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Routing to AWS EC2 instances in SEA (Singapore) from Melbourne - something wrong

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theexecutioner
Level 4

@Shane wrote:

Hi @reedyrop
 

Welcome to the community!
 

If you’re in Melbourne, Australia, but playing on an American or Asian server, your latency will be higher because the geographical distance creates a delay between information being sent from an Australian client-side (player’s) connection before it’s received and relayed from the American server.
 

Connecting or Playing to a Game server not designated to your area will affect a high latency issue particularly if the Game Developer itself made a specific Server in every location such as SEA / NA Servers etc. If you're having latency issue while playing/connected to the Australian Server please post a screen shot of the latency issue and we'll have it check.
 

Let us know should you require further assistance.

 


This is not quite the right answer nor the right question, at least not without understanding the context. The poster is correct in what he says.. 100% correct. His experience being matched to NA region is 100% the fault of the incorrect routing through TPG network that I describe in my OP.

 

PUBG does auto-matchmaking to gameloft servers (and a few other third party providers); it does this by sending out a crap-tonne of ICMP pings to AWS servers in each region in which it has game servers, and then decides which region a player will be matched into based on lowest - highest latency results (and the population of players in each region).

 

Thus, if the routing is knackered, such as I am describing in my OP, it can legitimately mismatch players into high-latency regions.

 

So while you are correct in your explaination of latency mechanics, this specific scenario is the fault of the ISP or downstream provider that is causing the illegitimate route. ie - TPG.

theexecutioner
Level 4

@Shane wrote:

The latest update on the OP's escalated issue. We've seen that all the action that was taken to have the issue fixed. Our Engineers concluded their investigation of escalated issue. TPG on-site and remote testing has shown that all the equipment within TPG's network is working and the current level of service is the best that can be delivered on the current infrastructure.
 

On the other hand, the latency issue you currently experience is an isolated case. We tried to use your community details to pull up the account unfortunately it does not show any matching records on file.
 

To better understand the situation, PM us your account details (Username/Customer ID together with the complete address on file).
 

In case you need a reference:

How do I private message (PM) in the community

 

 

Perhaps you didnt read my post. PUBG used to connect to SEA and Asian servers all the time with much lower ping. But in the last few weeks it connects to North America with a ping of around 250. Also I've noticed that my friends who play Hunt: Showdown on the Asian server are getting much better ping than me. Can you look into it. I think its what the OP is saying - traffic to Asia is being routed through Los Angeles. There's posts on Whirlpool about this too. Please fix.

 

Regards


I've asked the case manager for evidence from the engineering team.

 

I'd suggest sufficient evidence might include providing me your primary and alternate routing info covering this address, along with detailed technical explaination of what they did to diagnose the problem. I'd like to see when this route is used, the load on the network that causes it to fire, and who in your downstream partner network providers you've discussed the routing issue with (if any). I'd like to understand why TPG is routing through NA instead of through Perth and over to SEA via the SeaMeWe-3, INDIGO-West or Australia-Singapore Cable (ASC) (refer to https://www.submarinecablemap.com/#/) which is the usual SEA route.

 

Easy huh? Provide *evidence* not just words.

 

Here's my problem:

 

I've been told that the routing being used is optimal, and is taken to deal with network load to ensure optimal network performance. This answer is fluff, unless there is *evidence* to prove it. I've traced at *literally* all over the day/night cycle here in Melbourne, on weekdays and weekends... and your routing is *always* via NA.

 

To me that begs the question: are you actually loaded *all* the time such that alternate routes are *always* being used (that would be bad wouldn't it?), or are you (TPG) or a downstream provider failing to adequately manage your routing tables?

 

I reiterate - I've had workmates on Optus cable and other networks test the same route from here in Melbourne - and I've tested on Vodafone mobile and via NordVPN - and found *no* similar problems. If it were general congestion outside of TPG's control, and the responsibility of a primary provider downstream - don't you think it would be evident in other networks as well?

 

So - to summarise - evidence talks.

 

Start talking.

theexecutioner
Level 4

@reedyrop wrote:

Perhaps you didnt read my post. PUBG used to connect to SEA and Asian servers all the time with much lower ping. But in the last few weeks it connects to North America with a ping of around 250. Also I've noticed that my friends who play Hunt: Showdown on the Asian server are getting much better ping than me. Can you look into it. I think its what the OP is saying - traffic to Asia is being routed through Los Angeles. There's posts on Whirlpool about this too. Please fix.

