View Full Version : [Merged] Are VM now throttling newsgroups? Mine seems to be!
Recently (the past 2 weeks) i've found that when downloading from newsgroups my connection now stays pretty much flat on 10mb & never gets any higher. I'm on 20mb & used to get a consistent 15-18mb from my usenet service giganews (I use 6 connections & 2 is enough to attain max speed from giganews).
I've been using Giganews usenet service for over 5 years now & they've always maxed out my connection!
I've not downloaded enough to hit the STM limits as i've only dl'd top gear & the daily show the last 2 weeks.
To test my speed I then downloaded a couple of 1080p movie trailers from apple & these both hit 18mb download speeds.
This certainly appears to be application throttling to me as I can't find anything wrong with my connection & other apps still seem to be getting decent speeds above 10mb (well seeded torrents etc). Also the fact that the speed is staying exactly at 10mb & never going over seems to be proof that the connection is being limited.
10mb isn't so bad but i'm paying for 20mb & that's what I should be getting! If I was a heavy downloader that would be one thing but i've barely downloaded 5gb's in the last 2 weeks!
VM really are starting to **** me off with all these restrictions on usage & if this turns out to be another one i'm going to have to seriously look into changing isp's (luckily I have lots of LLU providers here).
Is anyone else experiencing usenet throttling?
quick test:
download using 1 thread off giganews newsgroup server, record the speed
do the speed test on giganews's site and compare the speed
comparing speed from giganews and apple isn't a fair test as they end up using different routes which can have varying capacity and current utilisation
xspeedyx
03-07-2008, 12:44
quick test:
download using 1 thread off giganews newsgroup server, record the speed
do the speed test on giganews's site and compare the speed
comparing speed from giganews and apple isn't a fair test as they end up using different routes which can have varying capacity and current utilisation
Very good idea and also if VM are throttling as trax said its throttled to 512Kps not 10MB its sounds like the routes are under alot of strain which cant give you full speed also if your using a router try it with the modem connected directly to ur pc
what port are you using for giganews? are you using SSL ?
my giga acocun t has been slow at times, especially peak times and evenings, increasing the conenctions doesnt wotrk but when i let it download from the VM server aswell i got full speed
I've been through every possible problem it could be (I work in tech support) inc router, firewall, virus, settings etc but my usenet remains capped at 10mbs since Monday last week & nothing I do (using US or European servers, changing apps, using VM's servers etc) makes any difference.
I can't think of anything else it could be other than being app/port managed by VM as my usenet speed sits at exactly 10mb regardless of time of day or group i'm downloading from & nothing has changed on my end with my router/pc or modem settings & downloads from the web, ftp & torrents as well as ping times all remain as usual with no signs of speed reductions.
(PS I use the standard port 119 & no ssl)
if you change ports to 80 then it wil look like http traffic and bypass nntp throttling if it is occurring
I've been through every possible problem it could be (I work in tech support) inc router, firewall, virus, settings etc but my usenet remains capped at 10mbs since Monday last week & nothing I do (using US or European servers, changing apps, using VM's servers etc) makes any difference.
I can't think of anything else it could be other than being app/port managed by VM as my usenet speed sits at exactly 10mb regardless of time of day or group i'm downloading from & nothing has changed on my end with my router/pc or modem settings & downloads from the web, ftp & torrents as well as ping times all remain as usual with no signs of speed reductions.
(PS I use the standard port 119 & no ssl)
did you try what i suggested?
if you change ports to 80 then it wil look like http traffic and bypass nntp throttling if it is occurring
change it to port 80 won't make it look like http traffic at all, if they are doing basic port throttling then changing it off the default will be enough. if they are checking for the type of traffic, changing the port will do nothing
TraxData
03-07-2008, 14:35
And if that dont work, PM me the area your in and i'll do a quick check ;)
The Hitman
03-07-2008, 14:57
Mines capped as well. Iv'e just done a test with giganews. I have even tried downloading drivers from ati, as their website maxes out my bandwidth. Thats slow as well
Angry@VMedia
03-07-2008, 15:05
And if that dont work, PM me the area your in and i'll do a quick check ;)
BUT you dont work with Virgin anymore... I fail to see how you could still access Virgin's systems if you are no longer an employee.:td:
TraxData
03-07-2008, 15:25
BUT you dont work with Virgin anymore... I fail to see how you could still access Virgin's systems if you are no longer an employee.:td:
I may not work for VM but i do have access to where trials/certain things are run ;)
The Hitman
03-07-2008, 15:30
Ive just found out. They are implementing their new traffic management
xspeedyx
03-07-2008, 15:31
TraxData is really Neil Berkett but keep it quiet and you didnt hear that from me
---------- Post added at 15:31 ---------- Previous post was at 15:30 ----------
Ive just found out. They are implementing their new traffic management
What new management?
