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- Direcway Tweaking
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The direcway high speed internet via satellite is a good viable
option for people that do not have access to regular broadband
services such as cable internet, ADSL or other high speed
services. Because the data from your computer and the internet
must travel a great distance into space (22 300 miles), there is
understandably a fairly substantial amount of latency using
satellite high speed internet. Because of this, it is important
to properly configure your computer to receive maximum benefits
from the Direcway service.
The Direcway service can be tweaked and optimized to give you
a much improved response. Optimizing your Direcway connection
will ensure you receive the maximum downloading speeds that
Direcway can offer.
** All files referenced on this page as well as many more
applications and utilities are available on our Members
Area.
This tutorial is broken down into 4 sections;
- Step 1: Improving host computer internet
browsing on DW4000 systems. This is for the computer that hosts
your Direcway internet modem. Do not use this for self-hosted
DW4020/DW6000 systems.
- Step 1a: Improving internet browsing for
computers connected to DW4020/DW6000 systems. The Direcway DW4020
and DW6000 systems connect to the internet in a different manner
than the regular DW4000 system and as such need to be tweaked
differently.
- Step 2: Improving browsing performance for
client computers (DW4000). This is for second or third computers
connected to your network and sharing its internet connection. Do
not use this for self-hosted DW4020/DW6000 systems.
- Step 3: Set the Maximum Connections Per
Server (DW4000 Client & Host). This is a tweak for both client
and host computers running on a DW4000 system.
- Step 4: Improving Upload speeds on
(Client/Host). This is a registry tweak that will only work for a
few operating systems and will improve your uploading
speeds.
- Step 5: Decrease your Cache Size for
Increased Performance.
Important Terminology;
Host Computer - Computer used to host
Direcway satellite modem. Host computer connects directly to the
internet through satellite modem.
Client Computer - Other computers on
Direcway network that connect to the Internet through host
computer.
Proxy - For faster browsing of the
Internet, Direcway makes use of a proxy server that your computer
can connect to instead of direct to the Internet. While using the
Direcway proxy service, your computer connects to the proxy,
which connects directly to the Internet and relays the data back
to your computer. Because the proxy has far less latency, faster
web browsing is achieved in most circumstances. Browser proxy
settings are configured in options or preferences.
For host computers, configure your proxy to
127.0.0.1 Port: 85.
For client computers, configure your proxy settings to
192.168.0.1 Port: 83
Non-Self-Hosted - The Direcway DW4000
system is an example of a non-self-hosted system. It requires a
host computer to be connected to the satellite modem at all
times. The host computer connects directly to the internet
through the modem. Client computers need to connect to the host
computer in order to access the internet.
Self-Hosted - The Direcway DW4020 and
DW6000 systems are examples of self-hosted systems. The satellite
modem acts also as a router, which enables it to connect directly
to the internet, rather than through the use of a host computer.
All computers on the network connect to the modem in order to
access the internet.
Step 1: Improving browsing performance on Host
computers (DW4000 Only)
You have already installed the Direcway software which makes a
number of registry changes to your computer which allow it to
connect faster to the Internet, however there is still room for
improvement. First download DrTCP programs from
the Direcway downloads section of our Members
Area and configure it to the following settings. If you are
using the older 1 way Direcway system, use the Direcway 1 way
settings further down on this page.
** Please note that these tweaks do not apply to the
Direcway DW4020/DW6000 models, which connect to your satellite
modem/router rather than directly to the Internet. If you are
using the Direcway DW4020 or DW6000 modems, see further down on
this page for some helpful information on tweaking your
system.
DIRECWAY 2-WAY OPTIMAL SETTINGS (DW4000 Only):
TCP RECEIVE WINDOW : 224360
WINDOWS SCALING : YES
TIME STAMPING : NO
SELECTIVE AKS : YES
PATH MTU DISCOVERY : YES
BLACK HOLE DETECTION : NO
MAX DUPLICATE AKS : 3
TTL : 64
MTU : 1460
Step 1a: Improving browsing performance on computers using
DW4020/DW6000 modems
The Direcway DW4020 and DW6000 satellite modems connect to the
internet in a far different fashion than the regular DW4000
modems. While the DW4000 modems connect directly to the Internet,
users of the DW4020 and DW6000 connect directly to their
modem/router, which maintains the connection to the Internet.
This method is referred to as "self hosting" because it does not
require your computer to act as a host. Among other things it
makes it easier to network several computers onto a Direcway
network in addition to making it more secure. Because of this,
all settings to the Internet are coded on the modem/router itself
and therefore there is little to tweak on your computer.
Attempting to configure your computer beyond the default settings
set by the Direcway software could make things worse in terms of
connection speeds.
There is however a couple of small tweaks for the
DW4020/DW6000 system which can make a difference.
There is a “tweak” for your browser that can
significantly increase browsing performance. This is to increase
the maximum number of TCP connections per server that your
browser uses above the default. This tweak is especially
significant for the DW4020, but will also help with the DW6000.
How you implement the tweak depends on which browser you use.
What number you use depends upon which device you use.
- For the DW4020, since there is no HTTP proxy to help with
browsing, we will set this value to a very high number, 64.
