Help SOE track the Lag (instructions inside)

[Byteblock]

Spork asked for user feedback to help track the lag problem many people are experiencing, so let's help him out!

Firstly, we all need to /bug every time we experience the really bad lag. Just type /bug in your chat window and they will know what server and time you are on when you experience it.

Secondly, let's collect a list of tracerts to show it is not on our end!

Here are the IPs to the world servers

Markov: 199.108.14.48
Emerald: 199.108.204.48
Werner: 195.33.135.48


If you already know how to use tracert, please do so to your server during the time of day you experience lag most often. Post the results to this thread so we can collect a public record and demonstrate to SOE that it is not our collective ISPs that are to blame! A clean tracert shows that it is not some errant router in Oaklahoma causing the lag for everyone in North America.

How to Do a Trace Route:
To do a trace route, go to your Start menu and select Run. A small dialog box will appear. Type into this box: "cmd" (without quotations) and then press the OK button.

A Command Line window appears saying something like:

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

C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Name Here]>

Type into this window: tracrt ip.to.the.server.you.use
(i.e.: tracert 199.108.14.48)

Windows will now attempt to resolve the route for you. Give it a few minutes, and before long you will have a screen like this:

C:\Documents and Settings\[Your Name Here]>tracert 199.108.14.48

Tracing route to sdkpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.14.48]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    10 ms     10 ms     12 ms  your.PC.goes.here[xx.xxx.xx.xx]
  2    10 ms     12 ms     12 ms  your.GateWay.Starts.here[xxx.xxx.x.xxx]
  3     9 ms     10 ms     13 ms  68.87.229.81
  4    10 ms     10 ms     13 ms  68.87.229.77
  5    14 ms     12 ms     17 ms  12.244.72.246
  6    15 ms     14 ms     17 ms  tbr2-p011801.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.123.6.62]
  7    22 ms     17 ms     24 ms  tbr2-cl7.sl9mo.ip.att.net [12.122.10.46]
  8    60 ms     60 ms      60 ms  tbr2-cl2.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.10.14]
  9    62 ms     60 ms      61 ms  gbr2-p20.sd2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.11.254]
 10    64 ms     62 ms     63 ms  gar1-p370.sd2ca.ip.att.net [12.123.145.25]
 11    65 ms     64 ms     66 ms  mdf1-gsr12-2-pos-7-0.san2.attens.net [12.122.255
.206]
 12   66 ms     64 ms       61 ms  63.241.1.254
 13    61 ms     62 ms      62 ms  vl10.sdkoll1sw-1.sonyonline.net [63.241.60.42]
 14    62 ms     62 ms      64 ms  sdkpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.14.48]

Trace complete.

To copy from this window you will need to find and click on the Icon for the Command Line Window. It will be a little icon in the top left corner of the window that will look like a little blue line over a black screen with "c:\" on it. Click on this for a contect menu.

From the context menu, hover your mouse over Edit and a secondary menu appears. Click on Mark at the top of this secondary menu.

Now drag your mouse over the tracert output. Once you have the whole thing selected press ENTER on your keyboard to copy it.

No you may make a post here with this by pressing Ctrl+V on your keyboard.

Important Notes for posting:
Please make sure these tracerts are only done during the times you experience lag.
Please remember to XXX out your IP and host information from the first entry of the tracert.

Please keep your posts on this thread in this format:

World: Markov
My Region: Montana
My ISP: Cox
Time and Day of TraceRT: 3:00pm CST - 1/17/04
Tracrt:
Tracing route to sdkpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.14.48]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 10 ms 10 ms 12 ms your.PC.goes.here[xx.xxx.xx.xx]
2 10 ms 12 ms 12 ms your.GateWay.Starts.here[xxx.xxx.x.xxx]
3 9 ms 10 ms 13 ms 68.87.229.81
4 10 ms 10 ms 13 ms 68.87.229.77
5 14 ms 12 ms 17 ms 12.244.72.246
6 15 ms 14 ms 17 ms tbr2-p011801.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.123.6.62]
7 22 ms 17 ms 24 ms tbr2-cl7.sl9mo.ip.att.net [12.122.10.46]
8 60 ms 60 ms 60 ms tbr2-cl2.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.10.14]
9 62 ms 60 ms 61 ms gbr2-p20.sd2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.11.254]
10 64 ms 62 ms 63 ms gar1-p370.sd2ca.ip.att.net [12.123.145.25]
11 65 ms 64 ms 66 ms mdf1-gsr12-2-pos-7-0.san2.attens.net [12.122.255
.206]
12 66 ms 64 ms 61 ms 63.241.1.254
13 61 ms 62 ms 62 ms vl10.sdkoll1sw-1.sonyonline.net [63.241.60.42]
14 62 ms 62 ms 64 ms sdkpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.14.48]
Additonal Comments: SOE please fix this immediatly, I love PS but can't cope with the lag! It is not on my side!

