03-05-2019, 02:31 AM
Yesterday I learned about one of our VPSs "leaking" and couldn't figure out what that meant until it happened to me tonight. Packet loss! So thought I would study what packet loss is about and write a summary here for in case this should happen to any one else.
What is packet loss?
This is when data you send and receive fail to reach its destination. Technically it means slow downs, disruptions, or even a total loss of connectivity. Worst affected by packet loss are real time audio or video, and gaming. So can imagine this has to be really bad for Game servers and other audio applications on VPSs. In my case it was my VestaCP Panel. Something happened to the database. It got fixed. And then next there was total loss of connectivity.
Causes of Packet Loss
Network Congestion
Could be that some of the connections are at their maximum capacity so that when packets arrive they have to wait their turn before they get passed on. If the connections fall behind in processing the packets there may not be enough memory to hold on to them and they get lost.
Faulty or Outdated Networking Hardware
Outdated network switches can't keep up with demand, particularly when the Internet connections become faster relative to what the switches have been designed for. Traffic may then exceed the capacity of the device resulting in packet loss.
Software bugs
This often gets fixed with rebooting the VPS.
So who knows. Maybe the Phoenix network has become congested and maybe hardware can't keep up with Internet connections.
What is packet loss?
This is when data you send and receive fail to reach its destination. Technically it means slow downs, disruptions, or even a total loss of connectivity. Worst affected by packet loss are real time audio or video, and gaming. So can imagine this has to be really bad for Game servers and other audio applications on VPSs. In my case it was my VestaCP Panel. Something happened to the database. It got fixed. And then next there was total loss of connectivity.
Causes of Packet Loss
Network Congestion
Could be that some of the connections are at their maximum capacity so that when packets arrive they have to wait their turn before they get passed on. If the connections fall behind in processing the packets there may not be enough memory to hold on to them and they get lost.
Faulty or Outdated Networking Hardware
Outdated network switches can't keep up with demand, particularly when the Internet connections become faster relative to what the switches have been designed for. Traffic may then exceed the capacity of the device resulting in packet loss.
Software bugs
This often gets fixed with rebooting the VPS.
So who knows. Maybe the Phoenix network has become congested and maybe hardware can't keep up with Internet connections.