Getting an alternative conection path?

MarcusMel · 05-03-2010, 02:08

When I signed up for a fast internet I knew somthing had to wrong. Any system of communication can only be as fast as its slowest part - right!

Ok so in order to be fast the connection route to the computer with the information should be the fastest route it can find not the first route it finds and sticks to that route forever and a day.

What can I as a user do if the connection route finds a server that is having problems?

So far all I seem to be able to do is call technical (laugh now) help.

"If your modem is working there is nothing else I can do" technical help.
This is the well known high quality service we get these days. We have Earthquakes, Tsunami's and children in need asking the public to help and care but when it comes to caring about the public the answer is "Its not my job"

Its not that difficult to understand. A message is passed from server to server. If that server starts getting slow then an alternative server should be requested to do the work thus keep the server request load spread over several paths.

To check a path is ok I do from the command window (the old DOS window or run program cmd is it has now become, why keep changing when its not broke?) Sorry I digress. To check a path do a tracert (trace route) in a DOS window.

So now the promise of a fast internet becomes exploded. Takes 13 servers where it used to take less to make a connection and one of those servers it timing out.

I can tell you the IP address of the offending server 206.223.115.129 but what can I the customer do?

Well I am doing it here. Will someone who actually cares please get this server working speedily again or tell me how to get the computers to find a route that does not use this internet server point.

I wonder if Bill Gates would have this problem?

moaningmags · 05-03-2010, 03:00

To whom does the server belong?
Who is your ISP?

MikeyB · 05-03-2010, 12:11

A quick ping says that IP is cr1-eqix-peer.wdc005.internap.net so it's outside of Virgin Medias network, so there is nothing they can really do about it.
You'd have to contact whoever owns that server.

If it was on the VM network then it would be their server & they would be able to fix it.

MarcusMel · 05-03-2010, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeyB

A quick ping says that IP is cr1-eqix-peer.wdc005.internap.net so it's outside of Virgin Medias network, so there is nothing they can really do about it.
You'd have to contact whoever owns that server.

If it was on the VM network then it would be their server & they would be able to fix it.

Good points - However servers usually give operators warning messages about this and that so either the operators who maintain that center are on holiday or are in need of some technical advise themselves. Either way I am not the one with an IP to telephone directory nor would they enjoy a chat about the health of their system with me.

In a world where people care what is to stop one server center asking another if they need some help?

Off topic when I wrote the message I also did a speed test on the 50Mb broadband discovering that it was also having a holiday at 25Mb, that is HALF the advertised speed! Not complaining, all baby's have teething problems.

It would however be great if as a customer finding a route too slow to traverse one could look at a map and choose another more suited to their needs.

Turkey Machine · 05-03-2010, 13:02

What you're experiencing is the typical "if nobody complains, we don't have a problem" mentality of Virgin. If it bugs you THAT much, either switch providers or complain til they sort the problem out.

The problem sounds like a routing issue in the backend to Virgin's interconnects. That requires a lot of elevation from 1st line to get to the right people to sort the problem out.

Ignitionnet · 05-03-2010, 13:22

One node timing out on traces isn't really significant, what happens after is much more of an issue.

Letting customers mess with their own routing to individual destinations ranges between impractical and impossible depending on the destination.

MarcusMel · 05-03-2010, 20:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

One node timing out on traces isn't really significant, what happens after is much more of an issue.

Letting customers mess with their own routing to individual destinations ranges between impractical and impossible depending on the destination.

Ah! Thank you (insert deity here) for there being somebody who understands!

Though I did read somewhere that the net was designed for the military and it would attempt to find a message route if bits were damaged. Question is what then threshold of priority or importance does a message hold that it deserves to reach its destination on time!

If your currency trading a lot of money timing would be significant. Viewing a highly graphical Whizz Bang web site - well hopfully my points are made - time waits for no man diety or inanimate object.

1) Customer care is what makes a business bad good or great.
2) Helping your neighbours can help your business manyfold
3) Don't treat your customers (though tempting) as if they don't understand.

Not complaining Highlighting what used to exist in English and other sucessful soceities and is now sadly vanishing fast.

Ignitionnet · 05-03-2010, 23:34

Sadly Virgin Media either have to start monitoring the rest of the Internet en masse or they have to trust the information they receive from those ISPs they directly connect to.

The Internet isn't designed to 'heal' from packet loss, it is designed to heal from total loss of connectivity, and even then this requires routing protocols throughout to be working properly and register the loss of connectivity so that they can inform connecting ISPs such as Virgin of this and Virgin can remove that route from their tables and move onto the next one.

