Bandwidth and ping problems on linux server

[Lamorak 0]

Hi!

The environment:

Pentium 4 HT @ 3,06  GHz with 1 GB RAM

Suse Linux 8.1 with Kernel 2.4.23

fast internet connection

ofp 1.96 (tried 1.95 and 1.94 too)

The problem:

While playing, the ping of some users rises from 25 or 30 to over 100 or 150 ms. In the meantime the bandwidth drops from over 100 to 5 or 6.

This often happens while using vehicles. If the player dies and respawns, the values sometimes go back to normal.

It seems as if the player gets all the informations from the Server (he sees other players drive or walk around) but the server doesn't get any informations from the client. For the other players the one with the problems doesen't seem to move and he ist invisible for KI.

Perhaps there are some config tweaks for ofp or even for the network settings of linux. Any idea may be helpfull.

Thx in advance, Lamorak.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Ok, we need help on this!

We have tested yesterday and again the ping/bandwith/desync jumps wild around when some players(not all) drive in vehicles.

Even on a simple CTF Map with only 4 vehicles on it. Server runs stable on 50FPS.

Some ppl have ping ~25 when driving and others going up to ping ~500, bandwith 4, Desync 100000.

---

Is there anyone here who can send us a "good" config file for our Linux Server!

We have no clou whats causing this stupid problems...

Please help.

MfG Lee

[oyman 0]

Quote[/b] ]others going uü to ping ~500, bandwith 4, Desync 100000.

your talking about me are'nt you

[lee_h._oswald 0]

That helps really....

MfG Lee

[HitmanFF 6]

It most probably is client sided, especially since some people's pings and desyncs are low.

If the client isn't able to push out the packets fast enough to the server, you will see high pings and high desyncs.

I play with a team of people regularly, and there's one that has a connection with reasonable download, but very low upload. As soon as there's lots of movement or gunfire, his ping and desync go up. When the action settles, so do his ping and desync!

A good sign is when people connect to a server with high pings, that settle after a short while (one or two minutes usually).

So your server is OK (nothing you can or should do), but it's the players that have to do something...

[lee_h._oswald 0]

But what can we do?

I have DSL with fastpath (german telekom) an very low pings on our server <30ms.

But driving in vehicles(not all) "kills" the connection.

MfG Lee

[HitmanFF 6]

Do you have the high desync/ping as well when you're driving a vehicle? What is your upload speed (I'm not familiar with Telekom DSL)?

[Lamorak 0]

Do you have the high desync/ping as well when you're driving a vehicle? What is your upload speed (I'm not familiar with Telekom DSL)?

Yes, he has and the upload speed ist 16kB/s (with 96kB/s download)

He is using a hardware router to access the net. Perhaps anyone has some trouble too with such a device.

[dinger 1]

some vehicles qualify as "fast vehicles" and are reported to all clients.

From our tests, it seems that some events require that all connected clients report back (for synchronization) before proceeding. The most notorious case of this is getting into a vehicle. But there are other, more subtle cases. (as I found when we were testing napalm last year with my dialup. As long as everyone had pings below 200, the napalm would tumble fine, but as soon as I showed up, it would spray all over the place).

This situation gets even worse when the action gets hot and heavy and you swamp one person with 56k bandwidth. Now every connected client has to wait to synchronize events, and new events just compound the problem.

of course, if your server bandwidth isn't up to the task, that's trouble too.

So I'd try it with only broadband users and see if it improves.