I've been through every possible problem it could be (I work in tech support) inc router, firewall, virus, settings etc but my usenet remains capped at 10mbs since Monday last week & nothing I do (using US or European servers, changing apps, using VM's servers etc) makes any difference.
Have you tried downloading via VM's own servers at news.virginmedia.com?
The Hitman
03-07-2008, 16:02
TraxData is really Neil Berkett but keep it quiet and you didnt hear that from me
---------- Post added at 15:31 ---------- Previous post was at 15:30 ----------
What new management?
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/396/virgin-media-to-introduce-new-traffic-management-measures
This :mad:
Ignitionnet
03-07-2008, 16:28
Ummm they already did ;)
Smoke without fire ??????
xspeedyx
03-07-2008, 18:29
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/396/virgin-media-to-introduce-new-traffic-management-measures
This :mad:
o yeah that one I throught u meant a new one
Switching to vm's usenet makes no difference to my speed ie it stays at 10mb.
Did a litle test today & downloaded the last ep of BSG in hd 720p 1.1gb file size this morning before leaving for work @6.40am & then downloaded it again tonight @ 6.45pm when I got back.
Morning = 1,243 KiloBytes average dl speed (from my newsclient)
Evening = 1,211 KiloBytes average dl speed (from my newsclient)
I ran the speedtest on the giganews website & that comes out to around 8500kbps for U.S & 9000kbps for europe but it always had that sort of speed even when I was still getting a decent 15+mbps.
The dl speed is just too consistant for their not to be some sort of throttling or limiting going on...
colin-bennett
03-07-2008, 20:55
I may not work for VM but i do have access to where trials/certain things are run ;)
How does that work then.
TraxData
03-07-2008, 21:00
Switching to vm's usenet makes no difference to my speed ie it stays at 10mb.
Did a litle test today & downloaded the last ep of BSG in hd 720p 1.1gb file size this morning before leaving for work @6.40am & then downloaded it again tonight @ 6.45pm when I got back.
Morning = 1,243 KiloBytes average dl speed (from my newsclient)
Evening = 1,211 KiloBytes average dl speed (from my newsclient)
I ran the speedtest on the giganews website & that comes out to around 8500kbps for U.S & 9000kbps for europe but it always had that sort of speed even when I was still getting a decent 15+mbps.
The dl speed is just too consistant for their not to be some sort of throttling or limiting going on...
It actually sounds like you've been put on the 10Mbit config.
xspeedyx
03-07-2008, 22:56
Post you modem config here type 192.168.100.1 passwords root
First thing I checked was whether or not I was still set to 20mb down & 768k up & I was so that's ok. Here's my modem info:
Downstream Status:
Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Frequency : 402750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Interleave Depth : 32
Downstream Receive Power Level : 0.2 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 29.5 dB
Upstream Status:
Upstream Channel ID : 4
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 56.50 dBmV
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream Frequency : 29200000 Hz
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2
Cable Modem Status:
Acquire Downstream Channel 402750000 Hz Locked
Connectivity State OK Operational
Boot State OK Operational
Security Enabled BPI
VM people - Does this look normal?
h3llb1tch
04-07-2008, 00:36
The "Operation Config." page will tell you what speed you are on.
xspeedyx
04-07-2008, 09:44
First thing I checked was whether or not I was still set to 20mb down & 768k up & I was so that's ok. Here's my modem info:
Downstream Status:
Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Frequency : 402750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Interleave Depth : 32
Downstream Receive Power Level : 0.2 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 29.5 dB
Upstream Status:
Upstream Channel ID : 4
Upstream Transmit Power Level : 56.50 dBmV
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream Frequency : 29200000 Hz
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2
Cable Modem Status:
Acquire Downstream Channel 402750000 Hz Locked
Connectivity State OK Operational
Boot State OK Operational
Security Enabled BPI
VM people - Does this look normal?
Levels look fine but need the config page info to see what config your on
virgin media has always stm'ed the newsgroups since they announced stm, nothing different there
xspeedyx
07-07-2008, 11:32
virgin media has always stm'ed the newsgroups since they announced stm, nothing different there
Since when I have used newsgroups after stm was added to the network and got 15 - 19MB well that was when I good speeds
i've always been stm'ed since it has been activated.
i wish people would use that search feature...
xspeedyx
07-07-2008, 14:07
i've always been stm'ed since it has been activated.
proof please?
broadbandbug
07-07-2008, 16:16
STM is totally traffic agnostic.. It doesn't know if the traffic is HTTP, NNTP, FTP etc.. It just counts bytes passed and totals up the volume of data passed.:)
paulwilko
12-07-2008, 09:25
I am onthe 20 Meg service
I always used to get very good download speeds almost to the full 20 meg
Now all i get is appx 8 meg using Grabit
Has something changed in the last few months with Newsgroups ?