Regrettably we are all numbers to Virgin Media, they couldn't give two hoots about any of us so long as we keep buying their pile high, sell cheap, low quality, low cost product. Products like those don't come with guarantees of quality of routing onto the wider Internet, nor even within Virgin's own network.

It may be worth trying to communicate this with second line support, also have a bash with this and see if it takes an alternate route - that server may be single homed!

MarcusMel · 08-03-2010, 03:42

Quote:

BGP routing table entry for 204.8.240.0/23, version 28652720
Paths: (9 available, best #1, table Default-IP-Routing-Table)
Not advertised to any peer
6461 32782
195.66.226.76 (metric 2) from 195.66.232.239 (195.66.232.239)
Origin IGP, metric 53874, localpref 100, valid, internal, best
Community: 5459:3 5459:60
2828 13789 32782
195.66.224.130 from 195.66.224.130 (65.106.7.56)
Origin IGP, localpref 100, valid, external
Community: 5459:1 5459:60
2828 13789 32782, (received-only)
195.66.224.130 from 195.66.224.130 (65.106.7.56)
Origin IGP, localpref 100, valid, external
6461 32782
195.66.224.76 from 195.66.224.76 (64.125.0.251)
Origin IGP, metric 53894, localpref 100, valid, external
Community: 5459:1 5459:60
6461 32782, (received-only)
195.66.224.76 from 195.66.224.76 (64.125.0.251)
Origin IGP, metric 53894, localpref 100, valid, external
174 13789 13789 13789 13789 13789 32782
195.66.224.185 from 195.66.224.185 (38.28.1.34)
Origin IGP, metric 0, localpref 100, valid, external
Community: 5459:1 5459:60
174 13789 13789 13789 13789 13789 32782, (received-only)
195.66.224.185 from 195.66.224.185 (38.28.1.34)
Origin IGP, metric 0, localpref 100, valid, external
22212 13789 32782
195.66.224.44 from 195.66.224.44 (77.242.206.1)
Origin IGP, metric 706, localpref 100, valid, external
Community: 5459:1 5459:60
22212 13789 32782, (received-only)
195.66.224.44 from 195.66.224.44 (77.242.206.1)
Origin IGP, metric 706, localpref 100, valid, external

Quote:

Tracing route to [204.8.240.52]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 5 ms 8 ms 7 ms leic-cmts-15-lback-20.network.virginmedia.net [86.9.168.1]
2 6 ms 7 ms 7 ms leic-core-1b-ge-300-2234.network.virginmedia.net [82.3.33.197]
3 8 ms 7 ms 7 ms nrth-bb-1b-as6-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.172.41]
4 7 ms 7 ms 7 ms nrth-bb-1a-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.185.117]
5 24 ms 23 ms 23 ms fran-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.185.81]
6 22 ms 23 ms 23 ms cr1.fra003.internap.net [80.81.194.45]
7 25 ms 27 ms 23 ms ams003-fra003-2-cr1.ams003.internap.net [77.242.206.221]
8 26 ms 27 ms 27 ms ams003-lon005-4-cr2.lon005.internap.net [77.242.206.241]
9 108 ms 108 ms 107 ms bsn006-lon005-6-cr2.bsn006.internap.net [66.79.158.5]
10 107 ms 109 ms 109 ms cr1-cr2.bsn006.internap.net [66.79.147.13]
11 108 ms 107 ms 107 ms bsn006-nym009-9-cr2.nym009.internap.net [66.79.158.10]
12 106 ms 107 ms 107 ms cr1-cr2.nym009.internap.net [66.79.146.197]
13 100 ms 99 ms 99 ms nym008-nym009-82-core3.nym008.internap.net [66.79.152.130]
14 101 ms 100 ms 101 ms border1.po1-20g-bbnet1.nym008.pnap.net [216.52.95.1]
15 107 ms 108 ms 103 ms forex-40.border1.nym008.pnap.net [216.52.91.34]
16 106 ms 107 ms 104 ms www.fxcorporate.com [204.8.240.52]
Trace complete.

A conspiricay theory could easily be invented from the above result - luckily I am not that way inclined.

Ignitionnet · 08-03-2010, 09:31

Depends which looking glass you obtained the show bgp output from - it should be noted that any Looking Glass can only provide its' own view of the Internet, not that of another AS or even router within its' own AS.

Looks like Virgin are using the cheapest route to the website by the way, which is via their peering at DecIX in Frankfurt, rather than using paid for transit which may be more direct.

It should be noted that this is not in any way uncommon, ISPs as a general rule try and avoid transit costs where possible, that's the point of peering.