Server Farm Update, Please

[iTradergw]

Some Symbols such as NDXX run so far behind the market that using the charts is dangerous. I should not have to bring us the FREE Charts on my trading platform to see what NDXX is really doing. Can we get NDXX to update on a regular basis?

Thanks

Originally posted by JimRutherford
Jay, can we come back to the original question that Carol posed here? While you seem to be making progress on QC 6, it is not yet ready for prime time and QC 5 is suffering.

Below is your last response to this issue. Is anyone monitoring the servers for capacity issues? And what is being done to address the poor performance that QC5 is exhibiting? Chart draws when changing symbols is extremely slow during market hours and has been ever since the last server farm change.

Thanks

Jim

"I'm not aware of any load issues on these machines in recent days that would cause these delays, but I'll have some of the network team dig deeper on this.

Generally speaking all the Continuum infrastructure that was scheduled to be moved over has already been moved over. If we are seeing capacity issues, we'll see what can be done to alleviate it."

[JayF]

The Continuum servers themselves are running fine. The delays seen on QCharts 5.1 are purely related to the feed conflation that is present in that older technology. This is especially evident as market volumes continue to climb, and the peak volume periods are even faster and more furious. This leads to more conflation in the Continuum network, and the data will fall more and more delayed under those conditions.

The QCharts desktop development team and the eSignal network development team are working hard each day to improve the 6.x versions. The latest beta is a great step forward, but isn't 100% perfected yet. This week and next, the team is working on optimizing the processing of streaming quote data which represents the highest amount of CPU consumption at this point.

We're expecting some great results to come out of 6.0.3, and with some hard work, we are hoping to have a gold release of the 6.0 versions by the end of the month. This will allow us to move full force into QCharts 6.1 development.

Even though the data network Continuum is using is continuing to struggle with keeping up with these market volumes, we are planning on keeping this network available until QCharts features can be migrated.

[ckelly]

Jay,
I don't know if this is classified as a Server Farm issue or a QFAI issue or both - but it has plagued me all day today. Seemingly every server in the hwd list (ok, I only ran the exercise 15 times and 8 hits were on cc20-hwd, the others were spread out) were problematic.

I tried retyping the server farm addresses into the Look-Up.lst with no luck. I reinstalled QFAI with no luck. This occurs every time I utilize QFAI.

fyi,
Carol

[bpschultz]

Poor Performance

I have had to shut down and log back on to 6.0.2 so many times today that it is truly pathetic. No bars or a loss of connection have been the problem. Even in slow, pre-holiday trading, it doesn't work right! Why hasn't the problem been addressed after last week's debacle?

[JimRutherford]

Originally posted by ckelly
Jay,
I don't know if this is classified as a Server Farm issue or a QFAI issue or both - but it has plagued me all day today. Seemingly every server in the hwd list (ok, I only ran the exercise 15 times and 8 hits were on cc20-hwd, the others were spread out) were problematic.

Carol

I did not experience this yesterday Carol and I had launched QFAI quite a few times. However, I am seeing this issue today. Earlier on CC21 and just now on CC03 and CC12

Jim

[ckelly]

Jay,
Please flip a switch on the servers out there.

I have been able to get into 5.1 for only brief moments throughout ALL day today. And now, it's kicked me out and attempts to relogin QC is telling me "User account not found."

As I understand it, when QC won't Synchronize Files, that's a Server issue - not my ISP, not my computer, not my password. Is this correct? If not - please, please tell me what I need to do different on my end.

FOR CLARITY - I CANNOT GET INTO 5.1, 6.0.2, OR 6.0.3.

Please help - I've got work I really need to do.

Thanks,
Carol

[Larry Marchman]

Originally posted by JimRutherford
I did not experience this yesterday Carol and I had launched QFAI quite a few times. However, I am seeing this issue today. Earlier on CC21 and just now on CC03 and CC12

Jim

Jim,

I worked with Carol on this off-list. The problem is that the IP Refresh is getting an error return code from a command to the Domain Name Server (DNS) database to get the IP Number for a given IP name. This also is manifesting in the Ping&Select Dynastore pinger program which also tries to obtain an IP Number for the IP names in the Server list. I don't know why this is an issue for you and Carol's ISP's DNS databases. I'm not having an issue, fwiw.

So, here's what to do...
1. Exit QFAI
2. Download this good Look-Up.lst file and place it in your QFAI folder, replacing what's there. It's located HERE .
3. Don't do Setup>IP Address Refresh again. It's not necessary unless there has been a change in the set of servers. I would post were that to happen.
4. If you use QFAI Ping&Select pinger, and you still see these random "Bad IP" errors, just ignore them. The IP names are correct. There's nothing to fix on your end. Hopefully this condition will clear of itself and your ISP's DNS look ups will no longer return randon error conditions.

