Network disconnections are not recognized by server

[Ragnar_STS]

My deepest apologies for this post. Generally in the past I have submitted bug reports on occasion (every couple years or so), all ignored and closed. However this week GM Baldur and Grenaat have both encouraged me that if I am unhappy I should post my thoughts on the forums and talk to a CSM. So here I am.
@Arsia_Elkin

Background - occasionally with sub-par network connections I have lost ships while sitting in space. While deployed to sandy places on questionable military provided networks, hotel networks, or this past week a faulty cable modem that is being warranty replaced by motorola. So what happens is that the network poops out … and upon next login I have lost a ship. Not a big deal…just annoying. Sometimes this is a ship in a space killed my NPC rats (that don’t point…so it isn’t a tackle issue) or just floating in space and a nice person comes along and poops on it. This week my modem had been acting up and resetting a lot; finally wound up in a full on reboot cycle where it never provided service at all. Anyway before that happened a little ship got asploded…while I was in the kitchen swearing about the modem.

I don’t necessarily need ships…I just want somebody to take a stab at looking at the network code. This seems to always be confused by normal customer support people. Even today I am told that “I understand your concerns…” while also being told “I looked at the logs and found your ship was destroyed before you disconnected and therefore the emergency warp was never initiated.” and “if you believe that new mechanics should be introduced around emergency warp triggers” …
Which aids in demonstrating my exact point that:

• No, you don’t understand
• No, the ship was not destroyed before I disconnected
• I’m literally telling you that the server side does not recognize disconnects all the time
• I’m not asking for an in-game mechanic. This is server/client based issues.

Server recognizes normal client closure which issues network packets closing connections. If this assumption of properly closing connections, the server just assumes that the client is ‘quiet’ for a while.

Summary: Fleet shot a thing on a roam, I happened to arrive late and didn’t even get a shot off on it, but noticed I didn’t reload last time. Reloaded ammo. Reloaded fireworks. Looted some hobgoblins because they come in handy on a roam. then I disconnect.
Supporting logs from client end:

[ 2022.12.28 02:55:28 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>391</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Hits
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:30 ] (combat) Your group of 200mm AutoCannon II misses Federation Navy Hobgoblin completely - 200mm AutoCannon II
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:33 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>148</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Hits
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:36 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>280</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Glances Off
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:39 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>257</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Glances Off
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:42 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>518</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Penetrates
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:45 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>19</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Grazes
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:48 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>90</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Grazes
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:51 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>284</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Grazes
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:53 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>169</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Hits
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:57 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>420</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Hits
[ 2022.12.28 02:55:59 ] (combat) <color=0xff00ffff><b>117</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>to</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Federation Navy Hobgoblin[C.FW](Federation Navy Hobgoblin)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 200mm AutoCannon II - Hits
[ 2022.12.28 02:56:01 ] (notify) Please wait...
[ 2022.12.28 02:57:23 ] (notify) Please wait...
[ 2022.12.28 02:57:25 ] (notify) Please wait...
[ 2022.12.28 02:57:27 ] (notify) You cannot do that while warping.
[ 2022.12.28 02:57:28 ] (notify) You are unable to align or warp to the selected object because your warp drive is unable to lock onto it.
[ 2022.12.28 02:57:28 ] (notify) You are unable to align or warp to the selected object because your warp drive is unable to lock onto it.
[ 2022.12.28 02:57:28 ] (notify) You are unable to align or warp to the selected object because your warp drive is unable to lock onto it.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:08 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:09 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:09 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:09 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:09 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:09 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:10 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:10 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:10 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:10 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:10 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:11 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:12 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:12 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:12 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:12 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:12 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:13 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:13 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:13 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:13 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:13 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:14 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:00:14 ] (notify) Cargo is too far away. Ship is on automatic approach to cargo.
[ 2022.12.28 03:01:46 ] (notify) Nuke Michael: You have foolishly engaged in criminal activity within sight of sentry guns and must suffer the consequences.
[ 2022.12.28 03:01:46 ] (combat) <color=0xffe57f7f><b>600 GJ</b><color=0x77ffffff><font size=10> energy neutralized </font><b><color=0xffffffff></b><color=0x77ffffff><font size=10> - Corpus X-Type Heavy Energy Neutralizer</font>
[ 2022.12.28 03:02:01 ] (combat) <color=0xffcc0000><b>344</b> <color=0x77ffffff><font size=10>from</font> <b><color=0xffffffff>Nuke Michael[LWLFE](Marshal)</b><font size=10><color=0x77ffffff> - 800mm Repeating Cannon II - Penetrates
[ 2022.12.28 03:02:01 ] (notify) Nuke Michael: You have foolishly engaged in criminal activity within sight of sentry guns and must suffer the consequences.

Analysis of above log:
02:55:45 through 02:55:59 fairly normal log behavior. Click actions indicate normal human interactivity of game commands every 2-4 seconds.

02:56:01 …Please wait… wtf is this??
02:57:23 …please wait
02:57:25 please wait some more…this is 1.5 minutes potentially already no connection to server.

02:57:27 cannot do that while warping?
02:57:28 … 3x in one second logging unable to warp because warp drive is unable to lock onto it … so warp active but not locking on??

