public internet), in which the VPN would be the bottleneck and negatively impact performance.  Let me know if that's clear-as-mud...

------------------------------
Steve Iwanowski, NextStep Technology Advisors, aka DSD Lancaster PA ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-25-2020 09:36
From: Brett Zimmerman
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

@Steve Iwanowski, @Wayne Schulz, others:  Based on my understanding that VLAN is a "subcategory of VPN", is it safe to say that running Sage 100 over a VLAN is comparable to running over a VPN? - meaning that you'd have the same performance concerns. ​​

------------------------------
Brett Zimmerman
Net at Work
Greater Boston Area


Original Message:
Sent: 10-02-2017 07:08
From: Steve Iwanowski
Subject: Recently upgraded customer to Sage 100 2017 Premiu

OK, maybe there's a 100Mb switch somewhere in that chain that's crippling performance. Should be straightforward for them to move one of the printers to a different vlan to see if that changes performance.