Cheers
Paul
I am onthe 20 Meg service
I always used to get very good download speeds almost to the full 20 meg
Now all i get is appx 8 meg using Grabit
Has something changed in the last few months with Newsgroups ?
Cheers
Paul
I am presently getting 13 meg off giganews and using newsleecher
monkey2468
12-07-2008, 10:01
Getting full 20 here using Giganews and Grabit.
paulwilko
12-07-2008, 10:12
Very very annoying, its been like it for ages and i am using giganews
My Modem settings
Cable Modem Downstream
Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Channel Id : 4
Downstream Frequency : 403000000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Symbol Rate : 5360.537 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps32Increment4
Downstream Receive Power Level : 6.1 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 36.6 dB
Cable Modem Operation Configuration
Network Access : Allowed
Maximum Downstream Data Rate : 20480000
Maximum Upstream Data Rate : 768000
Maximum Upstream Channel Burst : 1600
Maximum Number of CPEs : 1
Modem Capability : Concatenation Enabled, Fragametation Enabled, PHS Disabled
I assume that is for 20MB ??
Very very annoying, its been like it for ages and i am using giganews
My Modem settings
Cable Modem Downstream
Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Channel Id : 4
Downstream Frequency : 403000000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Symbol Rate : 5360.537 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps32Increment4
Downstream Receive Power Level : 6.1 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 36.6 dB
Cable Modem Operation Configuration
Network Access : Allowed
Maximum Downstream Data Rate : 20480000
Maximum Upstream Data Rate : 768000
Maximum Upstream Channel Burst : 1600
Maximum Number of CPEs : 1
Modem Capability : Concatenation Enabled, Fragametation Enabled, PHS Disabled
I assume that is for 20MB ??
Whats your upstream settings
paulwilko
12-07-2008, 10:51
Whats your upstream settings
Cable Modem Upstream
Upstream Lock : Locked
Upstream Channel ID : 1
Upstream Frequency : 25800000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QPSK
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 41.5 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2
able Modem Upstream Burst
Req
Init Maint
Per Maint
Short Data
Long Data
(1)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
Modulation Type QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK QPSK
Differential Encoding Off Off Off Off Off
Preamble Length 64 128 128 100 80
Preamble Value Offset 396 6 6 396 396
FEC Error Correction (T) 0 5 5 3 9
FEC Codeword Information Bytes (k) 16 34 34 78 232
Scrambler Seed 338 338 338 338 338
Maximum Burst Size 0 0 0 35 254
Guard Time Size 8 48 48 25 134
Last Codeword Length Fixed Fixed Fixed Short Short
Scrambler on/off On On On On On
UPDATE
I found out that VM have started using easynews as their usenet provider so I switched to their servers & low & behold I was now getting 18-19mb consistant download speeds with 10 connections. I then went back to using 10 giganews connections & I was STILL at 10mb!
I have the Giganews unimited service which has NO speed caps on any of their packages. I thought this was pretty strange so I setup a couple of free trials with other usenet providers (usenet.com etc) & low & behold they were also downloading @10mb!
Is VM throttling external usenet access now?! Is that even possible?
Can anyone here answer whether or not it's possible for VM to throttle other usenet services while maintaining full speed access to their own usenet servers?
Either way i'm not particularly bothered now as I cancelled giganews & thus saved $25 a month & got nearly the full 20mb dl speed.
Maybe this is a trial to keep people on vm's network & keep costs down by limiting speeds on external networks?
Has anyone else experienced an issue like this?
UPDATE
I found out that VM have started using easynews as their usenet provider so I switched to their servers & low & behold I was now getting 18-19mb consistant download speeds with 10 connections. I then went back to using 10 giganews connections & I was STILL at 10mb!
I have the Giganews unimited service which has NO speed caps on any of their packages. I thought this was pretty strange so I setup a couple of free trials with other usenet providers (usenet.com etc) & low & behold they were also downloading @10mb!
Is VM throttling external usenet access now?! Is that even possible?
Can anyone here answer whether or not it's possible for VM to throttle other usenet services while maintaining full speed access to their own usenet servers?
Either way i'm not particularly bothered now as I cancelled giganews & thus saved $25 a month & got nearly the full 20mb dl speed.
Maybe this is a trial to keep people on vm's network & keep costs down by limiting speeds on external networks?
Has anyone else experienced an issue like this?
There has been rumours for months now that just that has been happening, However VM deny that they are doing this. In fact VM denied that they were introducing STM and then we found out they were.:rolleyes:
UPDATE
I found out that VM have started using easynews as their usenet provider so I switched to their servers & low & behold I was now getting 18-19mb consistant download speeds with 10 connections. I then went back to using 10 giganews connections & I was STILL at 10mb!