- For the DW6000 the number can be much lower, in fact 21 is
high enough to get the maximum benefit.
For Internet Explorer users: Internet Explorer requires two new
registry keys to create this “tweak”. Note that if
you have used the LAN Client Configuration Utility (LCCU)
provided by Hughes, it will have already made these entries. You
may still want to edit the entries and increase the values used
by the LCCU, particularly for the DW4020.
You will make the registry keys manually using regedit. Start
=> Run => (type in) regedit
Below you will find where in the registry to put the keys and
what to name the keys. Navigate to the locations specified in the
left pane, then in the right pane, right click and choose to
create a "New" Dword value. Name them exactly as shown. Once they
are there, double click on each and insert the value 15 (HEX) for
the DW6000 or 40 (HEX) for the DW4020. Once you've done that,
exit regedit, re-boot. Your work is done.
WinXP and Win2k: All DWORD Values
HKEY_USERS/.DEFAULT/Software/Microsoft/
Windows/CurrentVersion/Internet Settings
MaxConnectionsPerServer
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/
Windows/CurrentVersion/Internet Settings
MaxConnectionsPerServer
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
WINME / 98: All DWORD Values
HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/
CurrentVersion/Internet Settings
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
MaxConnectionsPerServer
For users of Mozilla, Netscape, Firebird or any other Mozilla
based browser:
Open your browser and enter “about:config” as the
url, without the quotes.
1. Scroll down to Network.http.max-connections.
For the DW4020 make the value 128. For the DW6000 try 64
2. Go to Network.http.max-connections-per-server.
For the DW4020 make the value 64. For the DW6000 use 21.
3. Go to Network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server.
Make the value 8. (Increasing this value much above 8 will create
problems. Be careful with this one.)
4. Exit and re-open the browser.
Step 2: Improving browsing performance on client
computers
If you have a second computer connected to your network and
wish to maximize your Internet browsing speed, you need to
configure it properly, just as your host computer was by
installing the Direcway software.
Improperly networked or configured client computers using a
Direcway internet connection can result in inability to access
the internet or poor performance. There are a couple of steps to
getting your client computers to perform as well as your host
computer.
Correctly configure the client computer TCP settings:
It is essential to configure the TCP settings on the client
computer to the same settings as the USB satellite adapter
running on the host computer. To do this, you will need some
software, which is available on the Direcway file download
section of our Members
Area
If you are unfamiliar with adjusting TCP settings, you may
wish to have the Direcway client configuration software adjust
your settings. You can download and install the "Direcway Client
Configuration" software which is available from the file download
section of our Members
Area. This will adjust the TCP settings, however you may wish
to further tweak them to optimize your clients performance.The
purpose of the adjustments is to compensate for the high latency
of the Direcway satellite connection. By default, the Local Area
Network (LAN), which is the network that allows you shared
computer and internet access, expects near zero latency
conditions. Without adjustment, the LAN will quickly bog down
from the high latency of the satellite connection.
If you wish to further tweak your TCP settings, you should
download and install the DRTCP software, which is also available
on the download section of our Members
Area First load the DRTCP software on the host computer and
each of the client computers. After installation, open the
application on the host computer, choose the "Adapter Settings"
and choose the Satellite USB device. Jot down all the settings.
If your host machine is running Windows 98SE and you are using
the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) to do the sharing, look for
an entry called InternetMTU under ICS Settings. Delete any value
in the field so is blank and apply the changes. This is only
necessary for people using Windows 98SE.
| ** Note to Windows XP users with Service pack 1 installed!!
When you installed the DirecPC, DirecWay, Earthlink or Pegasus
software on your computer, it installs a registry key called
GlobalMaxTcpWindowSize. If you are using WIN2K you should upgrade
to Service Pack 2 to fix a bug in this key that causes DrTcp
changes to have no effect on RWIN. If you don't want to upgrade
to SP2, then you must delete the key. Note: You do not need to
delete this key if you are using Win2K SP2 or above or XP.
Using Regedit you can find the key at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
Open the Parameters folder and locate the key
GlobalMaxTCPWindowSize, right click on it and choose delete.
After the key is deleted you can set your RWIN with DrTCP,
reboot, and the RWIN you selected will be used.
Remember, that if you upgrade or re-install your satellite
software, you will need to use regedit to delete this key
again.
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Optimum DRTCP Settings:
DIRECWAY 2-WAY OPTIMAL SETTINGS :
TCP RECEIVE WINDOW : 224360
WINDOWS SCALING : YES
TIME STAMPING : NO
SELECTIVE AKS : YES
PATH MTU DISCOVERY : YES
BLACK HOLE DETECTION : NO
MAX DUPLICATE AKS : 3
TTL : 64
MTU : 1460
DIRECWAY 1-WAY OPTIMAL SETTINGS (White Dish) :
TCP RECEIVE WINDOW : 134900
WINDOWS SCALING : YES
TIME STAMPING : NO
SELECTIVE AKS : YES
PATH MTU DISCOVERY : YES
BLACK HOLE DETECTION : NO
MAX DUPLICATE AKS : 3
TTL : 64
MTU : 1460
Original DIRECPC 1-WAY OPTIMAL SETTINGS (Gray Dish) :
TCP RECEIVE WINDOW : 64000
WINDOWS SCALING : NO
TIME STAMPING : NO
SELECTIVE AKS : YES
PATH MTU DISCOVERY : YES
BLACK HOLE DETECTION : NO
MAX DUPLICATE AKS : 3
TTL : 64
MTU : 1479
Try these settings first. If your download speeds are
consistently at or above 1,500kbs , then increase your RWIN
setting to 474280. This should set your download speed for it's
best potential.. If your speeds are consistently below 1,500kbs,
do not increase your RWIN any higher than 224360.Doing so may
actually slow your connection speed.
