1.11.0 slowdown requiring reboot

[dsalch]

My apologies in advance for not gathering more information to troubleshoot. This happened during an online class so the priority was to fix, not explore. I post this as a heads up in case any one else has further info.

Problem: yesterday the router had an issue where thru traffic slowed to a crawl for no apparent reason. No odd indications, just very little traffic transferring. A reboot fixed it. no further problems noticed.

Background:
QOS rules inbound and outbound to set aside bandwidth for streaming services.
Router is TP-Link TL-WR1043N/ND v2
Bandwidth run 10mbps to 20mbps normally
Network path is : wireless -> router -> wifi link -> internet gateway

The only thing done differently that might be related is this. I have been working on the WiFi link to adjust for higher throughput. During this adjustment, which was over a few days, I used the new "RESET FAIR LINK LIMIT" button a lot... into the dozens of times if not more. IT was a VERY handy way to release the ACC while working on the link capacity.

IT was after a session of this heavy tuning that I began a streaming session, about 1mbps out and 3mbps in. After just a few minutes the video start skipping and dropping. The client showed lost packets. On the WiFi PtP link everything looked normal, traffic falling lower and lower. On gargoyle the traffic reports also diminished for no apparent reason. I could see nothing that showed anything unusual. Out of desperation I rebooted the router. When it came back all was back to normal, no other touches.

If there is anything else I can offer to help, let me know. Consider this an FYI.

[fifonik]

I have something like this a couple of times when I enabled Active Congestion Control (it was discussed here).
I do not know if this was fixed since then (I'm on 1.11.0 stable at this moment with ACC disabled)

[pbix]

There are a number of things that can cause problems with ACC.

1) Your ping target is not correct. Gargoyle tries to select a good one but sometimes it is fooled. From a Windows PC type "tracert <ping target> and post your results.

2) The ping time limit is too small for your link. If the ping target is correct then ACC should automatically calculate a good limit. What time limit do you have?

3) Custom QOS rules which do not account for traffic in both directions. This is especially a problem on asymmetric links. What is your upload vs download speeds? How did you determine these numbers? For example if you have you download QoS setup and then someone saturates your upload link such that Acks of the download traffic are dropped or delayed you will have this issue. You can test your Custom rules by saturating both the download and upload links. If you have a problem you ACC will clamp down on your link. Once the upload traffics stops ACC will slowly recover.

If you provide some feedback and are willing to do some testing I will help you out. In my house I have both upload and download links continuously saturated and no one notices (or complains). This is something you cannot achieve without QoS.

[fifonik]

1. I tried by ISP's gateway IP or 1.0.0.1. The issue happened in both cases (but it was not predictable when this happen. Could be OK for a few days in a row or may fail in an hour).

2. It was on auto.

3. I'm on 50/20 (vDSL). I disabled QoS and speedtest with no concurrent connection. Got something like 48000/19000. Set limits as 45000/16000 and re-enabled QoS. My connection usually is not saturated (in both directions). When the issue happened the number shown by ACC was very low (less then 2000) and was not recovered at all (I tried to wait 10+ minutes). Link DSL stats were normal. Clicking the button to reset "fair link ..." did not help. Router restart helped instantly.

I can re-enable ACC and give more info when this happen again if you provide exact steps on what should I check.

[pbix]

ACC will only drop the link speed if the ping times go high. It will also not recover the link if the ping times remain high. You can verify the pings are high from your computer by pinging the same target.

ACC's range is 8:1 so it should never drop below 5625 with a 45000 setting on download. Please post a screenshot of this condition. That seems like a bug.

ACC will not recover the link unless the downlink is at least 80% saturated. Please post a screen shot that shows the link saturated, the ping times low and the ACC not recovering. This also seems like a bug.

Finally, I will say that your unique setup means that Gargoyle cannot detect that you have a DSL link. This means some settings are not properly applied behind the curtain. As a test after the above screenshots are posted change your upload speed to 1Mbps. Then lets see if you can make it happen again.

Is there any way you could remove the Wifi link between your router and Internet Gateway? It's another variable in the equation. Can you explain more about this part? Is anyone else connecting via Wifi to that ISP link?

[fifonik]

Thanks for reply.

Will try to enable ACC again (1.0.0.1 target) and wait for the issue.
Then will take screenshot with results and ping 1.0.0.1 from my PC.
Will check DL BW saturation. I do remember that when this happened I tried to run speed test and got low results. I believe speed test should saturate UL/DL to more than 80%.

I do not have wifi between router and bridged modem (O.P have it in his setup, I do not). Modem and router connected with cable in my case. All PCs also connected with cables. The only mobile devices (phones, tablets) are on WiFi and they not "heavy users" (but they are connected).

[dsalch]

I have not seen this problem surface since that one time. But also I have not used the "reset fair limit" button much since that day of testing.

I suspect my particular issue was related to the use of that new button, simply becasue I have never experienced a similiar problem and have very consistent bandwidth. IT only happened that one time after clicking that button maybe several dozen times without a reboot.

for now.. all is well.

[dsalch]

Perhaps this is related somehow. Noticed something very odd again today concerning the "reset fair limit" button.

I have had occasion to click that button several times over the last week, maybe a half dozen times every few days. No reset or reboot of the router. Today I noticed speeds degrading again for no apparent reason. When looking at the firewall page, the ping times are well within the limit (watched for quite a while, never exceeded) yet the bandwidth seemed limited. But not limited to the fair link limit. The bandwidth was about 3x the fair link limit. How is that possible?

Here is a screenshot:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bNSk0r ... sp=sharing

After rebooting the router, all returned to normal again.

[ispyisail]

have you tried 8.8.8.8

[dsalch]

I used to use that IP, but ended up changing to my ISP gateway instead. I find it gives a more accurate tracking of available bandwidth for the sites that I care most about.

Curious, why do you think that might be related?