[hackingsniper]

that is very ture my computers is blazing fast and I lag horribly b/c of server plus its been having alot of lag lately.

[Marsman]

/bug is always a good idea. It provides SOE with a specific time and account experiencing the lag.

However, it should be known that tracert is not a conclusive test by any means. It uses very short packets to return round trip times to each router in the path from your location to the destination. It does not reflect heavy load real world situations where congestion and hardware problems most often occur. A path can have severe problems, yet still look normal in a tracert. Thus a good looking tracert is not a guarenteed clean bill of health by any means. So you can not conclusively "rule out" your path as a cause of lag solely from a tracert with low ping times. I therefore question the value of this to SOE or us in the community for path quality analysis. While it might point out an occational hardware problem in the path for some users, on the whole it just doesn't prove anything conclusively.

I think we will have the most affect by continuing to /BUG during times we experience lag and the continue to post in the forums that lag is up from previously experienced levels. Be sure to report the type of lag you are seeing, connection pop-ups, low fps, no movement, or non-responsivness of doors, reloads, etc... and those on teamspeak can compare how many other players are experiencing or not experiencing lag at the same time.

The following was transcribed from the recorded AGN - Ask the Devs Interview on 1-15-04:
Dallas response to the lag question:
"Ah, we're doing what we can to look into that. It's really peculiar in that there weren't any changes to our client or server. We checked through all of the links in our inferstructure and our connections to the internet and nothing significant has changed. So, honestly the more information that people can give us, those who are experiencing this problem right now, tell us who your ISP is, tell us where you're connecting from, in fact - maybe I'll talk with Spork about setting up a specific thread on this, because it is obviously of concern. But as far as we can tell, up to this point, it's not something that's on our end. It could very well be and the more data we get from the community, the better we can try to track it down. But we have had issues like this in the past, not just with Planetside, but with but other SOE games and sometimes it actually has to do with - if you happened to be living in 'this' area of the country or in this area of the world, there are some network issues. We don't know where the problem is yet and we are concerned so give us your feedback, please."

[DSSurge]

i ping 35 to the Emerald server (tracert) but in game my pings usually up in the 60-110 range.

PS has UT2003 netcode -_-

(those of you that have played UT2003 for a while will understand why i'm saying this)

[LiLKiLLeR]

Well it sure is good to know that SOE is working on the lag problem

laterz
~LiLKiLLeR

[TeraHertz]

C:\Documents and Settings\TeraHertz>tracert werner.planetside.com -d

Tracing route to amspls-01-02.planetside.com [195.33.135.34]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 26 ms 30 ms 30 ms x1
2 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms x2
3 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms 193.251.249.77
4 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms 193.251.128.205
5 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms 193.251.128.190
6 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms 195.66.224.27
7 46 ms 30 ms 30 ms 165.87.216.81
8 30 ms 30 ms 30 ms 165.87.212.74
9 43 ms 30 ms 30 ms 165.87.216.54
10 46 ms 46 ms 46 ms 165.87.212.33
11 46 ms 46 ms 46 ms 165.87.217.246
12 46 ms 46 ms 46 ms 165.87.211.41
13 46 ms 46 ms 46 ms 165.87.217.158
14 46 ms 46 ms 46 ms 195.33.129.76
15 46 ms 46 ms 45 ms 195.33.135.34

Trace complete.


I have 70fps consistantly, with over 100 in the sanc, and I still lag. Sorry, but the server software, or netcode, is simply b0rked since they removed the christmas hats. I doubt very much if it is a hardware issue.

[edit]
Hmm, one thing I just noticed. The pings the same, but I've lost a hop since all the other times.

