ODBC Database Connection Woes in ASP .NET

[James Brown]

This problem has had me stuck for weeks now...

I have an ASP .NET application on a machine running Windows 2000
Server.
It connects to an ODBC data source using the ODBC Data Provider.
The connection takes about 5 seconds to create.
It takes 5 seconds whether I load the application locally on the
server's browser, or across the network from a client PC.

A Windows Forms application on the same server, creates the same
connection in 0.7 seconds.

The same ASP .NET application installed on a low spec development
machine running Windows 2000 Professional (or Windows XP Pro), opens
the connection in 0.7 seconds.

Please, please tell me if you have seen this before and give me some
ideas.
I've tried everything!

Thanks In Advance
James

[Paul Clement]

Re: ODBC Database Connection Woes in ASP .NET

On 30 Sep 2003 05:44:56 -0700, jbrown_gtfc@hot mail.com (James Brown) wrote:

¤ This problem has had me stuck for weeks now...
¤
¤ I have an ASP .NET application on a machine running Windows 2000
¤ Server.
¤ It connects to an ODBC data source using the ODBC Data Provider.
¤ The connection takes about 5 seconds to create.
¤ It takes 5 seconds whether I load the application locally on the
¤ server's browser, or across the network from a client PC.
¤
¤ A Windows Forms application on the same server, creates the same
¤ connection in 0.7 seconds.
¤
¤ The same ASP .NET application installed on a low spec development
¤ machine running Windows 2000 Professional (or Windows XP Pro), opens
¤ the connection in 0.7 seconds.
¤
¤ Please, please tell me if you have seen this before and give me some
¤ ideas.
¤ I've tried everything!

First, five seconds isn't necessarily a long time to establish an initial connection. I would
probably be more concerned with the query duration.

Second, connection pooling could be the reason why your other applications are faster. This would
especially be true if you tested on the Win2K Server first, creating a pooled connection that your
testing environments which could then use.

There is a way to test this and that would be to establish an initial connection with your ASP.NET
app on the server and then close it when your page loads, and then reload the page again and see if
it connects more quickly the second time.

You don't mentioned what type of database you are using, but I will assume it's server based and
supports connection pooling.


Paul ~~~ pclement@amerit ech.net
Microsoft MVP (Visual Basic)