[-IT-Q- 0]

me and some of my buddies also have this kind of problem

driving with land vehicles isnt really the prob, but flying with air units is - the ping just suddenly goes up from 20-50 up to 400-500 and down again in phases of at least 20seconds to several minutes

we already made a lot of test.

removing all the scripts, removing all objects in the map, reducing the viewdistance, flying just over water - nothing does any change

and we all have very different hardware and connection settings (fast & average pcs, everyone has dsl, but some with fastpath and some not, some have Telekom, some dont)

also u can provoke this phenomenon alone on the server - just board a helicopter on a dedicated server and fly around: suddenly the bandwith drops to the ground and ping goes up rapidly (if there r other people on the server u now do warp a little to them)

the strange thing is we couldnt find the similarities till today, there r also a lot of people who dont suffer of the problem at all - they just can fly with their 20-30 constant ping

linux or windows server doesnt seem to make a big difference

we just noticed one thing: from 1.85 and above the netcode seems to got worse regarding airunits - most pilots do lag some more and r much harder to hit with aa launchers

one last thing to add - this is an experience of several month playing ofp in national leagues (germany) with excellent servers

-----

sry its a little bit different from your problem, but maybe it "helps" anyway

[Lamorak 0]

and there's one that has a connection with reasonable download, but very low upload.

Can you please tell us how low the upload of this player is, so that we have a comparison?

@[iT|Q]: This really seems to be the same problem. The symptoms are identical.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Ok, it´s getting spooky now!

In commander view on picture 1, pings are ok.

In commander view on picture 2, pings are jumping wild up and down! From 23ms up to 750ms and more!

Can anyone explain this crazy "bug"?

MfG Lee

[dinger 1]

the pictures above were taken in controlled conditions, right? (=just you and the server, nothing else going on in the mission).

Weird.

Could it be the particle effects? Are those particle effects?

aircraft I could sort of see, because ofp in MP has minimum info ranges for stuff. (like fuel and engine state).

[lee_h._oswald 0]

the pictures above were taken in controlled conditions, right? (=just you and the server, nothing else going on in the mission).

Weird.

Could it be the particle effects? Are those particle effects?

aircraft I could sort of see, because ofp in MP has minimum info ranges for stuff. (like fuel and engine state).

Yes, just me on the Server on a test map.

Based on a simple ctf.

Server runs at constant 50FPS.

This problem makes me crazy.

MfG Lee

[joltan 0]

What was your own frame rate? If your cpu is busy (or another programm is working/transmitting in the background) ping can vary, too.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

This problem is not releated to my local FPS.

MfG Lee

[HitmanFF 6]

Could you post your server config (at least the network related parts), so we can rule out the server for being the cause?

Could you try connecting to a different (empty) server, startup a CTF or anything available with similar vehicles and see what happens then?

[Lamorak 0]

server.cfg

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">hostname = "LzZ - Pr0n & Panzer";

motd[]=

{

   "Welcome to:",

   "LzZ - Pr0n & Panzer"

};

password = "***";

passwordAdmin = "***";

maxPlayers = "32";

motdInterval = 2;

cadetMode = 0;

kickDuplicate="true";

checkfiles[]={};

flashpoint.cfg

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">Light_Explo="1";

Product="Resistance";

Cloudlets="1";

Limit_LOD="0.005289";

Cockpit_Textures="2048";

3D_Performance="100000";

CPU_Benchmark="12000";

HW_Type="Direct3D HW T&L";

Object_Textures="2048";

File_Heap="1";

VehShadows="1";

Frame_Rate_Pref="500";

refresh="70";

MaxObjects="256";

Language="English";

Shadows="1";

Adapter="0";

Resolution_W="1280";

Quality_Pref="500";

Resolution_H="1024";

Resolution_Bpp="32";

Texture_Heap="1";

MaxLights="32";

Reflections="1";

Animated_Textures="2048";

Sky="1";

Landscape_Textures="2048";

Light_Missile="1";

LOD="1.000000";

Shadows_LOD="0.005289";

Textures_Drop_Down="0";

Total_Memory="768";

Light_Static="1";

MaxMsgSend=384;               // also tried 256 and 128

MaxSizeGuaranteed=512;     // and 256

MaxSizeNonguaranteed=256;  

MinBandwidth=1024000;       // and 768000

userinfo.cfg

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">diffTracers[]={0,0};

diffWeaponCursor[]={1,1};

[HitmanFF 6]

I think that the network parameters (like MaxMsgSend etc) should be in your server.cfg.

