Routing query - Asia, why via the US and not EU/Singapore

[tcrichton]

Hi,

I'm just trying to get an understanding of why packets IDNET->Thai ISP (TOT) and Thai ISP (TOT) -> IDNET always go via the USA giving me horrid latency of ~688ms when other ISPs go via Singapore and get me a manageable ~352ms latency.

I assume its all going to be down to $$ and that IDNET's peering cost effectively allow them to go via Singapore.

I doubt anything can be done about it but I was just wondering if its down to anything other than $$ and peering.

Thai ISP (TOT) -> IDNET
Host                                                           Loss%   Snt   Last   Avg  Best  Wrst StDev
1. 192.168.1.254                                                0.0%    18    3.8   4.3   1.8  33.8   7.4
2. 101.109.245.1                                                0.0%    18    5.3   6.2   2.9  22.9   5.1
3. 172.17.53.13                                                 0.0%    18   14.4   7.1   3.0  23.3   5.8
4. 203.114.118.185                                              0.0%    18   38.6  24.2  17.0  58.7  10.4
5. 203.114.118.178                                              0.0%    18   28.1  24.0  16.4  67.2  13.5
6. 203.190.250.173                                              0.0%    18   19.7  24.0  17.6  58.0  10.2
7. 203.190.250.193                                              0.0%    18   20.9  24.8  17.2  38.9   7.9
8. 180.180.248.218                                              0.0%    18  346.8 350.4 342.0 369.9   6.4
9. po9-0-1.ccr01.lax04.atlas.cogentco.com                       0.0%    18  580.7 583.5 538.8 777.8  57.4
10. te0-3-0-7.mpd22.lax01.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    18  517.2 508.6 472.9 592.8  26.7
11. te0-1-0-6.mpd22.iah01.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    17  628.6 612.1 583.1 630.5  15.1
12. te0-0-0-2.mpd22.atl01.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    17  579.6 561.8 531.0 579.6  15.4
13. te0-4-0-7.mpd22.dca01.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    17  641.5 625.4 597.0 641.5  12.5
14. te0-0-0-6.mpd22.jfk02.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    17  657.8 642.0 608.8 662.6  14.7
15. te0-0-0-5.mpd22.lon13.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    17  715.5 703.5 678.0 723.7  13.2
16. te0-4-0-1.ccr22.lon01.atlas.cogentco.com                     0.0%    17  721.5 706.9 675.4 748.5  18.2
17. te9-1.ccr01.lon02.atlas.cogentco.com                         0.0%    17  796.0 740.4 703.8 796.0  23.7
18. te2-1.mpd01.lon02.atlas.cogentco.com                         0.0%    16  809.1 709.3 672.0 809.1  31.4
19. 149.6.148.206                                                0.0%    16  702.1 687.4 660.6 708.2  14.5
20. telehouse-gw4-g0-1-400.idnet.net                             0.0%    16  658.1 651.2 619.2 684.3  17.4
21. <my idnet connection>                                             0.0%    16  739.2 733.1 702.0 791.6  20.8

IDNET -> Thai ISP (TOT)
1. 172.16.0.1                       0.0%  1628    0.3   0.2   0.2  29.2   1.2
2. telehouse-gw4-lo2.idnet.net      0.0%  1628   10.2  10.4   9.7  48.2   2.9
3. telehouse-gw5-e4-400.idnet.net   0.1%  1628   10.3  10.4   9.8  40.8   1.9
4. 212.69.63.246                    0.0%  1628   16.3  10.7   9.8  41.8   1.7
5. gw5.lax1.asianetcom.net          0.0%  1628  146.3 145.7 144.9 176.9   1.6
6. gi4-0-0.gw2.sin3.asianetcom.net  0.0%  1628  322.2 319.9 319.0 348.5   1.5
7. TMB-0125.asianetcom.net          0.0%  1628  526.0 487.7 399.8 595.6  29.2
8. 180.180.255.161                  0.0%  1628  677.8 646.4 544.5 716.3  34.7
9. 180.180.249.114                  0.0%  1628  687.2 651.9 547.0 722.9  34.7
10. 203.190.250.50                   0.0%  1628  703.5 668.4 560.3 901.6  39.0
11. 203.190.250.206                  0.0%  1628  725.5 663.3 556.4 870.4  37.7
12. 203.190.251.74                   0.0%  1627  712.0 680.6 571.1 861.5  36.9
13.
14.
15. 101.109.245.56                   0.0%  1626  727.6 694.7 587.9 769.3  34.9

