🚀 go-pugleaf

Shane Badham <shane@wonk.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> swroot <swroot@farm-direct.co.uk> wrote:
> 
> > Peter Ceresole <peter@cara.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> > 
> > > In article <1enl5gk.1k9t5v91knodzrN%swroot@farm-direct.co.uk>,
> > > swroot@farm-direct.co.uk (swroot) wrote:
> > > 
> > > >Can anyone suggest any software that I could run to gather the date
> > > >useful in a report to dialupfaults? I can ping with DNSlookup, but it
> > > >doesn't record packet loss, etc. I presume I can determine which
> > > >router/whatever I connect from the ping path?
> > > 
> > > Try using MacTCP Watcher. You can get that kind of info from it. And yes,
> > > you can do a ping or a trace to get th i.d of the router- and everything
> > > else on the way.
> > > 
> > > I realise that you are using quite different numbers from me; I'm not
> > > using any BT surftime numbers, just the ordinary ROMPs via Telewest.
> > > So maybe there's more congestion on your route? Maybe it's all down to
> > > BT?
> > 
> > hmm. Any suggestions as to how to judge? Initial connections to both
> > Surfport 'modem' numbers in October were fine. I was affected by the
> > major BT SNAFU (which was most definitely BT), after which I recall no
> > problems for at least a few weeks. This seems to have developed
> > gradually...  Currently I experience the following: 
> > 
> > a) connect normally at c. 46666 (more usually 45333, down a tad from
> > preG-whatever). Reasonable downloads  ('solid' Receive light on modem,
> > regular flash of Send), no pauses. Most of my connections are less than
> > 10 minutes (email and news only), and I'd guess about 60% appear fine.
> > 
> > b) apparently connect normally, collect mail/news/whatever. Transfer
> > begins, may stutter once or twice (Receive light off for short periods),
> > followed by no Receive, one or two regular Send flashes (presumably my
> > end asking if anyone is there). The connection may revive within a
> > minute or so, which happened _a lot_ when I was downloading RealAudio
> > yesterday. Out of curiousity I pinged sdps.demon.co.uk (using DNS
> > Lookup) when the connection was apparently dead, and sure enough the
> > ping timed out after 34 seconds. When the connection revived the ping
> > informed me that the server was alive.
> > 
> > Alternatively a dead period (no Receive at all) of about 30 seconds or
> > so is followed by a Remote Access popup informing me that my connection
> > has been terminated. The RA Activity log says nothing at all useful
> > about how/why/by whom the connection was terminated: sessions ending in
> > this fashion cannot be distinguised from those which end normally. My
> > Idle timeout is set at 10 minutes in RA, so I don't think my end is
> > terminating.
> > 
> > regards
> > sarah
> 
> Same as me. Its the surftime numbers. They are definitely overloaded.
> I have started changing to the standard line when it clogs up.

I'm not certain of this... perhaps I'm gullible, but Demon were adamant
they could handle the 'Surftime' loads. There've been comments on
demon.service about the ways in which BT could be contributing to the
problem because of the way calls are routed (Demon isn't using SurfTime,
it's actually SurfPort). At any rate, I've an acquaintance who knows
something about packet loss and other network problems; his description
of the possible causes left me feeling extremely sorry for Demon's
techs. I'd send them a few batches of chocolate brownies if I thought it
would help.

regards
sarah


-- 
'legs to walk and thoughts to fly
 eyes to laugh and lips to cry
 a restless tongue to classify
 all born to grow and grown to die'