Traffic Management & Extreme Latency.

[Ryuichi]

Having been with Virgin Media for quite some time, I've gotten used to the traffic management and the eventual slowing down of my service after downloading relatively large amounts of data.

However recently, after getting back into PC gaming the Traffic management has caused serious issues, as when it kicks in it seems to dramatically increase latency (or packet loss).

Gaming isn't particularly bandwidth intensive, so I'd expect that I'd be able to be able to game fine during periods of bandwidth throttling, just experience slower browsing or downloading, but most of my games become completely unplayable online as latency spikes.

I'm currently experiencing what I believe is traffic management at the moment and am experiencing pings of >700 for nearby servers.

http://www.pingtest.net/result/15940306.png

Here's a traceroute to bbc.co.uk which usually produces pings of <30 - If you need any more information to help diagnose my issue I'd be happy to provide it.

http://i42.tinypic.com/j8gyvc.png

Thanks in advance.

[Ryuichi]

Another Saturday of being STM'd and another Saturday of extremely high latency - making games unplayable.

Is this normal, when traffic management is in place?

[Ryuichi]

Bump, if anyone has any further information on what I can do to get my ping in check, that'd be great.

[alferret]

I would suggest leaving your downloads till after you have had your fill of online gaming then do your DL'ing, simples

[Chrysalis]

it would seem STM isnt a simple throttle they must be deliberatly adding latency to add motivation for people to avoid been stm'd

I have never actually been stm'd so my guess is based on your report.

[kwikbreaks]

It's probably a very simple throttle which is why there is packet loss. If you remember Entanet made a big deal about their throttling when the centrals were approaching full capacity not increasing latency and packet loss - they even called it a the anti-loss tool or some such.

On the current 10Mbps package the evening cap is 1.5GB and for 20Mbps it is 3.5GBps. I think you'd need to work hard just gaming to exceed either so this is either an old package, not gaming, or not throttling.

[browney]

Do you have other people using your network? if your on 10Mb and get throttled down to 2Mb and someone else is using the internet you will find poor in game performance. I know I did.

I haven't been on STM for about a year it's very easy to download out of peak time hours.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

it would seem STM isnt a simple throttle they must be deliberatly adding latency to add motivation for people to avoid been stm'd

I have never actually been stm'd so my guess is based on your report.

Woah there. STM has no parameter to add latency.

---------- Post added at 09:03 ---------- Previous post was at 09:01 ----------

Originally Posted by kwikbreaks

It's probably a very simple throttle which is why there is packet loss. If you remember Entanet made a big deal about their throttling when the centrals were approaching full capacity not increasing latency and packet loss - they even called it a the anti-loss tool or some such.

The ALT was actually also a very simple throttle, it dynamically slowed down all the subscribers connected to a particular central in set increments until usage dropped below a certain threshold and didn't increase them again until usage dropped below a further threshold.

This just adjusted the bandwidth limit being applied at Enta's LNS it was nothing too exotic.

---------- Post added at 09:04 ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 ----------

STM is certainly misfiring. It's not, by design, supposed to increase latency.

Good luck getting this logged with tech support though...

[Kymmy]

I think this comment about other people using the connection is the reason for the latency.. A STM'd 10Mb connection should be fine for gaming (2.5M/126K) but if others are trying to max out the stm'd connection then yes that will slow things down.

Either get a router that you can prioritise your connection or at least throttle the other users

[jb66]

Or upgrade

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Woah there. STM has no parameter to add latency.

---------- Post added at 09:03 ---------- Previous post was at 09:01 ----------

well what causes the latency then, because a simple cap down to 25% wont cause it.

Is it possible that stm'd people get routed differently and the equipment handling stm is causing the latency due to it taking that amount of time to process the packets?

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

Is it possible that stm'd people get routed differently and the equipment handling stm is causing the latency due to it taking that amount of time to process the packets?

Interesting proposition.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

well what causes the latency then, because a simple cap down to 25% wont cause it.

Is it possible that stm'd people get routed differently and the equipment handling stm is causing the latency due to it taking that amount of time to process the packets?

Evidently STM is not working properly or there is a customer-side saturation of the newly throttled bandwidth, and no STM'd people aren't routed differently nor is the equipment handling STM causing the additional latency unless there is a software issue somewhere causing it as STM is handled by the uBR and STM is just a triggered parameter change, the actual enforcement is done by the same mechanisms as the normal speeds.

May I suggest a read of the documentation relating to STM before making these assumptions?

[Ruki]

VM is a joke. I am currently looking for a new provider. I have no tv in my office (work from home) and streamed a few world cup matches on bbc i player this week. Everytime I'd get STM'd. Is it too much to ask for 2gb peak time? (im on 10mb) Surely not.

[pip08456]

http://help.virginmedia.com/system/s...RTICLE_ID=2781