Limelight fault affects NZ online gaming - Updated

A routing problem with the Australian Limelight servers has caused problems for Kiwis attempting to access certain online gaming services over the weekend.

The problem has meant that certain New Zealand Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been unable to access Limelight’s CDN servers. These CDN servers host a number of popular gaming services and websites. Telecom, Orcon and Slingshot have all been affected by the problem.

“It seems like it’s a problem with the Limelight content delivery network in Australia,” said Orcon’s head of brand and communications Duncan Blair. “It’s anything that’s hosted on the Limelight CDN.”

Various New Zealand users have reported problems in attempting to access the Steam storefront and certain aspects of the Xbox Live and PlayStation Network services. There have also been problems when attempting to access certain websites such as www.gamespot.com.

While the problem doesn’t affect online gaming as such, it does prevent players from downloading game updates, many of which are mandatory. This has effectively prevented users from playing online games that require an update.

For those still affected by the problem, there is a temporary fix; it’s possible to manually change your DNS settings to access public DNS servers until the problem is fixed. For instance, you can access Google’s public DNS servers by altering your settings to Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8, Secondary DNS: 8.8.4.4 in the appropriate settings menu on your console or computer.

“At the moment changing to Google DNS works because that just means you’re routed to the American servers rather than Australian ones,” said Blair.

Blair added that the ISP is contemplating the possibility of re-routing Limelight traffic itself pending an assessment of the problem’s longevity.

TechDay is yet to hear from other ISPs affected by the problem, but we’ll keep you updated as the news unfolds.

Update: Orcon has informed Game Console that it has reconfigured its network so that its customers will temporarily receive affected data via US-based Limelight CDN servers. However, Blair warns that its customers might experience slightly slower connection speeds as a result of the server distance until the Australian servers resume their normal operations.