Technical Analysis: Is The Taiwan Server Actually A Malaysian Server? And Routing Optimization Suggestions

Question 1: Is the Taiwan server really deployed in Malaysian server Up? How to tell?

To determine a physical location, one cannot rely solely on the server name or what is displayed on the game interface; various technical methods must be used in combination. Common methods include: Use Traceroute (tracert/mtr), ping WHOIS/RIPE/APNIC queries to find the ASN to which an IP belongs, as well as GeoIP databases (such as MaxMind). If Traceroute shows a Malaysian relay point before reaching the destination, or if WHOIS indicates that the IP belongs to a Malaysian operator, then it’s possible that the server is located in Malaysia ； But if the IP belongs to a data center in Taiwan or the CDN Anycast nodes are located in Taiwan, then the server may be in Taiwan.

Examples of check commands

Windows: tracert target_ip ； Linux/macOS: mtr/traceroute target_ip ； Combined with that again whois Query.

Note

GeoIP It’s not absolutely accurate; CDN/Anycast allows the same IP to respond from multiple locations, so a comprehensive assessment is needed.

Key points

with ASN to which IP belongs The geographical and routing information of the last few hops shall prevail.

Question 2: Why does the route to the “Taiwan server” go through a Malaysian node?

The routing through Malaysia is usually determined by the interconnection strategies of the global Internet. BGP route selection is based on the best path, policies, and peer relationships. If the player’s ISP has better peering or relay links with Malaysian operators, the traffic may be routed to a Malaysian IX (Internet Exchange) or transit node, and then to Taiwan or the target data center. MPLS tunnels, fiber optic cable breaks, or traffic engineering can also cause temporary detours.

Technical mechanism

BGP path selection is not based on geographical shortest distance, but rather on policies such as AS hop count, Local Preference, and MED. Therefore, a server that is physically closer may still be routed through a more distant server due to these policies.

How to verify

Use mtr By continuously monitoring packet loss and latency points, if there are significant fluctuations at the Malaysian node, it indicates that there is a bottleneck or cross-border transit issue at that location.

Key points for investigation

Pay attention to the fluctuations in AS and RTT for the last three hops to determine whether it is a transit or an end node.

Question 3: From a player’s perspective, how can routing optimization be done to reduce latency?

Optimizations that can be made on the player side include: Use a wired connection instead of WIFI, upgrade the router’s firmware, enable QoS on the router to prioritize game traffic, adjust the MTU (to avoid fragmentation), and change the DNS to 1.1.1.1 Or 8.8.8.8 To reduce parsing latency, close background apps that consume bandwidth. If the ISP’s routing is not optimal, you can provide feedback to the ISP along with the traceroute results to request improvements.

Network device settings

Enable hardware NAT or game acceleration mode on the router, and enable DSCP tagging if necessary so that the ISP can recognize it and assign QoS priority.

Local tuning

Set a fixed DNS on the client, disable automatic updates and P2P applications, ensure that the network card drivers are up to date, and use a fixed IP with port mapping (game port forwarding).

Testing Method

Use after optimization ping/mtr Compare RTT and packet loss rates to continuously monitor performance during peak times.

Question 4: Can using a VPN/accelerator solve problems with routing detours or high latency? How to choose?

VPNs/accelerators improve routing by establishing better relay links or direct connections to game servers. Common game accelerators use UDP dedicated lines or acceleration nodes. When making a choice, pay attention to the city/IP of the accelerator’s exit node, dedicated line support for the target game/server region, baseline tests for latency and packet loss, as well as the reputation of the service provider. Keep in mind that encryption incurs certain overhead and may sometimes violate the game’s terms of service.

Pros and Cons Comparison

Advantages: It may significantly reduce the number of hops and packet losses, improving stability ； Disadvantages: Extra costs, encryption delays, and unstable quality of some accelerators.

Selection suggestions

First, use the free trial to test latency and compare MTR paths across different nodes, prioritizing those with direct connections to the target country/city.

Compliance and Security

Check the game publisher’s policies on VPNs/accelerators to avoid account risks ； Choose a reputable accelerator and pay attention to privacy and traffic encryption settings.

Question 5: If it is confirmed that the server is not in Malaysia, but the routing still goes through Malaysia, what optimizations can the operators make?

The operator can negotiate BGP policies with upstream ISPs/peers, add direct peering, or deploy more PoP/CDN nodes in the target region to reduce cross-border transit. Another option is to enable Anycast and multi-site redundancy, or introduce intelligent routing selection (SD-WAN/traffic engineering) in the gaming network to bypass high-latency links.

Network engineering measures

This includes adjusting BGP Local Preference, establishing additional transport-layer dedicated lines, and deploying caching/proxy nodes at key IXs to improve the user experience.

Monitoring and Rollback

Before deploying changes, it is necessary to evaluate the impact through long-term traffic and mtr monitoring to avoid introducing new points of jitter, and provide a rollback plan if needed.

Communicate with players

Making the traceroute detection method public and collecting player samples can help identify the problem and work with ISPs to fix it quickly.