[Rayder]

World: Emerald
My Region: Michigan
My ISP: Comcast
Time and Day of TraceRT: 9:20pm EST - 1/17/04

Tracing route to ablpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.204.48]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 9 ms 8 ms 10 ms 10.104.64.1
2 7 ms 11 ms 9 ms 68.87.60.229
3 9 ms 9 ms 9 ms srp-0-0-ur01.pontiac.mi.mich.comcast.net [68.87.
60.129]
4 21 ms 16 ms 17 ms 12.118.239.41
5 17 ms 17 ms 17 ms tbr1-p012301.cgcil.ip.att.net [12.123.6.9]
6 49 ms 38 ms 35 ms tbr1-cl1.n54ny.ip.att.net [12.122.10.1]
7 36 ms 37 ms 36 ms tbr2-cl2.n54ny.ip.att.net [12.122.9.130]
8 36 ms 35 ms 36 ms tbr2-cl1.wswdc.ip.att.net [12.122.10.54]
9 35 ms 33 ms 35 ms gbr5-p40.wswdc.ip.att.net [12.122.11.186]
10 35 ms 34 ms 34 ms gar3-p360.wswdc.ip.att.net [12.123.9.65]
11 35 ms 35 ms 36 ms mdf1-gsr12-1-pos-7-0.wdc1.attens.net [12.122.255
.182]
12 35 ms 45 ms 37 ms mdf1-bi8k-1-eth-1-1.wdc1.attens.net [63.240.192.
246]
13 37 ms 38 ms 48 ms vl10.ashaens-1.sonyonline.net [63.240.201.58]
14 34 ms 34 ms 58 ms ablpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.204.48]

Trace complete.

I did this just now, but I usually get the big lag at around 12 pm or about 2 am EST.

[krayons]

World: Markov
My Region: SLC, Utah
My ISP: Earthlink
Time and Day of TraceRT: 8:29MST - 1/17/04



Tracing route to sdkpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.14.48]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 37 ms 34 ms 37 ms X
2 34 ms 34 ms 34 ms X
3 34 ms 33 ms 35 ms ge-5-0-102.hsa1.Denver1.Level3.net [63.211.250.4
9]
4 34 ms 35 ms 36 ms so-4-3-0.mp1.Denver1.Level3.net [4.68.112.153]
5 76 ms 77 ms 78 ms so-0-0-0.mp2.SanDiego1.Level3.net [64.159.0.254]

6 77 ms 75 ms 75 ms so-8-0.hsa2.SanDiego1.Level3.net [4.68.112.138]

7 76 ms 77 ms 77 ms vl862.sdtermswitch-2.sonyonline.net [63.212.173.
146]
8 75 ms 76 ms 77 ms vl832.sdkollsw-2.sonyonline.net [64.37.144.90]
9 76 ms 76 ms 76 ms sdkpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.14.48]

Trace complete.

[Ghryphen]

World: Markov
Region: Everett, WA
ISP: Comcast
Time: 7:35 pm Jan 17, 2004
Symptoms: I don't get lag often, but every once in a while lately it can take a couple seconds to reload or turn on implants.

Tracing route to sdkpls-01-14.planetside.com [199.108.14.46]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     1 ms     1 ms     1 ms  192.168.123.254
  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  3    11 ms    28 ms     9 ms  12.244.20.161
  4    12 ms    12 ms    15 ms  12.244.0.21
  5    12 ms    12 ms    15 ms  12.119.199.21
  6    14 ms    12 ms    12 ms  gbr2-p20.st6wa.ip.att.net [12.123.44.150]
  7    24 ms    14 ms    15 ms  tbr1-p012601.st6wa.ip.att.net [12.122.12.161]
  8    29 ms    27 ms    28 ms  tbr2-cl1.sffca.ip.att.net [12.122.12.113]
  9    39 ms    43 ms    38 ms  tbr1-cl3.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.10.26]
 10    37 ms    37 ms    37 ms  tbr2-p012501.la2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.9.146]
 11    40 ms    38 ms    44 ms  gbr2-p30.sd2ca.ip.att.net [12.122.2.121]
 12    39 ms    39 ms    38 ms  gar1-p370.sd2ca.ip.att.net [12.123.145.25]
 13    42 ms    42 ms    40 ms  mdf1-gsr12-2-pos-7-0.san2.attens.net [12.122.255.206]
 14    57 ms    40 ms    45 ms  63.241.1.254
 15    41 ms    41 ms    40 ms  vl10.sdkoll1sw-1.sonyonline.net [63.241.60.42]
 16    39 ms    38 ms    47 ms  sdkpls-01-14.planetside.com [199.108.14.46]

Trace complete.

