29.3 Lag to and from Avalon.
The lag you will tend to receive when playing Avalon (or indeed, when connecting to any but the most local sites on the internet) will be due inadequacies of capacity somewhere in the 'route' taken between your computer, and the remote site to which you are connected. Everything you send, and everything you receive, is split up into small chunks and sent to and from your local computer and the remote site in 'packets'. These packets are routed via a number of interim points as a route is established between you and Avalon. This route will not only include your local computer and your local internet provider, and Avalon itself, but also any number of interim internet providers and internet backbones (e.g. MCI net which deals with a great deal of incoming transatlantic traffic and traffic passing interstate in the USA). It tends to be at these interim internet providers and most usually, at the big internet backbones, that serious lag occurs.
At time of writing, for example, due to a problem with MCI's backbone in Boston, a third of transatlantic users and half of those on the upper eastern seaboard, will find their packets routed via San Francisco, and then back again to DC. Thus undue lag is created, even beyond normal undercapacity as the internet grows apace, beyond our control.
What can you do to minimize your lag, then?
Avalon has other points of presence on the Internet. See HELP POPS for details. You should try these in the event of lag, even if the node seems out of the way, since they may result in a better connection.
What can you do to let us know about unreasonable lag, so we can perhaps complain to the relevant network providers?
For anybody using Windows, Windows 95/98, Macintosh, Unix, Linux, and indeed most platforms, you will be able to get hold of a piece of software to run what is known as a 'traceroute'. We can provide this software for most platforms via our web site (http://www.firstage.net).
Once you have it, you can run a traceroute between yourself and Avalon - this will inform you of the route currently being taken between Avalon and your computer, every 'hop' your packet is subjected to on its way to us, and how long it is being held up at each stage.
The traceroute will vary according to time of day, and specifically, when points on the route are experiencing unusual problems. If serious points of lag can be identified it is possible to bypass them, or force your packets to take alternative routes which is often remarkably effective. Your local internet provider will be able to do this. If you have trouble analysing the results of a traceroute, send it to us at support@firstage.net and we will investigate for you.
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