[hpsdr] Command delays with Hermes on dedicated PC ethernet port

[John Ackermann N8UR]

I put another NIC in my PowerSDR computer so that it could talk directly
to Hermes without going through the house network.

The original NIC (on-board RealTek) is hooked to Hermes, while the new
Intel PRO/1000PT is connected to the house network.  I'm using PowerSDR
3.2.19 and Hermes firmware v2.9 on a Windows 7 machine.

I am using APIPA address assignment, and have the expected 10-20 second
startup delay.  Once the address negotiation is finished, data flows
smoothly with no issues.

However, any command that requires communication with the radio, such as
changing bands or going in/out of CW mode, has a long delay before
successful completion -- long enough for the Windows "waiting" icon to
show up for a few seconds.  Commands performed entirely within PowerSDR
are not affected, only those that need to communicate with the radio.

It is almost as if the APIPA negotiation is happening each time PowerSDR
needs to communicate with the radio.

When I have have Hermes sitting on the house network with DHCP address
assignment, there are no delays, so this problem is related to the
dedicated connection.  And the data packets flow smoothly, so the basic
connectivity between the radio and the PC is there.

I wonder if there is a Windows networking setting that I should be
tweaking to prevent this delay.  Any ideas?

Thanks,

John