MTU Issues between Melbourne and SOE

[Catharz]

Hi Everyone,

I just got my 1500/256 DSL setup yesterday. I then logged into EverQuest, to find that I was getting up to 65% packet loss.

I turned to my Linux machine and did a traceroute to the EQ server I play on, no problem. Ran a ping for 100 packets, not a problem.

I then played with the datarate.txt file (an EQ specific file where you can set how much data it should send) and tweaked that. No changes.

After another 30 minutes if "trying" to play, I logged off and set about finding a MTU tweaking tool. I found DSL Speed 2.01 (http://www.tucows.com/preview/302257.html) on tucows and ran it. What it came up with is an optimal MTU of 1492. I let it modify my registry settings, rebooted and everything was good.

Anyway, thought everybody should know that somewhere between Melbourne and Sony Online Entertainment, oversize packets are not being handled correctly.

[thomashouseman]

Probably of no relevance but EQ has worked fine on my PC ever since switching to Swiftel. Use a Netcomm NB1200 USB ADSL modem.

Catharz - what server do you play on? I'm on Drinal.

[3cakes]

if anyone else has this problem and you want to test large packets try using the -l (as in lowercase L) option.

ping -l 2500 -t <ip address|hostname>

will run a continuous ping using 2500-byte pings.

make it larger than the mtu to test fragmentation then drop it to test optimum mtu settings.

you can also use the -n option.

check ping -? or ping /? for more options.

[Catharz]

Hi Thomas,

I'm on the Tunare server. I've been thinking of switching to Stormhammer to join a guild that raids in our time-slot though. My old server folded just as we were keying up for VT.