Why is my CacheDrive slow or unstable in China?

CacheDrive works normally in mainland China most of the time. However, it requires reliable access to Morro services and to the cloud storage provider configured for the account. Connections to services or storage endpoints outside China may occasionally become slow, unstable, or temporarily unavailable.

Typical symptoms include:

  • Slow file access or synchronization
  • Sync jobs that stall, time out, or repeatedly retry
  • Intermittent connection to the cloud storage provider
  • Host names that fail to resolve or resolve inconsistently
  • Different results at different times or when using a different ISP

These symptoms do not necessarily indicate a CacheDrive hardware or software problem.

What causes the problem?

Internet traffic between mainland China and overseas networks is subject to cross-border routing and network controls. The quality of a connection can vary by ISP, destination, route, and time of day. Common causes include:

  • Congestion, packet loss, or high latency on international routes
  • Direct access to an overseas IP address being blocked or disrupted
  • DNS responses being blocked, redirected, or altered
  • Unreliable IPv6 routing or a different route being selected for a dual-stack endpoint
  • An overseas cloud region or storage provider not being designed or recommended for service from mainland China

Changing DNS settings alone will not fix a blocked or poor-quality international route. Likewise, a normal speed test to a server inside China does not prove that the route to an overseas cloud service is healthy.

What should I do?

1. Check the local network first

Confirm that CacheDrive has a stable wired Internet connection and that the configured DNS server can resolve both Morro service names and the cloud storage endpoint. If CacheDrive uses a company or Active Directory DNS server, make sure that server can resolve public Internet names as well as local domain names.

Also check whether the problem affects all Internet services or only the configured cloud storage destination. Testing from another ISP can help identify an ISP-specific routing problem.

2. Use a cloud region appropriate for China

If your organization has an AWS China account, consider using an Amazon S3 bucket in the Beijing or Ningxia Region. AWS China Regions use separate accounts and service endpoints from AWS Regions outside China. If the bucket must also be accessed from outside mainland China, consult AWS about the appropriate architecture and any cross-border access requirements.

Wasabi does not recommend its service for access from mainland China. For a CacheDrive deployment in China, use a supported storage service with suitable in-country connectivity, or provide a reliable, compliant international Internet connection.

3. Arrange compliant cross-border connectivity with your ISP

For dependable access to an overseas bucket or other overseas services, contact a licensed ISP in China and ask for a compliant enterprise cross-border networking service. One possible option is an ISP-managed SD-WAN service.

In the China Telecom proposal, a local CPE connects the office to a nearby point of presence, while a virtual CPE connects an overseas cloud network to an overseas point of presence. Traffic crosses the provider's managed international backbone through an encrypted SD-WAN tunnel. This can improve route stability, latency, and packet-loss recovery compared with ordinary public Internet routing.

Service availability, compliance review, installation, bandwidth, and price are determined by the ISP. The ISP may require your business address, network information, an existing broadband connection, on-site equipment, and an overseas virtual server or cloud endpoint.

What information should I provide to Morro Support?

If the issue continues, provide:

  • CacheDrive model, serial number, and firmware version
  • Approximate start time and frequency of the problem
  • ISP name and office location
  • Cloud storage provider and region
  • Whether IPv4, IPv6, or both are enabled
  • Whether the problem affects uploads, downloads, DNS resolution, or all traffic
  • Results from another ISP or from an ISP-managed cross-border route, if available

Morro Support can help determine whether CacheDrive and DNS are configured correctly. However, routing restrictions and the quality of cross-border connectivity must be addressed by your ISP.