Following are the parameters I've been using last LAN party (100 Mbit/s connection), and I will be using them as well starting next Friday, when we get our new dedicated server (SuSE linux based ) up & running (100 Mbit/s connection as well):

MaxMsgSend = 640; // Maximale size van te verzenden message

MinBandwith = 52428800; // 50% van 100 Mb/s

MaxBandwith = 83886080; // 80% van 100 Mb/s

MaxSizeGuaranteed = 512; // Default

MaxSizeNonguaranteed = 256; // Default

Comments are in Dutch, but they should be clear I think.

So I suggest to move your networking settings to the server.cfg, and define a MaxBandWidth in order not to depend on BIS's default (since I don't know what that is).

Oh, and incidentally: You've defined a MinBandwidth for a 1 Mbit/s line, which is kind of low for 32 players.

[Lamorak 0]

I think that the network parameters (like MaxMsgSend etc) should be in your server.cfg.

May I quote from the DS-Admin.rft, a document shipped with OFP (or belonging to the dedicated server):

Quote[/b] ]Performance tuning

There are also some parameters that can be used to fine-tune network performance. You can add following entries to Flashpoint.cfg (the main Flashpoint configuration file):

followed by the parameters you posted.

I found some confusing posts in this forum about the correct place and decided to follow the official instructions. If there is a proof, that this is wrong: please show me. I can put the parameters in both configs, too.

But I will try to raise the values and tell you (and others who might read this) if it helped.

Thx so far, Lamorak.

PS: Even if I have defined 32 players, we usually are 5-10 people on the server, so even with 1 Mbit (the server has more) the bandwidth should last.

[HitmanFF 6]

I think that the network parameters (like MaxMsgSend etc) should be in your server.cfg.

May I quote from the DS-Admin.rft, a document shipped with OFP (or belonging to the dedicated server):

Quote[/b] ]Performance tuning

There are also some parameters that can be used to fine-tune network performance. You can add following entries to Flashpoint.cfg (the main Flashpoint configuration file):

followed by the parameters you posted.

I found some confusing posts in this forum about the correct place and decided to follow the official instructions. If there is a proof, that this is wrong: please show me. I can put the parameters in both configs, too.

But I will try to raise the values and tell you (and others who might read this) if it helped.

Thx so far, Lamorak.

PS: Even if I have defined 32 players, we usually are 5-10 people on the server, so even with 1 Mbit (the server has more) the bandwidth should last.

Well, looks like you're on the dot concerning the flashpoint.cfg. I've tested a few things that are considered to go into the flashpoint.cfg (including the MaxCustomFileSize), and it didn't work when inside the server.cfg, but did when inside the flashpoint.cfg

I've been setting up servers with default settings all of the time

I've also seen in one of the readme's acoompanying a dedicated server release, that the default MaxBandwidth is unlimited, so nothing to be found there either. Even when not, the 1 MBit should indeed be more than sufficient with 5 players

Sorry, but I've just been wasting your time on this one

[Lamorak 0]

Sorry, but I've just been wasting your time on this one

Nothing to worry about. Every hint is helpful and makes me learn more about the ofp-server thing.

I thought keeping MinBandwith low wouldn't prevent the server from taking more if he needs to.

Anyway, a test with higher values is worth a try, but this has to wait until tomorrow.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

We need help on this problem, no one a good idea what to do?

MfG Lee

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him!!

I found a solution here:

http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin....9;st=60

Like Suma posted there, I tried this values:

<table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td>Code Sample </td></tr><tr><td id="CODE">

class Sockets

{

rcvBufSize = 10000;

maxPacketSize = 512;

};

And you now what!

It works!

I was getting mad about this sh*t!

MfG Lee

[shrike 0]

Hi LHO,

did you try that on the server or on the client?

To whoever has a clue concerning these settings: Could the server be tweaked the same way, in other words: Is it possible to squeeze out more network performance on the server side applying these settings (with different values maybe) ?

Thx

Shrike