Weird issue when pinging an external server

[shedaim]

Hi,

Using the GPy in attached mode. Modem is registered and connected to the network on NB-IoT mode.
My issue:
I can't ping an external server when I try to ping once using the AT-command: AT!="IP::ping XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX",
but if I ping multiple times in a row it succeeds (same AT-command, but inside a while(True)).

Some help would be great,
Thanks,

Shedaim

[Elizar]

@shedaim Ping'ing takes time. Maybe the successful reply to the second ping is in fact the answer to the first ping?

[danielm]

@shedaim
Try to send the command with "delay" parameter introduced in v1.18.1.r3.

send_at_cmd() has an optional parameter lte.send_at_cmd('AT', delay=1000). The delay in milliseconds is the time the esp32 waits between sending the request to the modem and reading the response.

https://forum.pycom.io/topic/3968/new-lte-firmware-release-v1-18-1-r3-cat-m1-firmware-modem-updater

[shedaim]

Tried with the new firmware using several different delays but no luck.
I sniffered the data going through the MME and I can see the first Ping request going over the initial request for a bearer.
I can see a Downlink NAS message (ciphered), so I believe the ping answer is actually returning to the modem but is not read correctly.
Tried with a Telit modem and it all works well.

Btw, if it helps, I also cannot connect with a simple socket to an http server (the same one that I can ping, so no problems with routing). I always get OSError: -1 for s = socket.socket(), s.connect(('XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX', 80))

[shedaim]

@elizar said in Weird issue when pinging an external server:

@shedaim Ping'ing takes time. Maybe the successful reply to the second ping is in fact the answer to the first ping?

Using the newly added "delay" option should have fixed that, so I don't believe that's what's happening.

This is what I managed to find out untill now:

Trying a single ping message:
Ping request UE --> Server Success
Ping reply Server --> EPG Success
Ping reply EPG --> MME Success
Ping reply MME --> eNodeB Success
Ping reply eNodeB --> UE Unknown (Doesn't show in Atom, but MME states that message has been sent)

Trying two pings in rapid succession:
Ping request UE --> Server Success
Ping reply Server --> EPG Success
Ping reply EPG --> MME Success
Ping reply MME --> eNodeB Success
ping reply eNodeB --> UE Unknown (Doesn't show in Atom, but MME states that message has been sent)
Ping request UE --> Server Success
ping reply Server --> UE Success (Arrives after 150 - 500 ms)

Pinging from server to UE is successful continuously.
eDRX is in state "NOT_CONFIGURED" - same as network.
Tried to disable sleep of the modem using AT!="EE::disable"

Additional information for the Pros:
First Ping message is sent over S1AP/NAS-EPS in the initial message to the MME, which contains a Control Plane Service Request. Second ping message is sent over the same interface as an UplinkNasTransport message.
Wireshark of MME messages - Download