Ping times....

[+DarkLord]

So I was goofing around here, still thinking about my (mis)adventures with WiModem 232's,

UDS-10's, and BBS'ing in general and I decided to check some ping times. You know, just

for the fun of it.

 

Got some interesting results. For one thing, the WiModem 232 always starts out horrible. I

ran it multiple times and the first 4-5 pings are always bad. Second, check out those Linux

laptop times - go Nix! 

 

Anyway, all comments/thoughts welcome...

 

WiModem 232

 

LinkSys Router

 

DarkForce! BBS (UDS-10)

 

Linux Laptop

 

 

Edited October 8, 2021 by DarkLord

[Tillek]

For the uninitiated (or just math challenged)......

 

182ms is less than 1/5th of a second.

 

That whole test, 472ms, equaling less than half a second.

 

Now how you choose to interpret that is up to you.  I just wanted to make sure there was some level set.

[Tillek]

Because by comparison to the other tests, it's significant... but in regards to some of what we've seen..... I don't know if it explains everything.

 

[+DarkLord]

Understood. But when it comes to data transfer, it can be significant, by my understanding

of cosmic events. I showed these results to my IT friend who runs all the computer stuff at

the local county library and he said that anytime he gets a wireless ping  = or  >  4-5ms, he

goes looking for a problem.

 

What I'm wondering here, is that initial horrendous time enough to disrupt loading menu's

and screens, then even after it settles down, 8-9ms times enough to cause pauses and

other continuing problems...like not allowing Zmodem uploads.

 

With the Lantronix UDS-10 in place for testing at the moment, I'm able to upload using

Zmodem with everything here, with the notable exception of SyncTerm, which continues

to do that odd thing where it reports any uploaded file of any size as *instantly* uploaded,

while the screen on the BBS is showing the upload in progress. Of course, on SyncTerms'

side, it then errors out because it expecting an acknowledgement that it won't get for some

time....

 

[Tillek]

There is nothing "odd" about that at all.

 

The UDS-10 is receiving data from the internet as fast as it can and then sending it to the computer at the specified baud rate.  Not sure what the max buffer size is.  I tried looking it up and the best I could find is for the EDS1100/2100 which was 16k - 1200k (configurable).

 

 

[+DarkLord]

Okay, but understand when I upload to DarkForce (and DarkForce has the

UDS-10 connected), using TAZ or STalker, UDS-10 or WiModem 232, Mega

STe or STacy, I do NOT get that behavior. Both the comms software and the

BBS screen match in percentage uploaded perfectly.

 

So why does SyncTerm do this when nothing else I've used does? It causes

errors...as shown in my screenshots.

 

Thanks.

 

[Tillek]

Because SyncTerm is a direct telnet connection that doesn't go through a device that respects the concept of the baud rate.

 

Now say that you were to hook up a lantronix box on a serial port on your PC, and have SyncTerm use that serial port at the set baud rate.... then it would work like it does on the other systems.

 

When you're using those other devices, they are also doing the bandwidth throttling as the computer is only sending data to them at the specified baud rate.  Once the WiModem or Lantronix box has that data, it shoots it over the internet at the speed of the internet connection... but... it can't do this any faster than it gets the data in the first place.

 

Downloading seems to work as expected, since SyncTerm will grab the data as fast as it can... and the transfer rate is at the speed of the internet connection... but the BBS is only sending that data to it's device at the speed of 19.2k, so the device can only send data out as fast as it's getting it.

 

I would venture to guess if you used something like Connect98 and a STinG connection, (never tried it but heard it works) then you'd probably get an experience more similar to using SyncTerm since that baudrate bottleneck from the device wouldn't exist either.

 

[Tillek]

Or maybe this helps more.

 

PC ---------------Internet Fast As Possible ----------------> UDS-10 ------- Serial 19.2k ----->  BBS Machine

 

ST ------> Serial 19.2k -----> WiModem232 ------> IFAP --------> UDS-10 ------ Serial 19.2k ----->  BBS Machine

 

The difference being, the IFAP in the 2nd example, is still sending the packets at the speed of the connection, but the packets are only being generated at an interval equal to 19.2k. so instead of packet packet packet packet packet it's more like packet pause pause packet pause pause packet pause pause.

 

That, or it fills a buffer on the device, and then sends the full buffer.  That much would depend on the device and the settings but really isn't all that relevant to what's going on here.  The big thing, is the two baud rate bottlenecks at each end for the ST to ST transfer and the lack of one of them (on the sending side) when using SyncTerm.

 

[+DarkLord]

I actually did know all that (and grasp the concept) but thanks

for the detailed explanation.

 

But how does any of this explain that when DarkForce is setup

with the WiModem 232, Zmodem uploading doesn't work at all?

 

I'll answer that one. Most would say we're back to the critical

timing that Zmodem requires and is not getting with my WiFi

setup... (current).

 

So...why doesn't SyncTerm under Kubuntu Linux give the errors

that SyncTerm under Win10 does? 

 

Thanks.

 

Check these out:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Atari8guy]

11 hours ago, Tillek said:

 

I would venture to guess if you used something like Connect98 and a STinG connection, (never tried it but heard it works) then you'd probably get an experience more similar to using SyncTerm since that baudrate bottleneck from the device wouldn't exist either.

 

 

Been looking for ConNect98... anyone know where one can be found?