[bruttal-ps]

World: Markov
Region: Louisville,ky
ISP: Bellsouth.net [dsl]
Time: 11:02 pm Jan 17, 2004
Symptoms:besides the most common problem of my diskcatch constently trying to catch up a lot here recently after spawning ill go to equipment term wait for 30secs after i hit g 40times befor the menu appares then i try to make for the door and it wont open for a good 20-30seconds

NOTE: Id like to say that i have gotten these types of problems back in closed beta befor the servers where split =/

Tracing route to sdkpls-01-14.planetside.com [199.108.14.46]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  Wizard.camelot.camelot [192.168.1.254]
  2    12 ms    11 ms    11 ms  adsl-80-121-1.sdf.bellsouth.net [65.80.121.1]
  3    13 ms    13 ms    13 ms  adsl-21-184-65.sdf.bellsouth.net [66.21.184.65]

  4    13 ms    12 ms    13 ms  205.152.133.248
  5    41 ms    46 ms    41 ms  65.83.237.106
  6    42 ms    40 ms    48 ms  pxr00msy-2-0-0.bellsouth.net [65.83.236.34]
  7    43 ms    43 ms    42 ms  500.so-2-0-0.GW5.NOL1.ALTER.NET [65.208.10.21]
  8    43 ms    43 ms    42 ms  0.so-3-0-0.CL1.NOL1.ALTER.NET [152.63.102.98]
  9    56 ms    56 ms    56 ms  0.so-0-0-0.TL1.DFW9.ALTER.NET [152.63.0.193]
 10    87 ms    85 ms    87 ms  0.so-6-0-0.TL1.LAX9.ALTER.NET [152.63.10.14]
 11    90 ms    91 ms    92 ms  0.so-2-0-0.CL1.SDG2.ALTER.NET [152.63.29.105]
 12    90 ms    91 ms    90 ms  509.ATM4-0.GW4.SDG2.ALTER.NET [152.63.114.233]
 13    86 ms    87 ms    87 ms  sonyonline-gw.customer.alter.net [157.130.247.25
4]
 14    86 ms    86 ms    85 ms  gi2-2.sdtermsw-1.sonyonline.net [64.37.144.146]

 15    86 ms    87 ms    86 ms  vl831.sdkollsw-1.sonyonline.net [64.37.144.82]
 16    88 ms    87 ms    87 ms  sdkpls-01-14.planetside.com [199.108.14.46]

Trace complete.

[martyr]

region: FL
world: emerald
time: 0700gmt, jan 18 (packet loss messages displaying all the time now)

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
E:\Documents and Settings\martyr>tracert 199.108.204.48
Tracing route to ablpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.204.48]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms charon.mshome.net [192.168.0.1]
2 9 ms 30 ms 9 ms [earthlink/brighthouse/twc]
3 8 ms 7 ms 6 ms pos1-1.orldflorbh-rtr1.cfl.rr.com [24.95.226.70]
4 8 ms 10 ms 9 ms 24.95.224.97
5 37 ms 54 ms 52 ms srp2-0.orldflwrpk-rtr2.cfl.rr.com [24.95.224.73]
6 10 ms 10 ms 8 ms srp4-0.orldfldvsn-rtr4.cfl.rr.com [24.95.224.10]
7 27 ms 35 ms 20 ms pop1-tby-P0-2.atdn.net [66.185.136.173]
8 18 ms 45 ms 18 ms bb1-tby-P0-0.atdn.net [66.185.136.160]
9 36 ms 35 ms 36 ms bb2-atm-P7-0.atdn.net [66.185.152.245]
10 67 ms 65 ms 39 ms pop2-atm-P5-0.atdn.net [66.185.138.43]
11 38 ms 50 ms 36 ms so-1-0.hsa1.Atlanta2.Level3.net [66.185.138.34]
12 43 ms 165 ms 125 ms so-4-1-0.bbr1.Atlanta1.Level3.net [209.247.9.165]
13 66 ms 48 ms 54 ms so-0-1-0.bbr1.Washington1.Level3.net [64.159.0.229]
14 65 ms 54 ms 49 ms ge-7-1.ipcolo1.Washington1.Level3.net [64.159.18.67]
15 54 ms 53 ms 53 ms vl117.asheqnx-1.sonyonline.net [63.210.41.178]
16 75 ms 51 ms 52 ms vl46.ashaens-1.sonyonline.net [64.37.144.177]
17 64 ms 82 ms 52 ms ablpls-01-16.planetside.com [199.108.204.48]

Trace complete.

also, my mapped path:

[Unknown]

...I thought Emerald was on the east coast, what's it doing on the west coast in your trace?