 

Regards


Could you point me to the whirlpool posts? Cheers.

 

Also - could you ask your friends to try the trace in my OP - if you can ... and which ISP they are with? I'd like as much data as possible - based on TPG's last direct response to me, they are claiming there is nothing wrong - which is baloney... although it's possible (as they point out) that it isn't their equipment... on that latter point - it could be someone downstream mis-routing -- but that's part of network diagnosis ...

 

For the TPG folk reading this - let me put it this way:

 

If a downstream provider was found to have faulty equipment that was causing your (TPG's) customers to be having major outages, or speed problems ... would you work with that downstream provider to ensure it was fixed?

 

'nuff said.

theexecutioner
Level 4

Is this perhaps part of the answer? TPG aren't paying for adequate backhaul? That would put TPG at significant competitive disadvantage ...

 

TBH I don't think this explains it, otherwise *all* SEA routes would not be going via Perth - and that's not the case. This is why I think its a routing table problem for a certain address range ... but your engineers should have been able to find that ... which is what is puzzling me.

theexecutioner
Level 4

to TPG:

 

fwiw, have your engineers taken advantage of lookingglass traces to check TPG routes versus your competition, to validate what I'm saying...?

 

It's pretty telling... use trace, with ec2-13-251-110-6.ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com (13.251.110.6) as the address. You can also use 180.87.15.25 if you wish (which is the first SEA entry point that TPG seem to hop to).

 

Be patient it'll take a while to complete because the final server hops will have to time out as they won't respond ...

 

http://looking-glass.connect.com.au/lg (tpg)

http://looking-glass.internode.on.net/lg.cgi (iinet)

https://www.telstra.net/cgi-bin/trace (telstra)

http://looking-glass.optus.net.au/lg/ (optus)

 

Love to see an explaination as to why TPG is the *only* provider in that list routing through NA... Pretty telling, wouldn't you say?

 

?

reedyrop
Level 2

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2796236

 

https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2791730

 

heres a couple of threads on whirlpool documenting the issue. Looks like TPG have already lost a number of customers over this. Poster there also confirms it's isolated to TPG.

 

PUBG has been unplayable for weeks.

 

I'm strongly considering switching to AussieBB myself. Had too much bs from TPG ...

 

theexecutioner
Level 4

TPG have 24hrs left of the time the rep and I agreed before I escalate to the Ombudsman. No more run-around. I’ve clearly documented this problem here in this thread and pointed engineering to the thread.

 

I’ll also widen my social media exposure and see if anyone has cases active already to add to the Ombudsman ticket.

 

Pleas TPG - have someone with understanding and competence look at this. Quickly.

Joseph_D
Moderator

@theexecutioner our engineering and complaints resolution are currently coordinating regarding the concerns they have raised. They will contact you directly to provide further assistance.

theexecutioner
Level 4

@Joseph_D wrote:

@theexecutionerour engineering and complaints resolution are currently coordinating regarding the concerns they have raised. They will contact you directly to provide further assistance.


They haven’t so far since writing the last messages here... how long do you think they’ll take? 

 

1/5/2019:

tracert ec2-13-251-110-6.ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com

Tracing route to
ec2-13-251-110-6.ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com[13.251.110.6]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.0.1
  2     1 ms     1 ms     1 ms 
192-168-1-1.tpgi.com.au[192.168.1.1]
  3    19 ms     9 ms     8 ms 
10-20-25-204.tpgi.com.au[10.20.25.204]
  4    12 ms    12 ms    10 ms 
nme-apt-bur-crt1-be20.tpgi.com.au[203.219.155.193]
  5    31 ms    30 ms    24 ms 
syd-gls-har-crt1-be-10.tpgi.com.au[202.7.171.173]
  6    22 ms    22 ms    23 ms 
203-221-3-67.tpgi.com.au[203.221.3.67]
  7   180 ms   177 ms   178 ms 
las-b24-link.telia.net[213.248.95.232]
  8   183 ms   184 ms   189 ms 
tata-ic-333371-las-b24.c.telia.net[80.239.128.215]
  9   264 ms   271 ms   264 ms 
if-ae-2-2.tcore2.lvw-los-angeles.as6453.net[66.110.59.2]
 10   264 ms   264 ms   265 ms 
if-ae-7-2.tcore2.svw-singapore.as6453.net
[180.87.15.25]
 11   255 ms   255 ms   254 ms  180.87.15.206

...

Joseph_D
Moderator

@theexecutioner they should contact you within the day.