>I have a VFP application running on a WAN/LAN. The data speed of the LAN is 10 times that of the WAN. When I load a form on the WAN it takes 4 minutes to load in comparison to 3 seconds on the LAN.
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>How is it possible that it is 80 times faster on a LAN whose transmission speeds are only 10 times that of the WAN?

Raw transmission speed is not the only factor in WAN performance. he time for a packet to pass across a WAN connection is measurbly longer than the time for a similar packet to travel over a LAN connection - in some cases, packet delays may approach or even exceed 1/2 second, depending on the carrier, distance and handshaking protocols.

You may be able to do a few things to reduce the WAN traffic. The first thing would be to ensure that the executables resided locally on each system. Not having to move several megabytes of runtime libraries, application code and the like across the WAN each time the application starts will reduce LAN traffic and allow the app to start more quickly. You may wish to alo place copies of reference tables used for lookup, validation and the like on local sites; especially where the data in these tables is static, again to reduce the need to move data over the wire.

The real key to most working WAN applications is the use of a database server, which processes queries and performs actions against the master databases on behalf of client systems using local storage and resources at the central site. This minimizes the amount of data moving acoss the WAN, and may offer advantages in terms of security, data reliability and reduce the overall demand on bandwidth on the WAN, the most likely scarce resource in the environment. Client-server deployment usually requires some redesign of the application, involves a significant investment in at least software, and in all probability, hardware, at the central site to maintain the database server. there's also investment in database administration training needed to make a successful deployment work.

Another option might be thin-client deployment using a centralized Citrix or Windows Terminal Server providing a strong remote access capability, where the WAN provides a mechanism to pass UI interactions across the wire to relatively simple, minimal display and entry stations, with application processing done locally at the central site using powerful server processors. With VFP6, Citrix MetaFrame and Windows Terminal Server are well-accepted players in the marketplace that can deploy VFP applications in the thin-client environment. This places minimal demands on the remote site as far as processing capability and bandwidth, but increases the cost of the central site and requires a significant investment in hardware, software and system administration at the central site.