LAM

[JimRutherford]

Originally posted by Larry Marchman
Jim,

The problem is that the IP Refresh is getting an error return code from a command to the Domain Name Server (DNS) database to get the IP Number for a given IP name. This also is manifesting in the Ping&Select Dynastore pinger program which also tries to obtain an IP Number for the IP names in the Server list. I don't know why this is an issue for you and Carol's ISP's DNS databases. I'm not having an issue, fwiw.


LAM

Thanks Larry. I appreciate the information. Mostly I was confirming what Carol was seeing. I see those intermittent errors occasionally and normally just uncheck the affected server in the ping and select list and it's never seemed to be a problem.

FWIW my ISP is BellSouth/AT&T

I will download that new file though.

Jim

[ckelly]

Thanks, Larry, for your help and thanks, Jim, for confirmation - having a second confirmation helps in getting an issue looked at.

Fwiw, while Jim is on BellSouth/AT&T - I am on Time Warner Cable - so, this is not just an issue of my ISP. Like Jim, I just keep moving - but hope the report will aid in getting it corrected.

Carol

[iTradergw]

Server Farm Issues

I had the same problems being described by ckelly. The problems started on Wednesday for me. I could not switch from on symbol to another without re-booting QCharts 5. I could get ony 1 change of symbol before the system would lock up on the second symbol change.

Also on the QFAI all of the servers were showing either a yellow or red button.

I cut and pasted the fresh IP addresses as described by Larry yesterday.

I still had the problem after "fixing" the IP addresses.

This morning, Monday, all of the servers are still showing up as yellow or red.

I am also on Time Warner Cable in Charlotte, NC

Ken

[Larry Marchman]

Re: Server Farm Issues

Hey Ken,

If your nominal Ping times are in the Green, that simply means the Ping times are 100 or less. In my case my nominal Ping times are in the Yellow, but that's normal given my path to the servers. These Green/Yellow/Red benchmark values can't be changed in the Dynastore pinger. So it's just knowing what's nominal for a given user that's the key.

Sounds like you are having I'net path issues today. To see just where on the path the issue is one needs at minimum to use the system command "tracert". However PingPlotter is much much preferred to diagnose I'net path issues. There is still a freebie version of PingPlotter available that's basically serviceable. Look to the bottom of this PingPlotter page for the freebie link...
http://www.pingplotter.com/download.html
The $hareware version is preferred, imho, when one has time to delve into path tracing.

The replacement file I posted is for a different situation, to avoid a short list of servers.

Attached is what my QFAI/Dynastore Pinger looks like as I type, plus PingPlotter output of my path to a server at the Hayward Farm.

LAM

Originally posted by iTradergw
I had the same problems being described by ckelly. The problems started on Wednesday for me. I could not switch from on symbol to another without re-booting QCharts 5. I could get ony 1 change of symbol before the system would lock up on the second symbol change.
Also on the QFAI all of the servers were showing either a yellow or red button.
I cut and pasted the fresh IP addresses as described by Larry yesterday.
I still had the problem after "fixing" the IP addresses.
This morning, Monday, all of the servers are still showing up as yellow or red.
I am also on Time Warner Cable in Charlotte, NC

Ken

[iTradergw]

Re: Re: Server Farm Issues

Thanks Larry,

I have been using QCharts for over 2 years and my "NORMAL" Ping benchmarks have ALWAYS been Green. Some days I would have 1 or 2 that were yellow and I would uncheck them to make sure I was on the fastest servers for the day. Having these all yellow just started last week. I have not changed anything on my end. I have the Turbo Cable, I have a dual core processor running windows XP Pro and I have 3 GB of ram.

I have not made a change in my setup since Septermber of 2007

I have gone from almost all green to all yellow or red on the benchmarks.

I run a speed test on my Internet connectin everymorning because TimeWarner Cable sometimes has issues. This morning's speed test showed 9812 kbps this morning (this is normal).

I will try to set up the pingplotter and report back.

Thanks

Ken

Originally posted by Larry Marchman
Hey Ken,

If your nominal Ping times are in the Green, that simply means the Ping times are 100 or less. In my case my nominal Ping times are in the Yellow, but that's normal given my path to the servers. These Green/Yellow/Red benchmark values can't be changed in the Dynastore pinger. So it's just knowing what's nominal for a given user that's the key.

Sounds like you are having I'net path issues today. To see just where on the path the issue is one needs at minimum to use the system command "tracert". However PingPlotter is much much preferred to diagnose I'net path issues. There is still a freebie version of PingPlotter available that's basically serviceable. Look to the bottom of this PingPlotter page for the freebie link...
http://www.pingplotter.com/download.html
The $hareware version is preferred, imho, when one has time to delve into path tracing.

The replacement file I posted is for a different situation, to avoid a short list of servers.