Other ISP -> Thai ISP (TOT)
Host                                Loss%   Snt   Last   Avg  Best  Wrst StDev
1. 31-193-136-1.static.as29550.net   0.0%     6    0.8   1.6   0.7   5.0   1.7
2. hex-31j.colo.as29550.net          0.0%     6    1.3   1.4   1.2   2.1   0.3
3. xe-1-2-0.lon21.ip4.tinet.net      0.0%     6    5.0   2.5   1.1   5.3   2.1
4. so-1-1-1.sin10.ip4.tinet.net      0.0%     6  207.4 208.6 207.4 214.8   3.0
5. global-transit-communications-gw  0.0%     6  220.8 207.5 203.6 220.8   6.6
6. 203.190.251.133                   0.0%     6  468.7 319.5 288.6 468.7  73.1
7. 203.190.250.62                    0.0%     6  370.4 297.0 281.0 370.4  36.0
8. 203.190.251.74                    0.0%     6  288.4 289.4 288.3 290.7   0.9
9.
10.
11. 101.109.245.56                    0.0%     6  296.0 299.7 296.0 304.4   4.4


Thai ISP (TOT) -> Other ISP

Host                                Loss%   Snt   Last   Avg  Best  Wrst StDev
1.
2. 101.109.245.1                     0.0%    30    3.3   7.3   2.9  31.5   8.3
3. 172.17.53.13                      0.0%    30    5.0   8.3   3.0  35.9   9.3
4. 203.114.118.209                   0.0%    30   17.5  21.7  16.5  39.0   6.3
5. 203.114.118.134                   0.0%    30   16.9  23.4  16.7  44.7   8.8
6. 203.190.250.173                   0.0%    29   37.0  23.2  16.9  37.0   6.9
7. 203.190.250.141                   0.0%    29   17.6  19.7  16.3  35.6   4.3
8. 180.180.249.106                  13.8%    29   34.6  39.7  33.7  89.1  12.5
9. 180.180.249.105                   0.0%    29   36.2  39.0  31.8  76.8  11.6
10. 180.180.255.162                   0.0%    29  116.4 121.4 108.2 212.6  21.2
11. ae0-512.sin10.ip4.tinet.net       0.0%    29  104.4 109.8  92.9 188.8  22.1
12. xe-2-1-0.lon21.ip4.tinet.net      0.0%    29  320.9 328.0 314.0 369.6  10.7
13. as29550-gw.ip4.tinet.net          0.0%    29  258.4 256.1 248.4 274.2   5.6
14. 31j.colo-hex.as29550.net          0.0%    29  314.6 307.1 293.6 325.1   8.0
15. <my other connection>              0.0%    29  309.7 308.2 290.0 345.9  11.1


Thanks for any insight,

Tristan.

[Rik]

You'd need to ask support, we don't have details of their routing. There's another benefit, they might be able to re-route for you. 

[tcrichton]

Hi Rik,

Thanks for writing back, I'd assumed that routing wall all automated to get the most cost effective and best route but I've dropped an email to support should they be able to re-route this traffic.

Fingers crossed 

Tristan.

[Lance]

It wouldn't be the first time routing has been changed following customer requests. 

[nowster]

Inter-ISP routing is semi-automated using BGP and local preferences. There are local preferences on next hops taken by the packets at borders between ISPs. However, once handed over to the next ISP in the chain, the packets will follow that ISP's preferences until handover to the next ISP, etc.

All IDNet can do is choose which of its peer ISPs an outgoing packet gets handed to, and set a weak preference on which peer ISP they'd like packets to come back through. (BGP is a very simple protocol, but it allows complex behaviour to result.)

[pctech]

It might be useful to know which transit provider(s) the lower latency ISP uses as typivally it will be sent via a transit link as it is 'long haul' traffic

[tcrichton]

Thanks for your very helpful replies.

Simon at IDNET support has been extremely helpful and forthcoming but unfortunately IDNET only see routes to my ISP (TOT) via PACnet due to their peering arrangements.

The quick routes seem to be via NTT and TINET (Tiscali) but IDNET don't currently buy transit from them so don't see their routes to me.

nowster thanks for your info on BGP routing, very interesting and confirmed my theories about it.

I'm tempted to try static routing via one of my faster connections in the UK which takes the NTT/Tinet route when heading to the office's IDNET connection... guess I'll be doing some more fiddling.

Thanks again for your replies!

Tristan.