Major lag spikes that nobody around me seem to notice

[Dezy Barthelmess]

Since the latest update I'm being plagued by major lagspikes that nobody else seems to notice. When I want to walk my character just stays in place, though the movement tracker sees me tapping the Up key.

When I want to stop walking my character sometimes just keeps walking, straight into a wall, off a dock or bump into another person.

With typing I sometimes get a 10 second delay, which gives for awkward situations as I seem to reply with very odd answers on questions while I typed the answer to the previous question that was asked.

When I'm building, the object I just heavily modded just reverts to its original. Same goes with textures.

I've tested my connection, I run 25 Mbps. The only thing I have in the background is Tweetdeck and the Secondlife website, and Mediaplayer for music.

I hope someone can help me with this, it's getting on my nerves!

[Dezy Barthelmess]

Since the latest update I'm being plagued by major lagspikes that nobody else seems to notice. When I want to walk my character just stays in place, though the movement tracker sees me tapping the Up key.

When I want to stop walking my character sometimes just keeps walking, straight into a wall, off a dock or bump into another person.

With typing I sometimes get a 10 second delay, which gives for awkward situations as I seem to reply with very odd answers on questions while I typed the answer to the previous question that was asked.

When I'm building, the object I just heavily modded just reverts to its original. Same goes with textures.

I've tested my connection, I run 25 Mbps. The only thing I have in the background is Tweetdeck and the Secondlife website, and Mediaplayer for music.

I hope someone can help me with this, it's getting on my nerves!

[dd Temin]

The obvious test to do...is to shut down all of those other applications  that you have running in the background to see if  you lag problem goes away.  Also reset pc and router if you have not already done so. Dont use wireless unless   cable connection is not an option.   Be sure to check that any anti-virius programs are not slowing you down also.

If no help,,,i suggest you copy and paste your PC specs and video card specs here in the forums.

This info can be seen in viewer under  "Help.......about"

[Nalates Urriah]

When you ask a tech question include information about your computer and viewer. Get the info from the viewer's Help-About... and paste that into your post with your question. Help->About... provides all the version numbers we need.  To add your info to an existing question use OPTIONS->EDIT. It’s in the upper right of your post.

It also helps to know if you are using a laptop or a desktop and a wired or wireless connection.

Without that information all we can do is guess. That means you have to try all our bad guesses and eliminate them one by one. This is easier for all of us, if you give us good information to start with.

If you see spikes and others don't, that pretty much says you have a connection problem.

Your test of your Internet connection doesn't mean a whole lot until you tested to an SL region server. Having a good general Internet connection does not mean you have a good connection to SL. Read through Troubleshoot Your #Second Life Connection to find out how to test your connection to SL. It covers problems for both Windows & Mac.

[Coventina Dalgleish]

Oh I see delays also but it seems to be viewer specific anytime FS has to talk to the asset server my AV freezes for 10 seconds  the problem also exists in the LL viewer but the freeze is very short , less than a second. Resetting all of your hardware and killing background applications will always help the situation. This problem is also cyclic as it was occurring a month ago then cleared up with server rolls only to return recently

[Dezy Barthelmess]

Okay, here's what the "About" tab tells me:

Firestorm 4.4.2 (34167) Jul  1 2013 23:33:25 (Firestorm-Release) with Havok support
Release Notes

You are at 196,739.0, 290,635.0, 3,271.1 in Korsta located at sim10528.agni.lindenlab.com (216.82.52.34:13007)
Second Life Server 13.08.17.280013
Release Notes

CPU: Intel® Core2 Quad CPU    Q8300  @ 2.50GHz (2501.01 MHz)
Memory: 5120 MB
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1 (Build 7601)
Graphics Card Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
Graphics Card: GeForce 9400 GT/PCIe/SSE2

Windows Graphics Driver Version: 9.18.0013.1106
OpenGL Version: 3.3.0

RestrainedLove API: RLV v2.7.0 / RLVa v1.4.8a
libcurl Version: libcurl/7.21.1 OpenSSL/1.0.0d zlib/1.2.5 c-ares/1.7.1
J2C Decoder Version: KDU v7.1
Audio Driver Version: FMOD version 3.750000
Qt Webkit Version: 4.7.1 (version number hard-coded)
Voice Server Version: Not Connected
Settings mode: Phoenix
Viewer Skin: Vintage (Classic)
Font Used: Mobi Sans (96)
Draw distance: 240
Bandwidth: 1600
LOD factor: 2
Render quality: Medium (3/7)
Built with MSVC version 1600
Packets Lost: 176/12,974 (1.4%)

[Dezy Barthelmess]

I will look at that link and perform those tests, thanks!

