Having an issue with any large file transfer that crosses our Cisco ASA unit come to an eventual pause.
Setup
Test1: Server A, FileZilla Client <- 1GBPS -> Cisco ASA <- 1 GBPS -> Server B, FileZilla Server
TCP Window size on large transfers will drop to 0 after around 30 seconds of a large file transfer. RDP session then becomes unresponsive for a minute or two and then is sporadic. After a minute or two, the FTP transfer resumes, but at 1-2 MB/s.
When the FTP transfer is over, the responsiveness of the RDP session returns to normal.
Test2: Server C in same network as Server B, FileZilla Client <- local network -> Server B, FileZilla Server
File will transfer at 30+ MB/s.
Details
ASA: 5520 running 8.3(1) with ASDM 6.3(1)
Windows: Server 2003 R2 SP2 with latest patches
Server: VMs running on HP C3000 blade chasis
FileZilla: 3.3.5.1, latest stable build
Transfer: 20 GB SQL .BAK file
Protocol: Active FTP over tcp/20, tcp/21
Switches: Cisco Small Business 2048 Gigabit running latest 2.0.0.8
VMware: 4.1
HP: Flex-10 3.15, latest version
Notes
All servers are VMs.
Thoughts
Pretty sure the ASA is at fault since a transfer between VMs on the same network will not show a shrinking Window size.
Our ASA is pretty vanilla. No major changes made to any of the settings. It has a bunch of NAT and ACLs.
Wireshark Sample
No. Time Source Destination Protocol Info 234905 73.916986 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131981791 Win=65535 Len=0 234906 73.917220 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234907 73.917224 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234908 73.917231 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131984551 Win=64155 Len=0 234909 73.917463 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234910 73.917467 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234911 73.917469 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234912 73.917476 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131988691 Win=60015 Len=0 234913 73.917706 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234914 73.917710 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234915 73.917715 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131991451 Win=57255 Len=0 234916 73.917949 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234917 73.917953 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234918 73.917958 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131994211 Win=54495 Len=0 234919 73.918193 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234920 73.918197 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234921 73.918202 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131996971 Win=51735 Len=0 234922 73.918435 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234923 73.918440 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234924 73.918445 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=131999731 Win=48975 Len=0 234925 73.918679 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234926 73.918684 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234927 73.918689 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132002491 Win=46215 Len=0 234928 73.918922 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234929 73.918927 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234930 73.918932 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132005251 Win=43455 Len=0 234931 73.919165 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234932 73.919169 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234933 73.919174 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132008011 Win=40695 Len=0 234934 73.919408 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234935 73.919413 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234936 73.919418 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132010771 Win=37935 Len=0 234937 73.919652 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234938 73.919656 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234939 73.919661 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132013531 Win=35175 Len=0 234940 73.919895 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234941 73.919899 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234942 73.919904 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132016291 Win=32415 Len=0 234943 73.920138 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234944 73.920142 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234945 73.920147 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132019051 Win=29655 Len=0 234946 73.920381 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234947 73.920386 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234948 73.920391 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132021811 Win=26895 Len=0 234949 73.920625 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234950 73.920629 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234951 73.920632 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234952 73.920638 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132025951 Win=22755 Len=0 234953 73.920868 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234954 73.920871 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234955 73.920876 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132028711 Win=19995 Len=0 234956 73.921111 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234957 73.921115 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234958 73.921120 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132031471 Win=17235 Len=0 234959 73.921356 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234960 73.921362 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234961 73.921370 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132034231 Win=14475 Len=0 234962 73.921598 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234963 73.921606 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234964 73.921613 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132036991 Win=11715 Len=0 234965 73.921841 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234966 73.921848 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234967 73.921855 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132039751 Win=8955 Len=0 234968 73.922085 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234969 73.922092 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234970 73.922099 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132042511 Win=6195 Len=0 234971 73.922328 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234972 73.922335 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234973 73.922342 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132045271 Win=3435 Len=0 234974 73.922571 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234975 73.922579 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 1380 bytes 234976 73.922586 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132048031 Win=675 Len=0 234981 75.866453 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 FTP-DATA FTP Data: 675 bytes 234985 76.020168 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP [TCP ZeroWindow] ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132048706 Win=0 Len=0 234989 76.771633 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 TCP [TCP ZeroWindowProbe] ivecon-port > ftp-data [ACK] Seq=132048706 Ack=1 Win=65535 Len=1 234990 76.771648 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP [TCP ZeroWindowProbeAck] [TCP ZeroWindow] ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132048706 Win=0 Len=0 234997 78.279701 2.2.2.2 1.1.1.1 TCP [TCP ZeroWindowProbe] ivecon-port > ftp-data [ACK] Seq=132048706 Ack=1 Win=65535 Len=1 234998 78.279714 1.1.1.1 2.2.2.2 TCP [TCP ZeroWindowProbeAck] [TCP ZeroWindow] ftp-data > ivecon-port [ACK] Seq=1 Ack=132048706 Win=0 Len=0
January 18 Addition
I have found that I can replicate the issue between two server that are on the same subnet.
The above graph is from the VM running the FTP server.
1. FTP transfer is started and the Disk Queue builds up.
2. I stopped the FTP transfer yet the Disk Queue is still very, very long
3. Stop recording. The high disk queue continues for around 1-2 minutes and then the VM becomes responsive.
January 19 Addition
It seems like the Disk Queuing has lead me down a RAID I/O path.
From what I understand, FTP delivers data is small amounts, rather than a modern protocol that can do fancy jumbo work.
I played around withe the buffer in FileZilla.
FileZilla Internal Buffer Avg Disk Queue MB/s 65,535 200.0 10.0 (VM RDP becomes unresponsive) 131,072 92.0 8.0 (VM RDP becomes unresponsive) 262,144 9.8 4.1 524,288 5.6 4.3 786,432 7.2 5.2
There seems to be a relationship between the Disk Queuing and the buffer size. I cannot seem to get the throughput to go higher than ~4.2 MB/s
Best Answer
This looks like an ASA configuration issue, I had an issue like this in the past
Make sure that the
tcp-options window-scale clearoption is not configured in the config, if it is remove it.This is an old ASA bug so also trying to upgrade your ASA version although disruptive is not a bad idea.