Now open the DRTCP software on the client computer and choose
the "Adapter Settings" option and choose your Network Interface
Card (NIC) Make all the settings identical to the ones that you
copied down from USB Satellite Device settings the host computer.
After making a change, apply the changes, and reboot the
computer.
Step 3: Set the Maximum Connections Per Server (Client & Host
DW4000)
The DirecWay 4.x software ups your maximum TCP connections per
server to 21, a significant increase over the 2 or 4 that Windows
allows you by default. This increase is done to reduce the
effects of latency. You will likely notice that web pages load
much faster on the host computer than on client computers. This
is because items on a web page cannot begin loading until the one
previous to it has finished and the computer is notified that it
is free. By opening more simultaneous connections, many more
items can download at the same time.
Here are the registry keys you need to add in order to
increase your HTTP connections (DW4000 Only). As these are all
DWORD values, when you put a value in them it will default to
Hexadecimal representation unless you select Decimal (ie. Hex 15
= Decimal 21). I recommend that you DO NOT set the value greater
than HEX 15 or Decimal 21 as you may get FAP'd for doing so and
at 21, you are already past the point of diminishing returns.
Create these keys in regedit as DWORD values and set the value to
HEX 15 or Decimal 21.
- In your start menu-->Run type RegEdit and
hit enter.
- In the tree panel, navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
- Look for an icon labelled
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server and another labelled
MaxConnectionsPerServer If you do not see them,
right click in the right pane and choose "New-DWORD value" Label
it as MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server . Right click
again and create another DWORD value labelled
MaxConnectionsPerServer .
- Double click MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server. The default value is
4. In decimal mode, enter the desired new amount of connections
(Decimal 21 = Hex 15 recommended Max)
- Double click on MaxConnectionsPerServer. The default is 4. In
decimal mode, enter the new desired amount (Max 4-10
recommended)
- When finished, exit the registry.
** Windows 2000 Users **
Windows 2000 users may find the keys at 2 different
locations.
HKEY_USERS.DEFAULT\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
MaxConnectionsPerServer
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
MaxConnectionsPerServer
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
Step 4: Improving Upload Speeds for Satellite Return
Systems
A registry tweak has been found and tested to improve upload
speeds on Satellite Return Systems. The only problem is that it
only pertains to certain operating systems, with certain
processors, with certain amounts of memory. This tweak requires
modifying the registry, so please be sure to back up your
registry before doing any of these modifications. This tweak has
been extensively tested, and has not shown any signs of being
problematic with any system. The details for the certain systems
that this works on are below, but don’t be afraid to try
them if you fall out of these parameters. The registry
modification can easily be deleted if it doesn’t work for
you or if you just want rid of it.
The following details have found to have the best impact of
this tweak:
Operating system:
Windows XP (Home and Pro)
Windows 2000
Processor:
Pentium 3
Pentium 4
AMD
Minimum memory:
384mb SDRAM
256mb DDRAM
256mb RDRAM
*512mb of any RAM seemed to be the platform where things work
the best. Any more than 512mb didn’t see any
improvements.
There are 2 different values to enter in the registry for the
2 different operating systems:
Windows XP – 18000
Windows 2000 – 17a00
Don’t be afraid to try either one though –
throughout the testing these values coupled with these operating
systems seemed to get the best results.
Here are the instructions for the tweak. Please be sure to
back up your registry first!
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Services\AFD\Parameters
Open Run and type in regedit click ok.
click on
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SYSTEM
CurrentControlSet
Services
AFD
Right Click on AFD and select New, and Key name the new Key Parameters
Click on Parameters.
On the right side you will see (Default) right click in the empty
area and select New, DWORD Value.
Name this Dword value DefaultSendWindow
Double click on DefaultSendWindow and enter either
17a00 or 18000 leave it on Hexadecimal.
Click OK, close and then reboot.
When you are done your registry entries should look like the
image below.
If you don't like it, all you have to do is delete the
Parameters entry. Remember, always backup your registry.
This tweak has been found to double our upload speeds for
Satellite Return Systems.
Step 5: Reduce Cache Size for Satellite Return Systems
Reducing the size of your browsers cache may also have a
slight effect on internet browsing. In Netscape, choose
Edit, Preferences, Advanced, Cache and change
the cache size to 1MB. In Internet Explorer, Choose
Tools, Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files:
Settings and change the cache size to 1MB.
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