[Ayesha Askham]

Dezy

One thing that jumps out at me straight away about your settings is the bandwidth:  1600 is quite high.  If you are optical fibre hard-wired, the maximum recommended is 1500.  If copper wire 1000 and if wireless, regardless of what is downstream of the router, 500.

Now that may not make much of a change but it will almost certainly reduce your packet-loss, which might reduce your perceived lag and building issues.

The nVidia 9400GT GPU is no better than OK (I used to use one) and you don't use high graphics settings, but a draw distance reduction would help.  240m is a bit optimistic...try 160.

Your OS, RAM and CPU are reasonable and ought not to cause issues.  Also I try not to run other applications at the same time as SL, you really don't have enough CPU horsepower to do that.

[Dezy Barthelmess]

hi Ayesha,

I upped the bandwidth because I looked at a forum and saw this announcement "Want to reduce lag? Up your bandwidth!" So I did that. Normally I would run at 1000.

I'm really starting to wonder if it has to do with SSA because since that last update performance wise SL has become a drama. I used to be able to run two viewers at the same time without troubles, now only one gives me a headache...

And not having enough CPU horsepower is a new one for me, a quadcore @ 2.5 GHz isn't enough?

[Eric Castanea]

This bug has been around since before SSA. There is a jira on the Firestorm website.

http://jira.phoenixviewer.com/browse/FIRE-1581

[Dezy Barthelmess]

Well, whatever happened this evening, I think my provider fixed it. My internet went down for two hours and I haven't had any major lag on SL since my connection came back. I think they had a bad router or something. So for now, the problem looks solved!

[Ayesha Askham]

Dezy

That is great news.  I didn't want to implicate your ISP since I don't know whereabouts in the world you are, but I've had issues like this myself before - I am in the UK.

As to your CPU, Yes, my error, it ought to be up to the job, I misread the spec!

[Rhys Goode]

1.4% packet loss seems pretty high.  Are you using wifi?  I use it most of the time, and while most of the time it gives me packet loss <~ .2%, sometimes it goes up to a few percent. (the neighbors garage door, the phase of the moon?)  And when it does, I lag like mad.

[Dezy Barthelmess]

Nope, I'm using Cat5 cable. Fortunately after the cleanup of my ISP yesterday packet loss was down to 0.1%.

[Darien Caldwell]

---

Ayesha Askham wrote:

Dezy

One thing that jumps out at me straight away about your settings is the bandwidth:  1600 is quite high.  If you are optical fibre hard-wired, the maximum recommended is 1500.  If copper wire 1000 and if wireless, regardless of what is downstream of the router, 500.

Now that may not make much of a change but it will almost certainly reduce your packet-loss, which might reduce your perceived lag and building issues.

 

---

 

I don't know who started that superstition about Bandwidth, but it's pure nonsense. You should set your Bandwidth as high as your connection will allow, with some buffer for other applications. If you have a 1,500 kps connection, then sure, setting it to 1,000 is probably ideal. But if you're like most with a 3,000 to 25,000 kbps connection, 1,500 is fine, and even 3,000 is recommended for the high end. Sadly LL used to allow as high as 10000 for bandwith (which was great for us ppl with 25,000 to 45,000 kpbs conenctions), but no loger allows that high.

The generic formula is connection Speed X 0.66 = Bandwidth Setting.   And in case you  need to convert, 1 MBPS = 1000 kbps.  So if it's a 1.5 Mbps connection, that's 1500 kbps.

In short, go as high as you possibly can, but don't choke your connection. You may have to play with the setting to find what is best for you.

[Perrie Juran]

---

Darien Caldwell wrote:

---

Ayesha Askham wrote:

Dezy

One thing that jumps out at me straight away about your settings is the bandwidth:  1600 is quite high.  If you are optical fibre hard-wired, the maximum recommended is 1500.  If copper wire 1000 and if wireless, regardless of what is downstream of the router, 500.

Now that may not make much of a change but it will almost certainly reduce your packet-loss, which might reduce your perceived lag and building issues.

 

---

 

I don't know who started that superstition about Bandwidth

, but it's pure nonsense. You should set your Bandwidth as high as your connection will allow, with some buffer for other applications. If you have a 1,500 kps connection, then sure, setting it to 1,000 is probably ideal. But if you're like most with a 3,000 to 25,000 kbps connection, 1,500 is fine, and even 3,000 is recommended for the high end. Sadly LL used to allow as high as 10000 for bandwith (which was great for us ppl with 25,000 to 45,000 kpbs conenctions), but no loger allows that high.

