IP Address Conflict

[Mycologist]

Hello, we have a dedicated server rented through NFO. We have 3 servers that are online 24/7 and few that we turn on for matches etc. Here they are:

66.150.164.129:27015 - Team Fortress 2
66.150.164.130:27015 - Counter-Strike: Source
66.150.164.133:27015 - Left 4 Dead 2

IP address 66.150.164.130:27015 can not have any server run on it. If we try to, it times out every 5 seconds and that impacts all other servers on our machine with massive lag. This came out of the blue, no reason at all. We have had the same setup more or less since we first rented our machine.

Keep in mind, during troubleshooting we used no mods (ie SM/MM) and shut down all other scrds processes.

Here's what a server graph in HLSW looks like if we run anything on 66.150.164.130:27015.

[Edge100x]

Hmm, that's a new one.

What OS are you running?
Is the game server crashing/freezing when you can't access it? Is its FPS dipping? Is it disconnected from Steam? Does the console output differ in any way from when the server is running on one of the other IPs?
Are you able to connect normally to administer your server (RDC/SSH) via that same IP, without having a disconnection problem?

[Mycologist]

Hmm, that's a new one.

What OS are you running?
Is the game server crashing/freezing when you can't access it? Is its FPS dipping? Is it disconnected from Steam? Does the console output differ in any way from when the server is running on one of the other IPs?
Are you able to connect normally to administer your server (RDC/SSH) via that same IP, without having a disconnection problem?

Windows Server 2008. The server console itself displays that it is online and the FPS seems ok (steady at 995-1000). Connected to Steam. But I just left the console run for a bit longer than usual, this is what I saw:

[Mycologist]

Is there any way to ban that IP address within Windows Server 2008?

[Mycologist]

Ok, that turns out to be gameME stats. Jumped to conclusions on that one.

[Edge100x]

It would be best to turn on logging and give that another go -- you're not seeing the full output from the server there.

[Mycologist]

It would be best to turn on logging and give that another go -- you're not seeing the full output from the server there.

Nothing unusual in the logs at all. No IPs other than gameME (which we also use on TF2 without issue). The console reports nothing but a healthy running server without a hiccup. The only way you could ever know something was wrong is to join any of our servers on the machine and experience the lag or watch the HLSW graph. Again, tried the same server on another IP, works flawlessly.

[Edge100x]

Is anything showing in the Windows log? Does the task manager show a CPU usage or memory spike?

We treat all IPs the same on our end, so either something is going on inside your OS, or an external factor is at play (such as someone flooding the server with queries or other malicious traffic). The next step, if the answer to those two questions is "no", would be to open up Wireshark and see if there's unusual traffic on the inbound.

[Mycologist]

Is anything showing in the Windows log? Does the task manager show a CPU usage or memory spike?

We treat all IPs the same on our end, so either something is going on inside your OS, or an external factor is at play (such as someone flooding the server with queries or other malicious traffic). The next step, if the answer to those two questions is "no", would be to open up Wireshark and see if there's unusual traffic on the inbound.

Checked the logs, nothing unusual happening during testing at all (just some errors from a few months ago). Launched the server several times keeping an eye on CPU and Memory (as well as Network). Let the server timeout, or apparent timeout, a couple of times. No spikes, no unusual readings. CPU stayed at 1-2%.

I try my best to keep our OS clean, updated etc. Even followed some of your guides on these forums. We use TCAdmin to manage our servers, for the most part, and log into the OS about once a month to perform routine tasks. I'm the type of person to exhaust every possible cause before contacting, or posting on support forums.

I have never used Wireshark before (installed it), what should I try and how?

[Edge100x]

I'd recommend shutting everything down but the one server that is having problems, then watching the inbound traffic flows in Wireshark to see if there is anything unusual, such as a large influx of traffic from a single external IP, delays that might coincide with your HLSW output, or periods when the packets are all the same size (which could indicate corruption or similar) that also correspond with your HLSW output.

You might also try removing the IP that is behaving strangely from your OS' network adapter, then re-adding it. Have you also tried rebooting?

[Mycologist]

Ok, I'm out of my depth with Wireshark. I did capture about 5min worth of activity with no other servers running other than CSS on the troubled IP.

[Mycologist]

I also removed the IP and added back to the NIC without any change.

[Edge100x]

That output is only a few seconds long, but I'm not seeing anything unusual in it.

If you'd like, we could also try assigning you a new IP. If you want to go with that, please contact us directly with a support request.

[Mycologist]

We went ahead and just used another allotted IP we had. A less than ideal resolution to this issue, but I guess sometimes network issues are too complex for some.

[Edge100x]

Nod. I wish it were possible to effectively troubleshoot your issue from here.