I was using version 303 and having a terrible time with high ping times and players that would time out trying to connect to the LAN server. Disable MapVote and everybody can connect and play fine. I switched to version 304 and there was no improvement. Any ideas on the cause of the problem and how to fix it or is it a code problem that will have to be fixed and there is nothing I can do?
MapVote causes network lag
- Thread starter agilmore
- Start date
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I've never seen where MapVote increased ping. It probably does a little but only when
the server is underpowered and a lot of players are opening the MapVote windows.
I have seen where it would increase the connection time.
Here are a few things to try:
1. If your running windows 2000 make sure you have the latest patch and disable the
service that throttles network apps (cant remember the name of it sorry).
2. Increase the NetServerMaxTickRate in the servers ini file. (30 or more)
3. Make sure the welcome window is disabled.
4. If the above doesnt work try disabling the Entry windows. bEntryWindows=False
5. Try increasing the ConnectionTimeout on the clients. It could be that the problem
computers are slower.
If none of the above works then maybe the server is too slow ?
Whats the Server and Client specs ? (Processor speed, memory, drive type/speed)
the server is underpowered and a lot of players are opening the MapVote windows.
I have seen where it would increase the connection time.
Here are a few things to try:
1. If your running windows 2000 make sure you have the latest patch and disable the
service that throttles network apps (cant remember the name of it sorry).
2. Increase the NetServerMaxTickRate in the servers ini file. (30 or more)
3. Make sure the welcome window is disabled.
4. If the above doesnt work try disabling the Entry windows. bEntryWindows=False
5. Try increasing the ConnectionTimeout on the clients. It could be that the problem
computers are slower.
If none of the above works then maybe the server is too slow ?
Whats the Server and Client specs ? (Processor speed, memory, drive type/speed)
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The server is an HP Netserver E60.
Server specs:
Single PIII 600
512 Meg Ram
36 Gig 7200 RPM Quantum SCSI drive
3Com 3C905B NIC
HP Netserver 10/100 NIC (integrated)
Windows 2000 Server with SP4 and all MS updates applied.
The processor is never over about 15%.
Client machines vary from PIII 600's to overclocked machines @ 900 Mhz to
P4 1.6 Ghz machines with 128 - 512 Meg Ram and Windows 98/2000/XP.
We have 12 people playing in the office, so the client machines cover a wide range.
Server specs:
Single PIII 600
512 Meg Ram
36 Gig 7200 RPM Quantum SCSI drive
3Com 3C905B NIC
HP Netserver 10/100 NIC (integrated)
Windows 2000 Server with SP4 and all MS updates applied.
The processor is never over about 15%.
Client machines vary from PIII 600's to overclocked machines @ 900 Mhz to
P4 1.6 Ghz machines with 128 - 512 Meg Ram and Windows 98/2000/XP.
We have 12 people playing in the office, so the client machines cover a wide range.
How many maps do you have in your maps folder?
I had to reduce the number of maps in my maps folder to around 150 or so. It wasn't really MapVote causing the problem as much as UT just attempting to read in all the maps.
I had to reduce the number of maps in my maps folder to around 150 or so. It wasn't really MapVote causing the problem as much as UT just attempting to read in all the maps.
No luck yet - files attached
I tried again today with no luck. My current test machine is a PIII 800 with 256 Meg RAM.
I turned on the Debug option for MapVote for whatever it is worth.
Attached is the server log from todays final tests (server1.txt).
I can get to the CONNECTING screen without any trouble. Sometimes it disconnects without opening the map. Other times the map is displayed, but is frozen (you can't move) and then disconnects. And still other times it connects and you can move around the map, but cannot pick anything up or shoot anything. The weapon (Zark SRLB II) fires and zooms, but when firing, the number of rounds doesn't decrease, and you can't hit anything.
Also attached is my server ini file (server1.ini.txt).
I also have attached the client's unrealtournament.ini file (unrealtournament.ini.txt).
Thanks for the help.
I tried again today with no luck. My current test machine is a PIII 800 with 256 Meg RAM.
I turned on the Debug option for MapVote for whatever it is worth.
Attached is the server log from todays final tests (server1.txt).
I can get to the CONNECTING screen without any trouble. Sometimes it disconnects without opening the map. Other times the map is displayed, but is frozen (you can't move) and then disconnects. And still other times it connects and you can move around the map, but cannot pick anything up or shoot anything. The weapon (Zark SRLB II) fires and zooms, but when firing, the number of rounds doesn't decrease, and you can't hit anything.
Also attached is my server ini file (server1.ini.txt).
I also have attached the client's unrealtournament.ini file (unrealtournament.ini.txt).
Thanks for the help.
K, I'll take a look at these soon.
Did you try the suggestions (2,3,4, and 5) ?
What UT patch version have you installed (server and client) ?
Also, when you connect to a server and can not interteract with the level you
really are not connected. This is a UT bug. You'll probably see a TCP Timeout in the
server log.
Did you try the suggestions (2,3,4, and 5) ?
What UT patch version have you installed (server and client) ?
Also, when you connect to a server and can not interteract with the level you
really are not connected. This is a UT bug. You'll probably see a TCP Timeout in the
server log.
agilmore,
I think you forgot to try step 4 (bEntryWindows=False). Your Server.ini file still has it set to True.
Also it looks like you may have mis-interpreted step 3. Your server.ini file has "HasStartWindow=False". The valid options for it are "Auto", "Yes", and "No".
I think you forgot to try step 4 (bEntryWindows=False). Your Server.ini file still has it set to True.
Also it looks like you may have mis-interpreted step 3. Your server.ini file has "HasStartWindow=False". The valid options for it are "Auto", "Yes", and "No".
Good News - Bad News
Thanks for the help. I don't know what those settings are for or why they would have that effect in a LAN environment, but it seems to have worked. Clients can now connect. That is where is joy ends. The Zark SLRB mutator doesn't work now. You can hold the weapon and shoot it, but no ammo is used and nothing is hit with the shot. It worked fine before MapVote, is there any reason why it wouldn't work now?
Thanks for the help. I don't know what those settings are for or why they would have that effect in a LAN environment, but it seems to have worked. Clients can now connect. That is where is joy ends. The Zark SLRB mutator doesn't work now. You can hold the weapon and shoot it, but no ammo is used and nothing is hit with the shot. It worked fine before MapVote, is there any reason why it wouldn't work now?
I have no idea why. It should not affect it.
Make sure that the Zark filename is in the ServerPackages in the ini file and
post a link to this "Zark SLRB" mutator so I can download it and take a look.
Make sure that the Zark filename is in the ServerPackages in the ini file and
post a link to this "Zark SLRB" mutator so I can download it and take a look.
Also try re-arranging the order the mutators are added to the server. Try moving Mapvote ahead or behind the mutators you are having problems with.
If you start via the UCC command, then change the order in the ?mutator= parameter.
If you start via the windowing interface, then change the order you add the mutators in, when adding them to the mutator window.
But most importantly, make sure you have the ServerPackages lines for any mutators that need to be on the player's machines.
If you start via the UCC command, then change the order in the ?mutator= parameter.
If you start via the windowing interface, then change the order you add the mutators in, when adding them to the mutator window.
But most importantly, make sure you have the ServerPackages lines for any mutators that need to be on the player's machines.
Bad News
I removed all the mods from the commandline except the MapVote mod. The changes we have made do allow me to connect to a game now, but it takes some time. The game plays fine once connected. Now, if I press the MapVote key it takes 30-45 seconds for the MapVote screen to be displayed, but you have been disconnected from the server, so the maplist is empty.
See the attached server log for an error message.
Attached is the Zark SLRB II sniper rifle mod from the previous post.
I removed all the mods from the commandline except the MapVote mod. The changes we have made do allow me to connect to a game now, but it takes some time. The game plays fine once connected. Now, if I press the MapVote key it takes 30-45 seconds for the MapVote screen to be displayed, but you have been disconnected from the server, so the maplist is empty.
See the attached server log for an error message.
Attached is the Zark SLRB II sniper rifle mod from the previous post.
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I think I may see the problem...
Try connecting to the web admin and see if your players also get disconnected (I suspect they will).
I found with my P3 866 server, when I bring up the web admin or when a player brings up mapvote, I can't have more than about 150 maps in the maps folder or people get disconnected. It doesn't appear to have anything to do with Mapvote or the Web Admin, but with the code UT uses to catalog the maps (or any folder with a lot of files in it).
It seems that when folders with a lot of files in them are accessed by UT Script. It causes UT to temporarily stop transmitting packets to players, until it finishes accessing the folder. The problem seems to be logarithmic, with each new file added the problem gets exponentially worse.
I suspect (and could be wrong) that in a LAN game there may not be as much tolerance for slow connections as there is in an Internet game. As such, if the UT Server temporarily stops sending packets, you may loose connection faster in a LAN game than you would in an Internet game.
If you have a CPU monitoring software on your Server (TaskMan.exe, or TaskMgr.exe on MS Windows machines), try running it when one of your players attempts to bring up MapVote. On my servers (when I had over 150 or so maps) the CPU pegged out to 100% for several seconds. It did the same thing when I brought up the web admin interface. During the time the CPU was pegged, the network traffic from the server to the players stopped.
This is from your server log file.
Add mutator BDBMapVote304.BDBMapVote
Detected GameType = Botpack.DeathMatchPlus
Total Maps = 218
Try moving about half of those maps to temporary folder and see if the problem goes away.
Try connecting to the web admin and see if your players also get disconnected (I suspect they will).
I found with my P3 866 server, when I bring up the web admin or when a player brings up mapvote, I can't have more than about 150 maps in the maps folder or people get disconnected. It doesn't appear to have anything to do with Mapvote or the Web Admin, but with the code UT uses to catalog the maps (or any folder with a lot of files in it).
