PeteDotCom -> Networking -> Misc -> Response Time ->   Reponses time Ok this section will be short and sweet, 'cause I'm watching tv (law & order) while typing this, plus I don't have much to write :) In a network environment, the oblivious choice is to have a response time that is as low as possible. To achieve this you will need to have planed out your network. Things to consider can include the type of wires/cable used - cat3, cat4 or cat5. The capacity of the server (file/print etc) to handle the workload and so forth. You will also need to make sure that the response time is as predictable as possible, because research has shown that users get annoyed and frustrated when the response time from the server is irregular, which could be cause by a network that is overloaded by extra demand. One way to make sure that the response time is as predictable as often as possible is to set a minimum time before the server response to instructions from the user. For example in normal circumstances an instruction could be completed by the server in 1 sec and under busy circumstances it might take 5 sec. Now if 3 sec was set has the minimum time before the server responses then under normal circumstances the job would be done in 1 sec and then the server has 2 sec left to do something else for a different user before releasing the data back to the first user. The end result is that then network is more predictable and reliable.