ClearFoundation

We have been running our ClearOS v5.2 as a standalone proxy, with content filter for some time. Total user count 55 with at best 50% online at any given time.

It is running single network card and access to the Internet is via a CheckPoint firewall, users have started complaining about poor performance and the web in general being sluggish. This has been tested by us in Tech Support and we agree.

The LAN is split in two by a layer 3 CISCO 6509, with Plant based systems being 10.10.0.* and servers 10.10.4.*. The proxy is on the 10.10.0 side and the main Checkpoint firewall is on the 10.10.4.0 side. The route out of the building is through the CheckPoint and then onto a BT 2-Wire router.

As a control test we have built a second COS 5.2 system, but this time in gateway mode with its second interface connected to the other side of our LAN. This is equally poor in page load times despite being a better spec'd system. When we connect the external interface of the test system direct onto the 2-Wire router then everything is quicker.

If at all possible we want to avoid converting our existing standalone into gateway mode.

Can anyone shed any light as to why we are seeing the performance issues?

System Spec


Memory usage is currently showing Swap usage of 90Mb

If it works OK connected direct, it would suggest a routing or NIC issue that is only apparent in that configuration. Whats your NIC card? (output of 'lspci -nn' would help)

Your system specs are quite low for a 20-30 users proxy with content filtering...if you leave the proxy on, but disable the content filter do things improve?

Can you throw any more RAM at your system?

Hi, just to clarify a few things that I didn't make clear in the first post:

1. If a user is not redirected through the existing live proxy then everything is just fine. They are still exiting the building via the CheckPoint and the 2-wire.



2. All other tests are being done on a second test box, spec as follows:
   

   Code:

   Processors 2 Model Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU 3.40GHz CPU Speed 3.39 GHz Cache Size 2.00 MB RAM  3Gb

   
   
   This is performing equally poorly with only two users on when configured 10.10.0.* and 10.10.4.* but is just fine when the 10.10.4.* connection is moved onto our ADSL router direct.

Comments about existing single NIC proxy taken on board, but at the moment extra RAM is not available.

Forgot - output of lspci -nn from test system:


from the live system I get the following