It seems that when folders with a lot of files in them are accessed by UT Script. It causes UT to temporarily stop transmitting packets to players, until it finishes accessing the folder. The problem seems to be logarithmic, with each new file added the problem gets exponentially worse.
I suspect (and could be wrong) that in a LAN game there may not be as much tolerance for slow connections as there is in an Internet game. As such, if the UT Server temporarily stops sending packets, you may loose connection faster in a LAN game than you would in an Internet game.
If you have a CPU monitoring software on your Server (TaskMan.exe, or TaskMgr.exe on MS Windows machines), try running it when one of your players attempts to bring up MapVote. On my servers (when I had over 150 or so maps) the CPU pegged out to 100% for several seconds. It did the same thing when I brought up the web admin interface. During the time the CPU was pegged, the network traffic from the server to the players stopped.
This is from your server log file.
Add mutator BDBMapVote304.BDBMapVote
Detected GameType = Botpack.DeathMatchPlus
Total Maps = 218
Try moving about half of those maps to temporary folder and see if the problem goes away.
Bad News
I deleted all but 60 of the maps and it still disconnects. I changed the LANPLAY setting to False and tried it again. No change, still disconnects when bringing up MapVote.
Should I try turning off the web server? I did observe the processor usage when connecting to the web server and it never went above 20% and that was for an instant, it didn't stay there long. So I don't think it is causing the issue, but I can turn it off if you want me to.
Remember that this isn't a problem on all machines. My machine works fine no matter what I change. MapVote comes up fast everytime, but I am the minority in this case. I also am plugged into the same switch as the server. We have a supernet here and the server has a static IP address. I don't know if that has any effect on this but I thought I would let you know.
More to come...
I deleted all but 60 of the maps and it still disconnects. I changed the LANPLAY setting to False and tried it again. No change, still disconnects when bringing up MapVote.
Should I try turning off the web server? I did observe the processor usage when connecting to the web server and it never went above 20% and that was for an instant, it didn't stay there long. So I don't think it is causing the issue, but I can turn it off if you want me to.
Remember that this isn't a problem on all machines. My machine works fine no matter what I change. MapVote comes up fast everytime, but I am the minority in this case. I also am plugged into the same switch as the server. We have a supernet here and the server has a static IP address. I don't know if that has any effect on this but I thought I would let you know.
More to come...
I just had an idea. There were several cases where AntiVirus software on the client
was causing this to happen.
Try turning off the "Active Scanning" or temporarly disabe the antivirus. Same goes
with any personal firewall software.
was causing this to happen.
Try turning off the "Active Scanning" or temporarly disabe the antivirus. Same goes
with any personal firewall software.
Post #8
This machine doesn't have any Anti-virus or Personal Firewall software installed. It was a great idea, but that can't be the problem. My MSN Messenger address is agilmore@cox.net if you would like to discuss this in more detail.
I could open port 7777 and you could then connect to a game and see if you get the same thing. We would have to set up a time.
This machine doesn't have any Anti-virus or Personal Firewall software installed. It was a great idea, but that can't be the problem. My MSN Messenger address is agilmore@cox.net if you would like to discuss this in more detail.
I could open port 7777 and you could then connect to a game and see if you get the same thing. We would have to set up a time.
This might be the Windows 2000 UT Server Creeping bug? If you are running UT V4.36 or older, it is possible you don't have the fix for this.
http://unreal.epicgames.com/oldnews3.htm
Look for the "Unreal Tournament 436 Server Denial of Service Fix July 18, 2002 - by Jack Porter"
This doesn't sount exactly like the symptoms of the Windows 2000 UT Server Creeping Ping bug, but in a lan environment it may show up differently, and it couldn't hurt to update.
The link to the fix on the Epic page appears to be dead. But I have a copy of it on my ftp site.
ftp://ftp.CatchersCTF.com/UT/OfficialUpdates/UT436-IpDrv-070902.zip
http://unreal.epicgames.com/oldnews3.htm
Look for the "Unreal Tournament 436 Server Denial of Service Fix July 18, 2002 - by Jack Porter"
This doesn't sount exactly like the symptoms of the Windows 2000 UT Server Creeping Ping bug, but in a lan environment it may show up differently, and it couldn't hurt to update.
The link to the fix on the Epic page appears to be dead. But I have a copy of it on my ftp site.
ftp://ftp.CatchersCTF.com/UT/OfficialUpdates/UT436-IpDrv-070902.zip
TheCatcher said:
Yes, that bug can have some pretty drastic effetcs on Win2000 boxes. There's an online server I used to go to who's host switched from Linux to Windows 2000 without notifying their client (admin). Soon, ping would regularly spike to 1000+ and despite the protests of the admin, the host kept the server on Windows 2000. In effect, they forced him to choose another game server provider. Silly really.