Addressing network latency: Dealing with common issues such as Azure International lag??? Solution//

Addressing network latency: Dealing with common issues such as Azure International lag??? Solution//Global IPLC service provider of Shigeng Communication

一、This article will provide a systematic network troubleshooting method to help you identify and solve Azure network latency issues, and provide optimization suggestions to ensure that your cloud applications can run efficiently and stably.

1. Understand the common causes of Azure network latency

Azure network latency may be caused by various factors, including:

Network path issue: When data packets are transmitted between the client and Azure server, they may pass through multiple intermediate nodes, and congestion or failure of any node may lead to a surge in latency. Updates or failures in Microsoft's wide area network (WAN) may even cause global Azure service delays.

Resource bottleneck: Insufficient computing resources (such as CPU and memory) in Azure App Service Plan can directly lead to slow application response. Low computing resources can lead to performance degradation (applications use high memory/CPU).

Protocol and configuration limitations: Azure load balancers, SNAT (Source Network Address Translation) port exhaustion (default of only 128 ports pre allocated per instance), or improper configuration of Network Security Group (NSG) rules can all become connection bottlenecks.

Geographic distance: The physical distance between users and Azure data centers is a fundamental factor affecting latency. The latency of accessing servers in Europe from Australia will naturally be much higher than local access.

2. Network troubleshooting tools and methods

Sharp tools make good work. Here are practical tools and methods for troubleshooting Azure network issues:

Common network testing tools

Connectivity testing:

Due to Azure's default restriction on ICMP protocol, using the ping command directly may timeout. It is recommended to use PSPing (Windows) or Paping (Linux) to test the connectivity and latency of TCP ports.

PSPING -4 Yours Azure VIP: 3389 # Test RDP Port

Route tracing:

Using tracert (Windows) or traceroute (Linux) can analyze the path that packets pass through, but nodes within Azure networks may display timeouts due to security restrictions that prevent them from responding to ICMP requests.

The MTR (My Traceroute) tool combines the functions of ping and traceroute, providing more detailed path analysis and packet loss statistics to help locate problem nodes.

Bandwidth testing:

Server side: iperf3-s

Client: iperf3-c your-zongvip-t 30-P 6-i 2 # Test for 30 seconds, 6 parallel streams, report every 2 seconds

IPerf3 is a powerful tool for measuring the maximum bandwidth between two hosts. Run iPerf in server mode on an Azure VM and test it as a client on another host (local or other regional VM).

3. Targeted troubleshooting steps: from easy to difficult

When encountering network latency or buffering, you can follow the following steps to troubleshoot:

Confirm the scope of the problem:

Firstly, determine whether the problem is global or specific to a particular user, region, or service. Check the Azure status page to troubleshoot widespread issues with the Azure platform itself.

Test basic connectivity:

Use PSPing or Paping to test TCP port connectivity to Azure VM or application service endpoints (such as 3389, 443, 80). Record delays and timeouts.

Analyze network path:

Use MTR tools to test each other from the client and Azure VM, compare paths, and identify network hops where latency starts to surge or packet loss occurs.

Check Azure internal resources:

VM performance: Check the CPU, memory, and network metrics of VMs in Azure portal to eliminate resource bottlenecks.

Application Services: For web applications, check the "Request and Error" metrics, focusing on average response time, CPU time, and memory working set.

SNAT Port Exhaustion: If an application frequently creates outbound connections (such as calling external APIs or databases), it may exhaust SNAT ports (initially only 128 per instance), resulting in intermittent connection failures. You can view it through the "SNAT Port Exhaustion" tile or diagnostic log in the application service diagnosis.

Simulation and comparison:

Test from a 'healthy' client (such as an Azure VM in the same region). If the client test results are normal, the problem is likely to lie in the user's network path to Azure, rather than the Azure resources themselves.

Advanced optimization solution

FHIR dedicated line: For enterprise critical businesses that require high performance, high stability, and low latency, Azure FHIR can be considered. It extends the local network to Microsoft Cloud through a private connection, bypassing the public network and providing a higher reliability, lower latency, and stronger security network experience.

Application Service Environment (ASE): Deploying applications in ASE can provide dedicated, larger scale VM instances, each with more SNAT ports (e.g. 1024), making it ideal for handling applications with a large number of outbound connections.

5. Preventive measures and best practices

Prevention is better than cure, and the following habits can reduce the occurrence of delay problems:

Continuous monitoring: Set alerts for Azure applications and services, monitor key metrics such as response time, CPU/memory usage, and outbound connections.

Performance testing and baseline establishment: Regularly use tools such as iPerf to conduct network performance testing on critical paths, establish performance baselines, and quickly identify deviations when problems arise.

The issue of network latency is complex and intricate, but through systematic troubleshooting and scientific optimization methods, the vast majority of problems can be effectively solved or significantly improved. The key is to maintain patience, start with simplicity, gradually delve deeper, make good use of tools, and let data speak for itself.

二、Shigeng Communication Global Office Network Products:

The global office network product of Shigeng Communication is a high-quality product developed by the company for Chinese and foreign enterprise customers to access the application data transmission internet of overseas enterprises by making full use of its own network coverage and network management advantages.

Features of Global Application Network Products for Multinational Enterprises:

1. Quickly access global Internet cloud platform resources

2. Stable and low latency global cloud based video conferencing

3. Convenient and fast use of Internet resource sharing cloud platform (OA/ERP/cloud storage and other applications

Product tariff: