A problem with ping! One for the tech guys!

Finestyle · 11-13-2006, 11:54 PM

Hi, as I am sure some of you guys know, I play on your PoE:2 server quite often (Probably one of the best servers around BTW!). But recently, since Fri 10th Nov, I have been experiencing some quite awfull pings on your server.
I'm based in the UK and usually idle at around 100ms to 120ms, which is fine for me considering the gamplay I am getting in return.
However, since Friday I have been anywhere between 600ms and 800ms, sometimes more!, which is obviously way too high to play with. The strange thing is that other servers seem to be still pinging ok!
I have done tracert and ping command in MS DOS and have the results for you below, I will be taking this up with my ISP to see if they can give me any answers for the sudden change in ping times, but I thought I'd post it here aswell, just incase any of the server admins/tech guys are able to identify a problem at your end and/or give me some feedback.

Thanks in advance and here's hoping I'll be back on the TG server soon!

Oh BTW, where exactly is the Server located? Just incase my ISP ask

Ping and tracert results....

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Primary User>ping 64.34.165.134 -t

Pinging 64.34.165.134 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=643ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=679ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=701ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=695ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=661ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=654ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=656ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=649ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=654ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=629ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=623ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=608ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=641ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=656ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=661ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=633ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=617ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=609ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=606ms TTL=113
Reply from 64.34.165.134: bytes=32 time=601ms TTL=113

Ping statistics for 64.34.165.134:
Packets: Sent = 20, Received = 20, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 601ms, Maximum = 701ms, Average = 643ms
Control-C
^C
C:\Documents and Settings\Primary User>tracert 64.34.165.134

Tracing route to flexsrv3.tacticalgamer.com [64.34.165.134]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 7 ms 7 ms 12 ms 10.90.72.1
2 10 ms 8 ms 8 ms oldh-t2cam1-a-ge-wan43-117.inet.ntl.com [80.5.164.69]
3 8 ms 8 ms 17 ms manc-t3core-1a-ge-112-0.inet.ntl.com [195.182.175.77]
4 8 ms 30 ms 33 ms man-bb-a-so-020-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.175.1]
5 23 ms 11 ms 11 ms lee-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.194]
6 10 ms 8 ms 29 ms lee-bb-a-ge-000-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.187.185]
7 45 ms 14 ms 12 ms pop-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.238]
8 27 ms 26 ms 26 ms so-7-0-0-dcr1.tsd.cw.net [166.63.211.129]
9 25 ms 25 ms 25 ms as0-dcr2.tsd.cw.net [195.2.10.166]
10 143 ms 127 ms 134 ms so-0-0-0-dcr1.nyk.cw.net [195.2.10.109]
11 125 ms 127 ms 127 ms so-0-0-0-ecr1.nyk.cw.net [195.2.3.14]
12 485 ms 484 ms 491 ms nyiix.peer1.net [198.32.160.65]
13 495 ms 507 ms 496 ms oc48-pos4-0.nyc-telx-dis-a.peer1.net [216.187.115.165]
14 500 ms 511 ms 509 ms oc48pos0-0.wdc-sp2-cor-2.peer1.net [216.187.115.222]
15 103 ms 101 ms 111 ms oc48-pos2-0.wdc-sp2-cor-1.peer1.net [216.187.115.245]
16 505 ms 515 ms 521 ms oc48-pos6-0.wdc-sbsp2-dis-1.serverbeach.com [216.187.115.238]
17 550 ms 554 ms 556 ms flexsrv3.tacticalgamer.com [64.34.165.134]

Trace complete.

C:\Documents and Settings\Primary User>

**tau_neutrino** · 11-14-2006, 03:29 AM

You're not alone. I've been having problems w/ the peer1.net routers for some time. I think they're dropping a lot of packets.

thebleakaffinity · 11-14-2006, 04:49 AM

I've also been having problems. My ping (normally 50s) goes anywhere from 97-180 during any given match.

B. Clawhammer · 11-14-2006, 08:49 PM

Before I moved I had the same problem w/random ping spikes every once in awhile. Hopefully my new connection won't have this problem.

Finestyle · 11-15-2006, 04:10 AM

Well problem solved... I went back to using my Sweex 10/100 MBIT PCI Lancard card instead of my Onboard Ethernet connection (ASUS P5AD2 Premium Motherboard) and I'm back at around 100ms again. I switched to using the onboard whilst trying to solve another problem recently...
Strange how it only affected my connection to the TG server though.
If you are having problems with peer1.net try a new Ethernet card if you are using onboard as thats where I seemed to be getting chocked, I wasnt showing any dropped packets to the TG server routing through peer1.net in any of my tests. They are only cheap and its worth a try.

