New Server has come to Eden Eternal. Now is a
guide to to connect to the server.
Preface:
A lot of issues have been raised regarding server connectivity, particularly with the recent crashes, so I thought I'd shed some light on the topic.
There are actually 3 different points of connection between you sitting there, and you playing the game. The Login Servers, the Gateway Servers, and the Game Servers. (Note: Only the Login and Game Servers are listed on the
Server Status Page, because otherwise, there would be a HUGE list to look at)
Step 1: The Login Servers
The first connection point in connecting to the game involves the Login Servers, but what do they do?
The Role of the Login Servers:- Determine whether to allow a user to connect or not. (If the login servers are off, you won't be able to sign in)
- Check your username/password against the user database. (Did you enter the correct login info?)
- Show servers, and the status of the channels. (Grey channels are offline)
- Show your characters for each server. (My sweet, lovely characters)
- Check your character password before logging your character into the game
That's it. Once you've entered your character password to log in, the Login Server sends your request to the next connection point in line...
Step 2: The Gateway Servers
The gateway servers are not talked about very often, because they're very rarely an issue. They're very easy to overlook, and on GameServerStatus, we don't even monitor them.
NOTE: There is 1 Gateway Server for every Game Server (meaning 1 for every channel)
But what do they do?
The Role of the Gateway Servers:- Handle a login request from the Login Servers.
- Show your characters for each server. (Yes, both Gateway and Login servers are involved)
- Handle channel transfer requests. (Changing channels, entering Arena/TW/etc.)
- Confirm that the request was legitimate.
- Send the character information to the game server, so it knows which character you're playing.
These Gateway Servers play a crucial role in our ability to reach the game servers. All channel transfer requests are processed through the Gateway Servers, whether it's from login, or from a channel switch.
That brings us to the...
Step 3: The Game Servers
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll cover as much as I can about what the servers do.
The Role of the Game Servers:- Handles ALL of the NPC interactions. (Bank, AH, Shops, Enemies)
- Handles ALL of the chat. (Relays the chat from the database)
- Really, it handles everything else in the game.
What Does This Mean?
There are 3 points of failure with the 3 servers. Here's what happens if one of them goes out.
Login Servers- You can no longer log in. Your username/pass won't be accepted on the login screen.
- If you are already in game, you will still be able to continue playing as normal.
- If you log out, you will not be able to get back in.
Gateway Servers- You can no longer log in. You may be able to reach the Character Select screen, but when you enter your character password, it will freeze.
- If you are already in game, you will still be able to continue playing.
- If you log out, change channels, or attempt to enter Arena / TW / etc, you will not be able to continue. (It will probably freeze).
Game Servers- You can reach the login screen and it will show the channels as grey.
- If you were in-game, it will kick you out by forcing a disconnect.
So, what happened earlier today?
Earlier today (April 14th), Sapphire crashed. Within 8 minutes, all of the game servers were online again; the gateway servers, however, were not.
This is why nobody was able to rejoin Sapphire.
We then had an emergency maintenance (which unfortunately, also took Diamond offline).
After the emergency maintenance, everything except the Sapphire Gateway Servers were online again, which is why everybody could log in, but would freeze at the character password screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Why can't you add more channels to reduce the lag?
A1. If you've taken a look at the Server Status page for Eden during times of lag, you'll notice that there is no network lag in reaching the servers. The lag that is experienced in game is not network congestion or issues with handling requests.
That is the kind of issue that adding more channels solves.
