Slow Bandwidth? Remove Unused Protocols to Improve Speed

Identifying protocols that contribute to slow bandwidth

I’m always looking for easy and effective ways to improve network performance. When I’m unhappy with network performance I try removing unused protocols to help lower traffic and increase network speed. Have you found any other effective methods that you want to share with us? 

To give this one a try, check the default network protocol settings used when installing operating systems and network drivers. They often include protocols such as IPv6, LLMNR and PGM, which are not commonly used in most networks. For example, if you have Microsoft Vista, you’re wasting traffic with the IPv6 protocol running, unless you’re actually using IPv6. If you remove it, you’ll open up your network and improve speed.

Common unnecessary protocols

IPv6

Microsoft ships IPv6 as one of the default protocols on Windows Vista and Windows 2008. While IPv6 may be a replacement for IPv4, it is not yet a standard protocol for most networks. Auto enabling all devices with IPv6 may be a bit ambitious, since most LANs and WANs simply are not yet supporting IPv6. Check out this Microsoft article on how to remove IPv6.

IPX Network client

If you’re not using Netware, don’t leave the IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange) Network client installed. Sometimes it’s left over on older systems and can easily be removed. Uncheck the Client Service for Netware box and reboot the system (see Figure 1).

  

NetBIOS

Prior to Windows 2000 and DNS, NetBIOS was the method used by Windows for name resolution. Unless your network is running Windows NT systems, it is pretty safe to stop using the NetBIOS functionality. Check out this article for step by step instructions for removing NetBios from Windows 2000/XP/2003 systems.

LLMNR

Link-local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR) is used to connect devices when a well established network is not available. It’s used by both IPv4 and IPv6 networks when services such as DNS and DHCP are not available.  Ever notice your Windows system auto configures a169.254.0.XXX address when the network isn’t available? This allows devices connected via a hub, switch or cross cable to get some connectivity. If your users are always on a working LAN, this protocol may be unnecessary.

PGM

Pragmatic General Multicast (PGM) is a reliable and scalable multicast protocol. PGM is appropriate for applications that require duplicate-free multicast data delivery from multiple sources to multiple receivers. Not doing multicast? Then you do not need this protocol.

Find Unnecessary Protocols

To find out if your network is running any of the previously mentioned protocols (or any others you may not need), try using a packet sniffer. I’ve used WireShark (a commonly used packet sniffer), but have also heard that Microsoft Network monitor, which shows the process name of the application that is creating the traffic, is being commonly used. You can get both of these products for free:

Wireshark

Microsoft Network Monitor

Start your packet sniffer and collect a reasonable sample size, such as 20-30 minutes of data.  Then simply sort or filter by protocol, and see which ones are on your network and causing unwanted traffic. Then simply remove the unwanted protocols to improve network speed and performance. Try this approach and let us know how well it works for you.