[Ghryphen]

Because NeoTrace can only plot that by the address given by the ip's info which is owned by SOE so it comes back with a SOE street address. It isn't very accurate, just looks neat.

[h4fk]

World: WERNER
My Region: Germany / Stuttgart
My ISP: T-Online
Time and Day of TraceRT: 1:00pm GMT - 1/18/04

tracert 195.33.135.48

Routenverfolgung zu amspls-01-16.planetside.com [195.33.135.48] �ber maximal 30 Abschnitte:

1 19 ms 22 ms 21 ms 217.5.98.32
2 17 ms 16 ms 16 ms 217.237.152.242
3 33 ms 34 ms 36 ms LINX-gw12.LON.GB.NET.DTAG.DE [62.154.15.154]
4 36 ms 34 ms 34 ms linx.ibm.net [195.66.224.27]
5 34 ms 34 ms 33 ms gblond2101cr2--0-0-0-0.lo.uk.ip.att.net [165.87.216.81]
6 36 ms 36 ms 37 ms gblond1101cr2--4-0-0-0.lo.uk.ip.att.net [165.87.212.74]
7 36 ms 36 ms 37 ms gblond1102cr2--2-0-0-0.lo.uk.ip.att.net [165.87.216.54]
8 46 ms 44 ms 46 ms nlrtrd1101cr2--0-1-2-0.rd.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.212.33]
9 45 ms 45 ms 45 ms nlrtrd1102cr2--2-0-0-0.rd.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.217.246]
10 47 ms 45 ms 45 ms nlamtr1102cr2--0-1-1-0.am.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.211.41]
11 45 ms 44 ms 46 ms nlamtr1101er1-15-0.am.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.217.158]
12 45 ms 45 ms 45 ms vl50.amsixmsfc-1.sonyonline.net [195.33.129.76]
13 43 ms 44 ms 44 ms amspls-01-16.planetside.com [195.33.135.48]

Ablaufverfolgung beendet.

[Turel]

World: Werner
My Region: Germany/Frankfurt Main
My ISP: T-Online
Time and Day of TraceRT: 14:20EST - 1/18/04


Routenverfolgung zu amspls-01-16.planetside.com [195.33.135.48] �ber maximal 30
Abschnitte:

1 116 ms 85 ms 57 ms 217.5.98.166
2 29 ms 29 ms 28 ms 217.237.157.38
3 45 ms 44 ms 44 ms LINX-gw12.LON.GB.NET.DTAG.DE [62.154.15.154]
4 43 ms 44 ms 44 ms linx.ibm.net [195.66.224.27]
5 46 ms 43 ms 44 ms gblond2101cr2--0-0-0-0.lo.uk.ip.att.net [165.87.216.81]
6 46 ms 47 ms 47 ms gblond1101cr2--4-0-0-0.lo.uk.ip.att.net [165.87.212.74]
7 45 ms 44 ms 44 ms gblond1102cr2--1-0-0-0.lo.uk.ip.att.net [165.87.216.50]
8 51 ms 52 ms 52 ms nlrtrd1101cr2--0-1-2-0.rd.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.212.33]
9 52 ms 52 ms 53 ms nlrtrd1102cr2-1-0-0-0.rd.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.217.242]
10 52 ms 52 ms 52 ms nlamtr1102cr2--0-1-3-0.am.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.12.38]
11 53 ms 52 ms 52 ms nlamtr1101er1-15-0.am.nl.ip.att.net [165.87.217.158]
12 231 ms 239 ms 170 ms vl50.amsixmsfc-1.sonyonline.net [195.33.129.76]
13 53 ms 52 ms 53 ms amspls-01-16.planetside.com [195.33.135.48]

Ablaufverfolgung beendet.