Matt Cymbalak Posted December 15, 2023 Share Posted December 15, 2023 Hi everyone, I'll be providing updates here on the problem of extremely slow downloads using Orbx Central. We will need your help, especially in collecting forensics etc. More details below. User Location - at this stage we don't believe location is a factor. Users in the same location (country, region, city) as those experiencing the problem have had fast download speeds We conducted bandwidth testing from several countries (Australia, US West, US East, Mexico, UK, Germany, Indonesia, Singapore, UAE) with good results. Downloads were 56-96% of the maximum connection bandwidth. Factors we don't think are contributing (but we won't eliminate them just yet) Service Provider (ISP) - users have reported the issue but then at a later time had a more normal experience Interfering software (such as Anti Virus) - again users have had slow downloads but then improvement, without disabling AV / firewalls General network load (user end, somewhere between user and Orbx files) - I'd expect a slowing of data transfer but not to the extreme you've been telling us Our investigation continues including more measurements / testing. What you can do about it in the meantime: Try a different network (VPN, cellular hot spot, grab your gear and invade a friend's house!) Try a different PC (ideally with different software configuration such as AV) Try at a different time (the next day) What we need from you: If you experience very slow downloads, reply in this thread with as much of the following as possible: The date / time (UTC or mention your time zone) What product you were downloading General details such as any errors, messages, metrics you can note down A log from Orbx Central Any other details you think relevant If you prefer, you can message me directly on this site. And importantly, I'd like to hear about success (fast downloads) particularly after having a slow experience. Finally, I appreciate your patience and thank you in advance for any info you provide to help us find patterns and causes. Have a great weekend, Matt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Pedro Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Same problems here, very fast download speed, suddenly stops and slows down between 0 and 3kbs. Barcelona, Spain ISP provider: Movistar 1Gb fiber. It doesn't depend on what time it is. Any Orbx product I have purchased When I cancel the download it seems that Orbx central stops responding or takes a long time, I have to close the application and when I run it again, the download finish. Where can i find a log file for you? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juan Pedro Posted December 26, 2023 Share Posted December 26, 2023 Same problems here, very fast download speed, suddenly stops and slows down between 0 and 3kbs. Barcelona, Spain ISP provider: Movistar 1Gb fiber. It doesn't depend on what time it is. Any Orbx product I have purchased When I cancel the download it seems that Orbx central stops responding or takes a long time, I have to close the application and when I run it again, the download finish. Where can i find a log file for you? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWAviation Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 Hey Matt, just like shortly before Christmas, I now encounter very slow download speeds during an update through Orbx Central. Although I have a 100 MB/second connection, I currently encounter a download speed of only 300-400 KB/s, sometimes even less, sometimes slightly more, but never more than 2 or 3 MB/s. The updates concerned were/are for Cloudsurf's Singapore Changi Airport for MSFS and MK Studio's Ponta Delgada Airport for MSFS. The latter update is still running as I am writing this post (at 1906 UTC or 2006 local time here in Germany). I did not detect any error messages, downloads through other apps and websites are not affected. Since first encountering the problem shortly before Christmas, my download speeds through Orbx Central never have been at their usual level. Please find attached my Orbx Central log file. central.log Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dow Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 I can report full download speed from Orbx Central through my ISP Aussie Broadband, including complete scenery packages, at 5+ MB/sec, right through the Christmas period and last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cymbalak Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 To find the Orbx Central log file: In OC, Setting -> Help -> Open Log -> Open Or Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) Hi Matt Thanks for this. I really have a problem with Orbx Central Downloads. They start normally and when it gets to the second last extracted file, it slows down to around 350 kB/s. The date / time (UTC or mention your time zone): 2014-01-14. All day (from 0600Z to now - still downloading). South Africa, Johannesburg. What product you were downloading: MSFS EGNM v2 (and others bought over Christmas period) General details such as any errors, messages, metrics you can note down: No errors reported. The key issue is that all the Orbx Central downloads behave in the same way - very fast to begin with and then after about 50-70 % of the total download, the download speed starts to drop and ultimately drops to around 350 kB/s. A log from Orbx Central. See attached from today. Any other details you think relevant. I have a 100Mb/s fibre optic connection. Cool Ideas DFA Dark Fibre. Most products from other vendors download around 20-80 Mb/s. Tested my internet speed with Ookla and I get >90 Mb/s download speed and >95 Mb/s upload speed while the Orbx download is going at 350 kB/s. Its been like this for years - so it is not a new problem and it does not depend on the time of day or different days. I do not have any antivirus program. No one else was using the network at the same time. Thanks for any help! Happy to provide other information if needed. I'll try using my phone (hotspot) to download via the GSM network to see if this helps but I need to find my WiFi dongle again. I use a LAN Ethernet cable from my router. central.log Edited January 14 by Rhett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhett Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 The log file attached to my previous post was a little large. Attached is a screenshot of the download progress. See how it is "busy" (very slow) on the last 2nd last extraction file 1712/1713. This is consistent with all my Orbx Central scenery installation downloads. Out of interest, where are the files located that are being downloaded (which country)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cymbalak Posted January 24 Author Share Posted January 24 Thanks for the great info Rhett. We are continuing to investigate, we have quite a few theories and are working through a process of elimination. Location of files is within the Asia Pacific region. Give there are mostly good download speeds experienced, even with that same product that you then had a poor experience at the tail end, I'm not convinced geography is playing much of a role. However not completely eliminating it just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfox Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Orbx Central will no longer load on my system. It seems to stop loading at 230 mb and seems to start making copies of the exe file. Maybe its restarting the exe on its own? Luckily I don't need if for anything now other than checking on p3d6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 This post was recognized by Matt Cymbalak! "Thanks Nick" Nick Cooper was awarded the badge 'Superstar' and 50 points. 8 hours ago, Bullfox said: Orbx Central will no longer load on my system. It seems to stop loading at 230 mb and seems to start making copies of the exe file. Maybe its restarting the exe on its own? Luckily I don't need if for anything now other than checking on p3d6. Hello, as an interim solution, please uninstall Orbx Central, using the Windows Control Panel. Then download the installer from here: https://orbxdirect.com/central Once installed, you will find that it is rolled back to version 4.1.76 and this should solve the problem. Apologies for the inconvenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfox Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Thanks Nick. I check on Central about once a week to see if anything has changed with P3D6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullfox Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 OK, that fixed the problem. Now Central loads correctly and relatively quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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