Netgraph (Slash Command)

Overview

/netgraph number

Allows the user to turn on and off a network monitoring graph.

This graph will overlay on top of any other windows, and will always be in the lower right hand corner.

0 - Off
1 - Display a small netgraph
2 - Display a large netgraph.

/netgraph by itself will return the current net_graph setting.

Netgraph shows a visual representation of TCP/IP network data flow called "packets". A network packet is segment of a larger message after it has been divided into parts or units of data. Each packet is then sent across a network of communication lines and recombined on the other end.

Interpreting the netgraph:

• Spike shape: The height of the bar representing server ping time in milliseconds. Short is good, long is bad.
• Green bars represent received packets.
  • Short = normal/good
  • Long = low bandwidth.
• Yellow bars represent retransmitted packets.
  • Short = ISP/Router issues
• Red bars represent dropped packets
  • Short = ISP/Router issues
  • Blocks of Red = Interrupted communications

Above the graph, the command also displays:

DUPLICATE IN: Amount of packets the game counts that came in more than once. This number shouldn't be large if it's not zero, but it DEFINITELY shouldn't increase. DUPLICATE IN is a sign of a Network Loop.

RETRANSMITTED: These are packets that the client has sent more than once. This can be due to a temporary outage or over-crowding of a route to the server across the Internet.

LOST IN: Amount of packets that the game was expecting from the server but NEVER ARRIVED.

PING: How many milliseconds it takes for a packet to reach the server (also known as latency). In Windows, Ping is sent at-will only. In City of Heroes, every second you're connected, the ping rate is measured.

Range of Ping Values
0-250	Great
250-500	Average
500-1200	Laggy
1200+	Risk of Disconnection

Faster internet speed DOES NOT CORRELATE with lower ping numbers. There are multiple routes a packet could take to get from one computer to another. The longer the route, the greater the latency. If there is a problem with a piece of equipment along the way, the packets are redirected through routers to an alternate route. How long it takes the routers to redirect traffic and how much longer the route is also adds latency. Faster internet deals with BANDWIDTH, which is the maximum amount of data (i.e., packets) that can pass through a network at any given time. THROUGHPUT is the average amount of data that actually passes through a network over a given period of time, and is affected by latency and other factors. PING is a measurement of time, not how much data is downloaded over time.

SEND: How many packets are sent per second.

RECV: How many packets are arriving per second.

Example

/netgraph 1

See Also

• -mtu
• /netgraph
• /neterrorcorrection

External Links

• ClientDiagnostics 101