DC's and R0, is there a problem SE?

[erevan]

Ever since the update/world merger, a lot of ppl in my LS, or not, have been having problems with R0 and/or actual disconnects. The R0 issue might, possibly, could be assigned to heavy lag, but when R0 stays around and the % drops below 60, then it will DC, it won't recover. I have already discussed the drop outs with my ISP(use cable modem, never had prob til now), and the ISP put us on monitoring for 24hrs, we called when dropped, they never saw signal issue with modem. This leads me to believe it isn't an ISP problem, but rather some issue with server overload, it just can't supply the massive amounts of data to all who are online.

The burning question is:

So, will SE admit they have a problem with the world merge?

Edit- To clarify, it's not just been a single server issue, there was another post that I can't find concerning this same issue, so it seems to be game-wide problem.

[Komori]

Bismarck wasn't merged and our server has been experiencing the same thing and we just had it crash. d<.<

[Jackastheripper]

you know, it could have to do with the fact that there was a massive earthquake there not to long ago and they are still working on the country as a whole getting back up and running. not saying this is it, but it could be a good possibility that the rest of the services of the country that SE depends on are not up and running at 100% yet. just a thought.

[Ravenmore]

Its also getting close to summer in Japan, some HUBs for internet might be in the areas effected by brown outs. We don't get direct lines to SE's data center.

[Octaviane]

I have to agree with Jack and Raven. Japan is still trying to recover from a major disaster and may be experiencing sudden surges in or reductions of power. Still though, the fact is that there is major congestion on the merged servers especially, even on mine, we experienced server wide dc's last Sunday, and some players couldn't log back in.

[Mirage]

I am also experiencing more R0s than I seem to remember having earlier. It would be nice to hear from a SE representative if the problems are indeed caused by network instabilities in Japan, or if it is just my connection that has gotten worse.

[kitia]

So the problem I'm having is a game problem not my pc or modem and that its a game problem? So how do we tell SE and what should we do in the meantime?

[Komori]

I don't think there's much we can do and I'm not sure if the power surge is what's causing it. Although that could be it. But at least, I don't think it was the case with Bismarck.

More servers than just one would have crashed IMO if that were the case.

[Mirage]

So the problem I'm having is a game problem not my pc or modem and that its a game problem? So how do we tell SE and what should we do in the meantime?

It's hard to tell. It could very well be both, or neither.


I don't think there's much we can do and I'm not sure if the power surge is what's causing it. Although that could be it. But at least, I don't think it was the case with Bismarck.

More servers than just one would have crashed IMO if that were the case.
Getting a DC or R0 doesn't require a server to crash.

Each player connected to a server in SE's datacenter does not necessarily use the same path through the internet to get there. There could be a dozen network nodes between you and the server, and it is possible that for example I am not using more than just 2 of the same nodes you are using. If one of the nodes you're using but I'm not using is going down, I will be unaffected but you will be disconnected.

[erevan]

In the week since the original post, haven't had any problems on my end, but then again, been in a hotel all week, i'll see this long weekend; the wife still having same issues...so changed out wireless card, so far so good...
But others I've talked also have not had many problems, so whatever the issue was, it seems to have been corrected at a lot of places. Might not be a lot of ppl on over the w/e as most will have family things going on that don't involve FFXI, but then again, some ppl have this as a family game, 2 rl sons, wife and me..

[Glamdring]

I've had issues every year with this, starting in late spring, and only affecting FFXI. I have called SE, according to them the problem is with my ISP, couldn't possibly be them, even if they ARE the only application affected.

[Starcade]

There was a hacking into InterNIC about when this thread first started -- basically the nameservers were being compromised.

Has the problem improved in the last several days?

[Runespider]

Playing FFXI for as long as I have I can say almost every problem I've had with r0 and extended crappy connection just to XI servers for weeks was down to ISP problems. Comcast, Tiscali, Talktalk etc suck. It's almost always your ISP at fault, even if you can connect to other sites fine.

[Mirage]

There was a hacking into InterNIC about when this thread first started -- basically the nameservers were being compromised.

Has the problem improved in the last several days?
I'm pretty sure most R0s aren't happening because nameservers are unavailable.

[erevan]

We use TimeWarner cable and it seems only FFXI is affected. When it does drop, I will do the TW speed test, I get average of 8MBS down and 1MBS up, which is normal for us. Any other website will load ok, albeit slowly at times; but our R0 will drag on until we get disconnected. Occassionly, it will come back in time to save the connection. I know the paths to the servers vary widely and all it takes is to have 1 junction/server/router hiccup/fail to lose connectivity. In the past week, it looks to be much better, only an occasional R0 or even drop. I understand the problems with hi-speed Internet issues, a hiccup can cause multitudes of problems, from the common to the bizarre; You would not believe some of the problems I've seen during installations of routers, IP equipment and fiber transport, I even deliberately caused some on new routes, that is, not carrying any customer traffic yet; to teach new people how to troubleshoot these problems.