The generic formula is connection Speed X 0.66 = Bandwidth Setting.   And in case you  need to convert, 1 MBPS = 1000 kbps.  So if it's a 1.5 Mbps connection, that's 1500 kbps.

In short, go as high as you possibly can, but don't choke your connection. You may have to play with the setting to find what is best for you.

---

"I don't know who started that superstition about Bandwidth"

Probably the same people who refer to it as "Speed."

All the data is moving at roughly the speed of light.  All of it. 

Question is, if LL is only sending 2000kbps (I think that is the number),  what advantage do you gain by a larger connection on your end?

[Firedoomz]

I did not get a chance to read everyone else's post, but I will just give my suggestions.

 

Try doing a clean boot. A clean boot is when you disable everything from startup, except your antivirus and Microsoft Services. The link below will explain how to perform that. Make sure and follow each step if you are going to do it.

http://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-7/

 

Try resetting your modem. A modem is just like a computer, a small computer that is running 24/7, constantly sending and receiving packets in and out. There are two ways of doing it.

1. Unplug your router.

2. Leave it off for five (5) minutes.

3. Plug it back in and let it connect.

------------------------------------------------

1. Start Menu

2. Open CMD

3. Type in "ipconfig" (Without the quotations)

4. Look for "Default Gateway"

5. Type the numbers into your browser. EX: 192.168.2.1

6. Put in your router password - Can find it here http://www.routerpasswords.com/

7. When you are logged in, you can look for the reset button

 

The first one is 10 times easier, but the second option lets you do it from on your computer, so you don't even have to get it, which makes it more convenient.

Try lowering your graphics settings too a lower setting. I have the same internet speed as yours and I have no problem with Second Life. Your firewall could be the cause of it as well.

Hope I helped  ^ ^

[Ayesha Askham]

Darien

I refer you to Perrie's post. 

Firstly with regard to bandwidth, there is absolutely no point in setting your viewer bandwidth greater than Linden Lab's server capacity;  all that will happen is the the viewer will expect more data than it is receiving and errors will occur.  You must surely have noticed when Linden Lab began to reduce their server output rate?

Secondly with regard to wireless routers: they transmit data in discrete pulses, and while the best are getting faster the vast majority of routers used are still slow, so 500bps is a sensible compromise.

Thirdly as to who started this "myth": it was begun in Linden Lab's own wiki and has been circulated by TPV support groups throughout SL.  It is NOT nonsense, I have verified it with several viewers over the years including the Linden "Official" viewer.

If I am wrong, I am sure someone inworld will berate me, but in all truth I do not expect to be proven wrong in this matter.

[Perrie Juran]

---

Ayesha Askham wrote:

Darien

I refer you to Perrie's post. 

Firstly with regard to bandwidth, there is absolutely no point in setting your viewer bandwidth greater than Linden Lab's server capacity;  all that will happen is the the viewer will expect more data than it is receiving and errors will occur.  You must surely have noticed when Linden Lab began to reduce their server output rate?

Secondly with regard to wireless routers: they transmit data in discrete pulses, and while the best are getting faster the vast majority of routers used are still slow, so 500bps is a sensible compromise.

Thirdly as to who started this "myth": it was begun in Linden Lab's own wiki and has been circulated by TPV support groups throughout SL.  It is NOT nonsense, I have verified it with several viewers over the years including the Linden "Official" viewer.

If I am wrong, I am sure someone inworld will berate me, but in all truth I do not expect to be proven wrong in this matter.

---

I'm definitely not a technophile in general and not on this subject either.  I tend to say of myself that I know enough to get myself in trouble.

There are not a lot of details on the why's in the SL Wiki.  Maybe it is an SL-centric thing, but the general comment scattered through several places in the Wiki is that having your Bandwidth set too high can actually result in packet loss.  I'll leave it to those who are more technically savvy to explain that.  Over the past year or two there have been a lot of scattered comments through the Forum on this.  It's a shame they aren't all collated into one place.

If you think about the term itself, it is bandwidth.  It is how much data per second can move through your connection, not how fast the data is moving.  (I wrote that mainly for the benefit of those who never thought about it.  And yes, I understand the concept of bottle necks in the data stream.).  It's like opening up a faucet.  Why turning it wide open FOR SL can cause problems I don't know, that goes above my understanding.  What I do know is THAT it does.

The subject is covered in the Firestorm Wiki.     http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_speedtest

And my experience when helping people with TP and disconnect problems is generally the same.  A lot of the problems go away or are greatly reduced by following the recommendations in their Wiki.

[Dezy Barthelmess]

Can someone close this thread for me please? I already said the problem solved itself thanks to my provider but people don't seem to notice... I appreciate all you help you guys have given me though!