Acreo Aeneas · 11-15-2006, 04:47 AM

Hmm perhaps your Sweex NIC has packet prioritizer feature (onboard processor that filters packets and prioritizes them (VoiP and Gaming before downloads and web surfing, etc.)

Finestyle · 11-15-2006, 07:48 PM

Possibly, although the documentation etc doesnt mention any such "feature".

On another "slightly interesting" note, I usually have my cable broadband connection direct to this PC as I use it more or less all the time and its much more powerfull than my other one, but today I hooked up my router and linked it to my older crappy PC while I was doing some work on it. So when I was finished I shut down but left them both connected to the net via the router.
So off I went and fired up my main PC, started POE up, and looked for the TG server... and WTF... pinging at nearly 2000ms in the menu! So first thing I done was a tracert to the server... and low and behold... I was being chocked at the peer1.net routers!
Well I have no idea what setting/configuration/lack of "feature" my onboard ethernet connection has to cause this, but it would seem that my router suffers from the same "illness" and only seems to be affected by peer1.net.
Needless to say, I quickly disconnected my router and went direct to my main PC again!

tracert result through my router...

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Primary User>tracert 64.34.165.134

Tracing route to flexsrv3.tacticalgamer.com [64.34.165.134]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms 192.168.2.1
2 29 ms 7 ms 6 ms 10.90.72.1
3 64 ms 7 ms 13 ms oldh-t2cam1-b-ge-wan43-117.inet.ntl.com [80.5.164.197]
4 22 ms 23 ms 22 ms manc-t3core-1b-ge-112-0.inet.ntl.com [195.182.175.101]
5 11 ms 9 ms 23 ms man-bb-b-so-020-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.242.245]
6 11 ms 27 ms 16 ms man-bb-a-ge-000-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.187.177]
7 9 ms 12 ms 11 ms lee-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.194]
8 9 ms 14 ms 42 ms lee-bb-a-ge-000-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.187.185]
9 50 ms 14 ms 15 ms pop-bb-b-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.238]
10 27 ms 28 ms 29 ms so-7-0-0-dcr1.tsd.cw.net [166.63.211.129]
11 36 ms 26 ms 26 ms as0-dcr2.tsd.cw.net [195.2.10.166]
12 130 ms 129 ms 131 ms so-0-0-0-dcr1.nyk.cw.net [195.2.10.109]
13 170 ms 145 ms 149 ms so-0-0-0-ecr1.nyk.cw.net [195.2.3.14]
14 1904 ms 1893 ms 1853 ms nyiix.peer1.net [198.32.160.65]
15 1893 ms 1900 ms 1940 ms oc48-pos4-0.nyc-telx-dis-a.peer1.net[216.187.115.165]
16 1912 ms 1907 ms 1938 ms oc48pos0-0.wdc-sp2-cor-2.peer1.net[216.187.115.222]
17 1916 ms 1928 ms 1921 ms oc48-pos2-0.wdc-sp2-cor-1.peer1.net [216.187.115.245]
18 1904 ms 1915 ms * oc48-pos6-0.wdc-sbsp2dis1.serverbeach.com [216.187.115.238]
19 1859 ms 1873 ms 1936 ms flexsrv3.tacticalgamer.com [64.34.165.134]

Trace complete.

Acid · 11-15-2006, 08:56 PM

Your onboard NIC shouldn't be the problem then, its peer1.net and you better hope they get themselves a fixed server.

icky · 11-15-2006, 09:14 PM

Ya, this is entirely a network problem and nothing to do with any changes you are making at home. You can't fix peer1 unless you work there.

Acid · 11-15-2006, 09:16 PM

Or send an icky to "fix" their servers, just like he fixes the private server

. Although I don't know what types of ping you will be getting after that...

**tau_neutrino** · 11-17-2006, 01:40 AM

Peer1.net is having major problems again tonight I think. I'm getting 200+ ping from their servers.

**ThePenguineer** · 11-17-2006, 12:14 PM

Hmm.... perhaps this explains my mysterious lag issues that have been occuring over the last few weeks/months. I shall go back and look at some old ping plotter data from a few weeks ago once I get back home.

**tau_neutrino** · 11-18-2006, 01:38 AM

I'm getting about 35% packet loss from the PoE server (64.34.165.134) tonight

I tested a few other IP addresses but they came up normal. Weird...