Attached is what my QFAI/Dynastore Pinger looks like as I type, plus PingPlotter output of my path to a server at the Hayward Farm.

LAM

[iTradergw]

Server Farm Issues

Larry,

Everything seems to be working just fine today.

Most of the Ping Benchmarks are Green again, There are a few yellow and 3 red.

I am getting good chart fills and can move from symbol to symbol without having problems today.

I just checked my Cable Download Speed and it is a about the same as before (156 kbps SLOWER).

Everything is going well today.

One other question please.

I like to trade NDXX (QCharts 5). Why does NDXX update less often than other symbols?? When I am in a trade on NDXX I must look at a chart on my Trading Platform to get up-to-date information. If Think or Swim Charts can keep up with the price movement of NDXX why can't QCharts? Sometimes my NDXX price on QCharts does not change for 5 minutes.

Thanks

Ken

[Larry Marchman]

Re: Server Farm Issues

Ken,

I gotta go out and about for the rest of the day right now. I'll be back later with some stuff on I'net paths and how speedtests can be misleading.

Quickly on the NDXX thingy, in 5.1 the "throttling" of the feed to a subset of all possible updates has become ridickeewlous.

LAM

Originally posted by iTradergw
Larry,
Everything seems to be working just fine today.
Most of the Ping Benchmarks are Green again, There are a few yellow and 3 red.
I am getting good chart fills and can move from symbol to symbol without having problems today.
I just checked my Cable Download Speed and it is a about the same as before (156 kbps SLOWER).
Everything is going well today.
One other question please.
I like to trade NDXX (QCharts 5). Why does NDXX update less often than other symbols?? When I am in a trade on NDXX I must look at a chart on my Trading Platform to get up-to-date information. If Think or Swim Charts can keep up with the price movement of NDXX why can't QCharts? Sometimes my NDXX price on QCharts does not change for 5 minutes.

Thanks

Ken

[Larry Marchman]

Re: Re: Server Farm Issues

Originally posted by Larry Marchman
Ken,
I gotta go out and about for the rest of the day right now. I'll be back later....LAM

Ken,

You said...
"I have gone from almost all green to all yellow or red on the benchmarks.
This morning's speed test showed 9812 kbps this morning (this is normal)."
Then a later post...
"Most of the Ping Benchmarks are Green again, There are a few yellow and 3 red."

Your RRunner speedtest just shows the ability to transfer a block of data of a certain size in X-time from the RRunner server. The test result number is a simple calculation of number of bits transferred over X-amount of time. You may or may not hit the limit that your cable service allows. The path twix you and that particular speedtest server may be swell, yet the path to other machines, like the QCharts servers in Hayward, Calif. may not be so swell at any given point in time.

This is where a tool like PingPlotter come in. One just has to get a feel for what's nominal over time, to know what is the normal path for an individual to the QCharts Hayward farm. It happens that on occasion that path can change radically in length (number of hops to get to a destination machine) manifesting in higher ping times and then switch back to the nominal path. It happens that on occasion a machine on the path is choking manifesting in a higher ping time to a destination machine. All of the change up's twix you and a set of machines on the west coast do not necessarily have anything to do with your path to a nearby speedtest machine and it's ability to transfer data to you.

There's other caveats involved, but the bottom line is that a good speedtest result does not, by definition, mean that all is swell in all the other connections you have with other machines scattered all over the place with very different paths to them.

I like Speakeasy for speed testing. When you have time, try a test using the closest server to you. Then again using the server farthest from you. You will get very different results due to the different distances (and number of machines) involved.
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Here's an example for me, located on the east coast of central Florida using Speakeasy this a.m. My so called "bandwidth" has not changed. These tests do not measure bandwidth (the maximum allowed depending on the service you are subscribed to). They just simply a measure of how long it takes to transfer data. You may, or may not, run into the max allowed by your ISP. I often get higher speeds from the Speakeasy server in Atlanta than I'm rated for, which is a "7Mbps down, 490kbps up" service, when running during times the I'net has less traffic in general.

Atlanta server...
Download Speed: 8269 kbps (1033.6 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 492 kbps (61.5 KB/sec transfer rate)

San Francisco server...
Download Speed: 4847 kbps (605.9 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 488 kbps (61 KB/sec transfer rate)

But again, the Ping latencies to a destination machine is just that. How long to Ping and get a reply back. Nothing to do necessarily with that destination machines ability to transfer data. Excessive ping(latency) times will impede the data transfer rates due to the back and forth chatter during data transmission that involves data packet sent and then a data packet received response before the next send.

This is running long, and I'll just stop now without going into how a tool like "DU Meter" (google it) can be enlightening regarding data transfer rates moment to moment when running QCharts, or observing a download from any given site and seeing how strong the sending server is regarding it's ability to push data out the door.

LAM