Dear Windows-Update Operations Staff:
I am located in Los Angeles using a Win-8 based machine. Windows Update is running very slowly. I investigated.
Microsoft has apparently contracted with AKAMAI CDN to distribute the files.
AKAMAI is using a server on the EAST COAST to send files to me.
WORSE, it has selected a server on a network that my ISP does not have a good connection with. (I am on Verizon FiOS; Akamai picked a cache-server on Comcast in Marietta, Georgia. At least in the upstream direction, the path from VZ to Comcast is via TATA, with the VZ-TATA hand-off occurring in San Jose. I guess cross-country delay wasn't bad enough, they wanted to add a useless round-trip from LA to San Francisco and back to LA. SEE TRACEROUTES BELOW.)
I don't expect this forum to fix Verizon/Comcast/TATA stupid lack of private-interconnect/peering.
BUT, if someone could refer this note to the Microsoft group that supervises the Microsoft contract with AKAMAI, it would be helpful! Maybe the folks who write the checks can get the attention of the folks at Akamai. At least Akamai should assign me to download from a server here on the West Coast!
Thanks,
Bob
8:56 PM 5/15/2013
I noticed Windows-Update was running very slowly. I used wireshark to determine where the download was coming from. I ran traceroute to that IP address.
Problem#1 Why is Akamai (or Microsoft) using a download server thousands of miles away on the other coast?
[Probably to save money on 95% billing?; Akamai are cheapskates. Problem for Microsoft, I presume.]
Problem#2 WHY does Verizon not have some manner of direct connection to Comcast? Why are Verizon-LA customers going through TATA to reach Comcast?
Problem#3 WHY isn't Verizon at least seeing the Comcast routes via Verizon's connection to TATA here in Los Angeles? (look at path: LA, up to San Jose, then back down to LA.)
Bob
Tracing route to a23-67-61-120.deploy.akamaitechnologies.com [23.67.61.120] over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms Wireless_Broadband_Router.home [192.168.1.1]
2 2 ms 1 ms 2 ms L100.LSANCA-VFTTP-157.verizon-gni.net [71.189.7.1]
3 8 ms 10 ms 8 ms G0-3-0-3.LSANCA-LCR-22.verizon-gni.net [130.81.146.58]
4 5 ms 5 ms 4 ms xe-10-1-0-0.LAX01-BB-RTR2.verizon-gni.net [130.81.199.114]
5 16 ms 15 ms 16 ms 0.xe-4-2-0.BR3.SJC7.ALTER.NET [152.63.51.237]
6 * * * Request timed out.
7 25 ms 18 ms 17 ms Vlan3260.icore2.SQN-SanJose.as6453.net [64.86.142.1]
8 17 ms 17 ms 18 ms if-4-2145.tcore1.SQN-SanJose.as6453.net [64.86.142.62]
9 18 ms 24 ms 18 ms if-3-2.tcore2.LVW-LosAngeles.as6453.net [63.243.205.14]
10 68 ms 42 ms 50 ms xe-0-2-1-0-pe01.onewilshire.ca.ibone.comcast.net [173.167.59.181]
11 44 ms 47 ms 47 ms te-2-0-0-10-cr01.losangeles.ca.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.84.41]
12 76 ms 71 ms * he-0-9-0-0-cr01.dallas.tx.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.87.254]
13 188 ms 187 ms 187 ms pos-1-15-0-0-cr01.56marietta.ga.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.88.245]
14 187 ms 185 ms 186 ms be-15-pe03.56marietta.ga.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.83.130]
15 187 ms 186 ms 187 ms a23-67-61-120.deploy.akamaitechnologies.com [23.67.61.120]
Trace complete.
[PS It actually gets sillier. To confirm that there was no direct Verizon-Comcast connection, I tracerouted to a couple of internal Ibone IP addresses.
The first address I tried again went up to San Jose to hop onto TATA.
The second address I tried had a path that went all the way up to SEATTLE before it turned around and came back down to Los Angeles.
Maybe folks are trying to spread-out the peering traffic across multiple interfaces?
But result is some high-delay paths (and in the case of my download above, very very low download speeds). ]
Tracing route to te-2-0-0-10-cr01.losangeles.ca.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.84.41] over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms Wireless_Broadband_Router.home [192.168.1.1]
2 1 ms 1 ms 1 ms L100.LSANCA-VFTTP-157.verizon-gni.net [71.189.7.1]
3 8 ms 7 ms 5 ms G0-9-3-5.LSANCA-LCR-21.verizon-gni.net [130.81.185.176]
4 4 ms 2 ms 2 ms so-4-1-0-0.LAX01-BB-RTR1.verizon-gni.net [130.81.151.246]
5 69 ms 32 ms 32 ms 0.ae3.BR3.SEA1.ALTER.NET [152.63.106.238]
6 36 ms 36 ms 37 ms ix-0-0-1-0.tcore1.00S-Seattle.as6453.net [64.86.123.45]
7 57 ms 59 ms 59 ms 64.86.123.10
8 50 ms 47 ms 47 ms pos-1-13-0-0-cr01.sacramento.ca.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.85.162]
9 57 ms 59 ms 59 ms te-2-0-0-10-cr01.losangeles.ca.ibone.comcast.net [68.86.84.41]
Trace complete.