03:00:08 … 2.5 minutes later cargo is too far away on automatic approach…
03:00:09 through 03:00:14 logging 5 events per second … fairly doubtful I was clicking that fast.

Then a 1.7 minute space of no logs …

03:01:46 combat occuring
The following shows a super basic graph of general logged traffic during this time period. Kind of a lull in the middle, then a small spike…and an immediate second reboot of modem.

These are syslog entries recorded from my firewall. Showing the Gateway (the ISP side) disappearing. I will always be curious why DHCP for IPv6 always complains slightly faster than IPv4.

This is a graph of ‘connection status’. Normally things are connected, normal SYN/ACK/SYN/FIN network traffic completions etc.
Light Blue color is ‘Connection attempt seen, no reply’
Beige color is ‘Established, responder aborted’ (near end of time span) as connections are restablished. Eveonline initially rejects connections due to client spending significant time incrementing packet sequence number during disconnect, and eve online rejecting the stream because wrong packet sequence number.
Dark Pink (near beginning of time span) is 'Connection established and close attempt by originator seen but no reply from responder.Originator here is gaming PC. Responder is eveonline. Eve client was attempting to close and reopen connection; hence 6 connect packets also at this timeframe with no responses.

TL/DR:
Yes, I understand the SERVER thinks I was still connected so did not initiate warp off.
No, I was not connected, and have fairly decent logging capability that shows it.
Please, for the love of bob, have somebody somewhere take a peek at the code determining if a client is ACTUALLY connected.

TCP timeouts vary…maybe take a look there.

EDIT – Previous ticket requests (at least in the current system)
#485610
#778824
#1970158

[Ragnar_STS]

For giggles, here is a graph of my cable modem rebooting during the entire month of December. On the day I got cranky about it I logged over 100 gateway failures. Naturally it logs it a timed interval…it isn’t 100 actual disconnects. It was probably more like ~15.

[Noonga_Dark]

Every single one of my friends and corpmates that plays EVE in Australia has this same issue. I also have EU-based corpmates that have run into the same problem.

Cloudflare Status

And every single time we get disconnected it shows “Re-routed” on the Cloudflare status site for whichever node is closest to us and/or part of the path that EVE Online traffic traverses. Even if it only changes state for a second it seems to be enough to disconnect you from the game but this generally won’t happen for a minute or so and then it seems to take the server even longer to detect this.

So, to avoid this issue we have to use a game accelerator service (that we have to pay money for) where we are able to select specific paths to proxy traffic for EVE Online.

This has been the case for many years and it only seems to be getting worse. I have raised this to CCP previously and they didn’t care.

So, to anyone facing this issue, maybe try a game accelerator or similar service because Cloudflare and CCP don’t care (if they even acknowledge this) and won’t fix it any time soon.

[Buggs_LeRoach]

@Ragnar_STS

have somebody somewhere take a peek at the code determining if a client is ACTUALLY connected.

how often it checks . and would making it more frequent help , if your modem is crapping out , but still is connected and sends the check back to the server.
we’ve all had that wtf moment when you start getting indicators something’s wrong . you can wait and see if it’s lag , and maybe be ok . otherwise , force client close so the server knows you’ve d/c’d.
but staying online over 3 minutes getting symptoms of non- response is kinda foolish . even bob can’t help you at that point …

[Ragnar_STS]

Insulting my supposed choice to stay on grid…seriously…research the words ‘network disconnect’. No client/server comms…no choice…this is literally the point of the post.

@Buggs_LeRoach

otherwise , force client close so the server knows you’ve d/c’d.

You clearly have a severe misunderstanding about how wires work. I could close the client, pour gasoline on the floor, and light it … how would the server know if the network has disconnected? There is NETWORK disconnection … and there is server/client disconnection. One is dependant on the other to be never have happened…which is the problem.

[Buggs_LeRoach]

the combat message , three minutes after problems started , shows you were still connected .

you see , that message doesn’t go from the other players client , to your client . it goes from the other player’s client , through the network, to the server . then from the server , through the network , to your client .

and , as i suggested , you closed your client , although too late to save your ship . the other flurry of clicks and miss licks indicate a frustrated player refusing to accept he’s d/c’d , again , and face-rolling the keyboard …

your logs also show you shooting drones , not looting them because they’re useful… as you stated . how can your account be believed , when you demonstrate a willingness to blatantly lie , and worse , to shoot defenseless drones .

karma’s a ■■■■■ ain’t it …

[Candi_karp]

So yeah, I have this happen to me ALL the time, and it’s so bad I cannot perform log-off traps or anything (unless I safe log but that is not sneaky or quick at all/can easily be combatted down in those 30s) usually I need it to be faster than this because I came out of some wh, kicked the hornets’ nest so-to-speak, and end up split off from each other and needing to logoff for a little bit, or i’m trying to catch some ratter/bot w/ a dictor but; whoops, can’t do this because all of my accounts just sit in space indefinitely until I get back to the login screen for that character for some reason. I’ve been told my account is bugged, and that nothing can be done to fix it. however I find this unlikely because it happens on all my accounts