bluescast

I used Grok 3

...and specific information related to DNS servers and MSFS2024. "How does MSFS 2024 handle DNS servers to resolve domains?" Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (MSFS 2024) relies heavily on cloud-based streaming to deliver its vast world, real-time weather, and other dynamic assets to your local device. While the game itself doesn’t explicitly "handle" DNS servers in a way that’s exposed to the user, its underlying network architecture uses DNS resolution as part of its communication with Microsoft’s Azure-based cloud infrastructure. Here’s how this likely works, based on standard networking practices and the game’s known behavior: ### How MSFS 2024 Uses DNS 1. **Cloud Asset Delivery:** - MSFS 2024 streams scenery, aircraft data, and other content from Azure servers. To connect to these servers, the game client (running on your PC or Xbox) needs to resolve domain names (e.g., `*.flightsimulator.com` or Azure-specific endpoints like `*.azureedge.net`) into IP addresses. This is where DNS comes in. - The game doesn’t maintain its own DNS server list; instead, it relies on your system’s configured DNS settings (usually your ISP’s DNS or a public one like Google’s 8.8.8.8, unless you’ve customized it). 2. **System-Level DNS Resolution:** - On Windows or Xbox, MSFS 2024 uses the operating system’s TCP/IP stack to perform DNS lookups. When the game initiates a request to fetch data (say, photogrammetry for New York City), it sends a query through your network adapter, which forwards it to the DNS server specified in your network settings. - For example, if your DNS is set to 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare), your system queries that server to resolve the domain, gets an IP back, and MSFS 2024 uses that IP to establish a connection. 3. **Azure CDN and Dynamic IPs:** - Microsoft leverages Azure’s Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute MSFS 2024 assets globally. These CDNs use domain names that resolve to different IPs based on your location, ensuring you connect to the nearest server for lower latency. This process, called geo-DNS or anycast routing, is handled transparently by Azure’s DNS infrastructure. - The game likely hits multiple domains behind the scenes (e.g., for map tiles, weather data, or multiplayer traffic), and each resolution depends on your DNS server’s speed and reliability. 4. **Fallback and Redundancy:** - If a DNS query fails (e.g., your primary DNS server is down), your system typically falls back to a secondary DNS server (if configured). MSFS 2024 doesn’t appear to have its own hardcoded DNS fallback mechanism—any issues here would manifest as connection errors or long loading times, which players have reported during server overloads (like at launch in November 2024). ### Potential DNS-Related Issues in MSFS 2024 - **Server Overload and DNS Load:** - During high-traffic periods (e.g., launch day), the sheer volume of players can overwhelm not just the game servers but also the DNS infrastructure resolving Azure domains. If the authoritative DNS servers for Microsoft’s domains get hammered, resolution delays could slow down or halt your connection to the game’s assets. - Players have reported long initial loading times, partly attributed to server requests, which include DNS lookups as the first step. - **Local Cache Overload:** - Your router or device maintains a DNS cache to avoid repeated lookups for the same domains. If MSFS 2024 queries a ton of unique subdomains (common with CDNs), this cache could fill up, especially on low-end routers. While this wouldn’t disconnect your internet outright, it might stall the game until the cache clears or refreshes. - **ISP or DNS Misconfiguration:** - If your ISP’s DNS servers are slow or block certain domains (unlikely but possible), MSFS 2024 might struggle to connect. Switching to a faster public DNS (e.g., Google’s 8.8.8.8 or Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1) could help, as some players have noted improved performance after doing so. ### Does MSFS 2024 Specify DNS Servers? - There’s no evidence that MSFS 2024 hardcodes or specifies its own DNS servers. Unlike some online games that might embed fallback IPs or custom DNS settings, MSFS 2024 relies on your system’s defaults. This keeps it flexible but also means it’s vulnerable to local network issues. ### Practical Implications - **Bandwidth and DNS:** The game’s high bandwidth demand (up to 180 Mbps in dense areas, per alpha tests) isn’t directly tied to DNS, but slow resolution can delay the start of data streaming, making it feel like a bottleneck. - **Troubleshooting:** If you’re seeing connection issues, flushing your DNS cache (`ipconfig /flushdns` on Windows) or switching DNS servers might help rule out resolution problems. Community forums have suggested this as a fix for some loading hangs. ### Bottom Line MSFS 2024 doesn’t "handle" DNS servers itself—it delegates that to your operating system and network stack, which resolve domains to connect to Azure’s cloud services. The process is standard but critical, given the game’s reliance on real-time streaming. Any DNS hiccups (slow servers, cache issues, or network misconfigs) can disrupt your experience, though they’re unlikely to fill your internet cache enough to disconnect you—that’s more about bandwidth saturation or router limits, as I covered earlier. If you’re digging into a specific DNS-related problem with MSFS 2024, toss me the details, and I’ll zero in further!

Concerning internet drop-outs, I asked an AI to provide context. I specifically asked generically when it comes to Cloud based services as these conditions can happen and its not necessarily an issue on your end but how MSFS2024 is pushing data and its relationship with different ISP's. Here are the results and not sure this will help... "What cloud access scenarios would cause home internet cache to fill up and disconnect your internet?" When your home internet cache fills up and causes disconnections, it’s typically tied to how devices or applications interact with cloud services. Here are some cloud access scenarios that could lead to this issue: 1. **Heavy Cloud Syncing (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive):** - If you’re syncing large files or a massive number of small files to a cloud storage service, the local cache on your device or router can get overwhelmed. Many sync clients maintain a local cache to track changes, and if your storage is limited or the sync process is poorly optimized, it might flood the cache. This can bog down your bandwidth, leading to timeouts or disconnects, especially if your router struggles to handle the traffic. 2. **Streaming or Buffering High-Bandwidth Content:** - Services like Netflix, YouTube, or cloud gaming platforms (e.g., GeForce Now) rely on caching chunks of data locally. If your connection is slow or unstable, these services might keep retrying to fetch data, filling up the cache on your device or router. A poorly configured Quality of Service (QoS) setting on your router could exacerbate this, choking other traffic and causing disconnects. 3. **Frequent Cloud Backup Operations:** - Automated backups (e.g., iCloud, Backblaze) that upload constantly changing data—like photos, videos, or system snapshots—can generate a lot of small, repetitive requests. If the backup client caches these requests locally before uploading and your internet speed can’t keep up, the cache might hit its limit, leading to dropped connections as the system struggles to clear the backlog. 4. **IoT Devices Overloading Cloud APIs:** - Smart home devices (e.g., cameras, thermostats) often ping cloud servers for updates or to send data. If you’ve got a bunch of these devices hitting the same network and their firmware is chatty, they can flood your router’s cache with outbound requests. Cheap routers with small memory pools might crash or disconnect under this load. 5. **VPN or Cloud Proxy Misconfiguration:** - Using a VPN or proxy routed through a cloud service can cache traffic locally before encrypting and sending it. If the VPN client is set to aggressive retry policies or you’re pushing too much data (e.g., torrenting), the cache could fill up, especially on devices with limited RAM. This might force your router to drop the connection to reset. 6. **DNS Resolution Overload:** - Cloud-reliant apps often hammer DNS servers to resolve domains. If your router’s DNS cache is small and you’re hitting a ton of cloud endpoints (think ad-heavy sites or apps phoning home), it might overflow. This can stall requests, making it feel like your internet’s disconnected when it’s really just choking on unresolved lookups. ### Why This Disconnects Your Internet Most home routers have limited memory for caching—sometimes as little as a few MB. When the cache fills up (whether it’s DNS, NAT tables, or packet buffers), the router might drop connections to free resources. Alternatively, your ISP might throttle you if they detect sustained high traffic, or your modem could reset if it overheats from the load. ### How to Spot and Fix It - **Check Router Logs:** Look for errors like “NAT table full” or “cache overflow.” - **Monitor Bandwidth:** Tools like GlassWire or your router’s traffic stats can show if a cloud service is hogging your connection. - **Solutions:** Increase router cache size (if adjustable), limit sync/upload rates in cloud apps, upgrade your router, or tweak QoS to prioritize critical traffic. If you’ve got a specific setup in mind (e.g., “I’m using Google Drive and a cheap TP-Link router”), let me know, and I can dig deeper!

meh... With the Velocity One Joystick plugged in, mouse stops working for looking around in cockpit. Unplug the Velocity One Joystick and mouse in cockpit works again. I'm yet to fly the thing because of this issue.

The clue to the issue is "Warehouse in Germany". If they have to use a Western European shipping warehouse, Italy would have been better in 2024.

Purchased and no email yet.

Have to agree. From Bruce Artwick to Jorg Neumann and the incredible 3rd party developers this has been one hell of a ride.

RESOLVED: PMDG came through pretty quickly with a resolution and explaination. Turns out, it has to do with paypal changes and how it pushes information to PMDG's eCommerce site. PMDG sent me a temp passward and I'm currently dowloading my purchases. I imagine credit card orders are a non-issue. Mods please remove this thread or leave for informational puposes.

Ok, upon further research PMDG's E-Commerce site doesnt have an option to RESET a password, it simply Emails your old password and it looks like the password that was sent to me is encrypted therefore unusable. They must have had hacks or something in the past and they had to impliment measures and since I havent signed in in a decade or more my account may have been caught up in soemthing. I know, a crap ton of assumptions but anyway, I still need a VALID usable password or a reset. Perhaps one of the PMDG guys can help. I'm guessing that the E-Commerce site is not exactly part of PMDG.

Sorry if i didnt make it clear but the characters are not normal english characters and I cut and pasted them. I do not have some of the characters on my keyboard to type. Thanks for the response anyway.

Purschased some stuff from PMDG. After the transaction was complete, I signed in using the ORDER CODE. It provided links to my purchases. Links to downloads did not work. So I decided to sign in normally. I havent used PMDG in years so asked for an email to reset my password. They send an automated NEW password but it is all unicode (screwy characters). copy and pasted the password and it didnt worked. Tried to reset my password 3 more times; same unicode password. I submitted a ticket. Getting frustrated... Need to know how to cancel the order in the next few hours. I unfortunately used paypal. Thanks for any guidance anyone can proved. Brandon Edwards