Synchronisation query: per-user traffic attribution

Hi,

At the outset, let me confirm that I have gone through the other synchronisation query posts but my query is still unanswered. Also, my computers are currently setup for synchronisation with each other.

My query is for multiple users on a computer using "Fast User Switching", the default behaviour is that whoever logins first (first user) after starting the computer afresh gets to bind with port "8703" leaving subsequent users with "Initialization error: Socket error: 10048". With this, the internet usage is not lost but is reported against the first user, which is a slight inconvenience.

I am not quite sure what happens if the first user logs out (or NetWorx crashed/ force closed) and the second user's suspended session is reactivated (with existing NetWorx session with socket 10048 error), will the usage be reported?

Its not practical to change the user behaviour to make them logout instead of lock/ switch user. What configuration tweaking can be done in this scenario with current version OR is this a candidate for a feature enhancement allowing 1 port per active user on a single machine?

In this scenario when the first user logs out, the second user, as you correctly pointed out, stays with error 10048 and no sync will be performed until another user logs in and starts a new copy of NetWorx.

Usually it's not a big issue, it simply delays sync until that happens but yes, it could be improved. I went ahead and added a quick workaround to solve this issue, if you want to try it.

Quote

Andrew

Usually it's not a big issue, it simply delays sync until that happens ...

So, I understand that with current version such scenario only defers the update to other instances on the network and the data itself remains secure. Good.

Thanks for a quick fix, I tried it. Now the sync happens normally under second user's record despite UI continuing to show error 10048 (for resumed session of 2nd user after the 1st user networx session is terminated). This is what you put as part of the workaround, correct?

However, the primary concern as per me which will continue as-is, is that under normal circumstance till 1st user logs out (etc) the usage would get reported under a 1st user's record even if 2nd or 3rd users are actually using it.

Another thing that I noticed for the same scenario is that the animated graph ("Graph in Tray icon" feature) works correctly only for the 1st user and all subsequent users get the static icon in the systray.

Would appreciate fixes for both the above very much.

Hmm, strange the error 10048 should no longer occur, but perhaps this depends on the OS. We now use a flag to allow a new socket to bind twice to the same port number, but it may vary in Windows OS versions.

As to user1's usage attributed to user2 or vice versa, NetWorx in essence doesn't know whose traffic it is. The OS only tells us how many bytes were sent and received through a specific connection, but there's no user information. So to workaround this, NetWorx uses the name of the currently logged user, or in case of multiple logons, the one that's logged in first.

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the response. I was not monitoring the forum online, as I expected a mail if someone responded basis the setting "Email me about replies to this topic" (Checked my spam as well but no mail). I was visiting to log another issue and noticed this response.

With respect to your response, do you mean you would like to retain this design of reporting the usage against the first logged in user only (including the "Graph in Tray Icon" feature?

You see, there are certain technical issues with attributing usage to a correct user (as outlined above) when more than one user is logged on. The only way around this is to keep one user logged at a time as otherwise NetWorx has no way of knowing whose traffic it is.

Sure but wont having each instance (per user) bind with a different port work? Say, first user gets the default port 8703, each subsequent one gets 8704, 8705, and so on. Also, non primary instances can write to db directly OR may only sync with localhost:8703; network sync remains same. Will this not work out?

If possible, you could put a limit on the max instances.

It won't work because the issue is not the port number. Imagine multiple instances of NetWorx running and each one knows the user who runs the instance and much much traffic the computer received and sent.

This means if two instance wrote their recordings into the DB, the reported amount would double, three instances - triple, etc. For this reason only once instance is allowed to write to the DB and it attributes any usage to the user running it.

Ah Okay, if that's the case ... only I thought each instance, running in each user's memory space, will be having their own counters, which I now understand is at system level.

Thanks for your patience though.