Server lag is rare, but it does happen. When you do experience lag (the server takes several seconds or even minutes to respond to your actions), there isn't much you can do about it. Often the best advise is to take a break from playing on FIBS and try again later. Usually bad lag is a short-term problem, and the server will return to normal after a few hours.

What causes lag?

Lag can be caused my many things, and it is difficult to determine the source of lag without special equipment and training.

The biggest factor that affects you is whether the lag is localized or widespread, that is whether the lag is affecting only a few players (even a single player) or everyone on FIBS. If the lag is localized, then it may be caused by your ISP or some system that your ISP is connected to. If it is widespread, it may be caused by the server's ISP, or even problems on the FIBS server itself.

Getting information

The advice here is similar to the advice about troubleshooting login problems.

If you have other network applications, such as Eudora or Netscape, these can be used to determine whether your connection to the Internet is working.

If you can connect to other resources on the Internet, you should see whether you can connect to the FIBS Web site, which resides on the same computer as the FIBS software. You should also check the FIBS Status Page for any information from Patti Beadles about the FIBS hardware or software. Finally, you may want to check the backgammon newsgroup to see whether other people are having problems connecting to FIBS.

See the topics below for more detailed information about what to do if you can't log in.

Related topics

	What to do if you can't log in to the server
	Logging in
	Finding backgammon resources on the Internet