What I was trying to find out was if any other folks were having trouble since the world merges, maybe get SE to look into any possible issues before they become major. Like maybe processor utilization capping over the normal 60-70% that most servers work at. I realize not all servers use the same process, but a lot do, or at least the ones I work do.

[RAIST]

I'm with TWC too. In the past when I've had R0 problems and it wasn't my modem crapping out (just swapped out again last week) or someone stealing cable at the neighborhood drop--it's been a routing stall in Virginia or Nova Scotia areas. Run some traceroutes to find your "black hole" and forward the log to your ISP so they can get someome to power cycle or something...lol.

Last time it was a big issue it was something RR had no control over (wound up being a Verizon FiOS segment going down), so the changed my config to shoot me through Charlotte, NC instead and put me on a different routing path and I was able to get through. Made things a little more laggy, but it allowed me to get back in the game.

[Neika]

for about the past 30 mins or so, we have been R0ing like crazy...not long enough to disconnect us, just long enough to be annoying. brought it up in ls chat and about 90% for the ls is having the same issues in different zones. I really hope that SE gets this fixed...i know its not my internet because out of 3 characters, only 2 are having R0 issues...in castle O of all places...

[Leonlionheart]

A few in my ls have had this issue, but not on a new merger server. Asura has had a lot of R0s lately.

[Neika]

I'm on Ragnarok (was on Caitsith, never had any connection issues there). I don't know why, but just last hour or so has been really bad for r0. My boyfriend r0'd 5 times while fighting one yag in castle O.

[Xanaduu]

im R0ing as i type this on lakshmi... really hope we get a dev shout out soon... making me wanna log off and be bored again ~,~
edit: r0s started at about 11:27 pm est on lakshmi, any1 else notice it start then 2??

[Neika]

I think thats about the time it started on Ragnarok too. I wonder if all the servers are having this issue then.

[RAIST]

Just gave up about 20 minutes ago myself on Carby in Abyssea-Altepa. The last straw was when I recovered from the R0 state and had 5 tigers and that NM on me....managed to take one down with the fast-forward mass hysteria swinging while the client caught up with what was queued from the server before I died. Home Pointed to Port jueno and it was still R0'ing, so bounced to Bastok, and it was again doing it in my mog house in Bastok Mines. So it doesn't seem to be isolated to one specific zone.

Been poking around on the web testing different sites, and it doesn't seem to be lagging out anywhere but these forums a little (I've had to refresh pages a few times as they stall out on load).

It may be an issue getting to the Japan area or something...who knows. Pushing 1AM here anyway, so probly just call it a night soon....hopefully things clear up by the time I get back on tomorrow afternoon.

[erevan]

It looks like somebody, somewhere had issues, we(4 of us in town) started having R0's about 800pm est and it stayed through to after midnight. Two sons and wife were in Abyssea with an alliance and all of them(16 ppl) had same problem; so it wasn't a local ISP trouble. And so far today, no problems. We hope whatever the issue was, it was resolved, it was just annoying to set off a WS, or a cure, and sometimes wait 15-30 sec for it to hit. Some ppl in the alliance even went so far as to die before recovery, or came back to dead.

[Alhanelem]

Was having major issues last night, though they cleared up at around 1AM.

[Saefinn]

This happens somewhat frequently for me, it was also before server merge (though my server was not merged). Though I've not randomly DC'd for a couple of weeks now. :) Kind of annoying, particularly when you DC when going Sneak/Invisi through a pit of mobs that aggro by sound :S, but I didn't really look into the cause of it, it was never THAT big of a problem.

But if other people are getting it, I can assume that maybe I can't blame my crappy ISP. ;)

[edit]
A few weeks back there was a massive DC on Asura, not everybody was effected, but a great deal of people, including most of my alliance were wiped.

[erevan]

Ok, again, in Besieged last night, 55 min into it, R0, and the % keeps fluctuating, finally, right before message, beastmen have retreated, it drops. Lost any/all exp and Imp standing..at least didn't lose skillups.. Other ppl in my LS has same problem, so whatever the issue is, it's a common junction point, it certainly isn't any local carrier.
I'm sure we'll never hear of any issue/fix, just that it'll stop happening regularly...

[RAIST]

yeah... besieged has always been a fail because of that. I think they've increaesed what gets buffered server side when you R0. When it was happening so much to me the other night, I came back one time and just flat out shredded a tiger I had pulled right before the R0 hit. It looked like I was dual-wielding K clubs with 100% proc on both for a few seconds while the buffer dumped. They may need to extend the buffer further, both for the disconnect timeout as well as what gets saved at the server (provided they have the resources to support it).

The big problem with besieged though is they can't really just add the campaign tweak where you redeem tags on reraise and then tweak that to apply to a D/C issue. Besieged rewards are tied into the ending CS, so if you miss the CS---you miss the rewards. They need to fix that part of it first, then they can make it function more like campaign, and THEN maybe they can fix it so you can receive rewards on the re-connect.

Too bad it would involve so much work....means SE is less likely to consider it.