I have the Giganews unimited service which has NO speed caps on any of their packages. I thought this was pretty strange so I setup a couple of free trials with other usenet providers (usenet.com etc) & low & behold they were also downloading @10mb!
Is VM throttling external usenet access now?! Is that even possible?
Can anyone here answer whether or not it's possible for VM to throttle other usenet services while maintaining full speed access to their own usenet servers?
Either way i'm not particularly bothered now as I cancelled giganews & thus saved $25 a month & got nearly the full 20mb dl speed.
Maybe this is a trial to keep people on vm's network & keep costs down by limiting speeds on external networks?
Has anyone else experienced an issue like this?
currently downloading via giganews SSL and getting a full 20meg
zing_deleted
20-07-2008, 12:09
My newsgroups have not been running to speed for the last week or 2 but they are still hitting on average 11 meg
My newsgroups have not been running to speed for the last week or 2 but they are still hitting on average 11 meg
Same here, 10 meg on the button.
Guys give the VM usenet a go & see if your speeds increase!
Remember VM have recently outsourced their usenet to easynews which means you get 120 days retention, 20 connections & unlimited downloads (still STM of course) for free!
You don't need a password, just enter: news.virginmedia.com as the server address and see what sort of speed you get. If you have 20mb i'd recommend using 10 connections to max your download speed.
Let me know what speeds you get!
I'm getting full speeds with VM Servers and Giganews - the full 20Mb
don't know why you think you're getting 120 days retention with VM - I thought it was set at 7 days (and that's all I can get)
but I'm definitely cancelling Giganews very soon - 7 days will be enough for me for most of the time
zing_deleted
20-07-2008, 18:22
if that is the case easynews always had problems with their NNTP servers and never managed to max my connection in a couple of years of trying.
I'm getting full speeds with VM Servers and Giganews - the full 20Mb
don't know why you think you're getting 120 days retention with VM - I thought it was set at 7 days (and that's all I can get)
but I'm definitely cancelling Giganews very soon - 7 days will be enough for me for most of the time
by the looks headers are stored for 7 days but i think msg-id's are stored a bit longer as i was grabbing files that were about 2 weeks old via nzb
I just grabbed a movie that had been posted 82.5 days & a tv episode that was 54 days old, so the retention is definately more than 7 days.
Remember that in late April VM switched from their own servers & outsourced their usenet to easynews (ie it used to be 7 days until recently).
Don't believe me? Think i'm wrong? Then simply download something yourself!
Don't believe me? Think i'm wrong? Then simply download something yourself!
before i posted, I did try downloading 3 different shows (between 20 and 40 days old) using nzb's and none of them worked - just tried another 2 shows and 1 film - and none of them worked either
edit - just managed to download a 49 day old film
shame it's so hit and miss with retentions/groups it carries - otherwise I'd be very impressed with the service
do a download of headers and see how far back the date goes as i said, headers and downloading via msg-id (nzb files) are not the same retention, go download headers from a group and see how far back they go
homealone
20-07-2008, 22:37
My opinion is that the virginmedia newsgroups are still too 'hit & miss' - I tried a previous 'Top Gear' episode download, allegedly 29.06.2008, from alt.binaries.tv - using an nzb file, & just got file not found - the same nzb worked fine on the Giganews server....
A quick question about Giganews, since I can't find much on their site: Can I buy an account, then cancel it after a month, or will I be under a contract to keep the account for longer?
It's just that I want to get some binaries that are about 100 days old, but the VM News Server has incomplete versions of some of the .rar and .par2 files. I'm assuming Giganews will allow me to download more complete versions.
Thanks in advance.
At the moment i only receive speeds above 10 mb if i use ssl, Make of that what you will, I know what it says to me :mad:
im currently getting a full 20meg from giganews without ssl
what server do you use?
im confused...
are people saying that they are getting full speed via newsgroups regardless of the amoun of data they download
or are we saying that if you download via VM newsgroups then u dont get throttled in any way?
im currently using giganews - very happy with their service (i use it with newsleecher)
well I'm getting full 20Mb download with both Giganews and VM newsgroups (until both get STM'd)- no difference in speed
only difference, as far as I can tell, is with retention/groups they carry
im currently getting a full 20meg from giganews without ssl
what server do you use?
Giganews
If this is a trial NOTE if then it could be local to me. Or something is misconfigured. I am in the Warrington area
At this moment in time if i don't use SSL i am downloading at 10mb with no fluctuation. If i then turn on SSL i jump straight to 16mb so you tell me what you think that points at :(
try downloading something from the VM server, how many connections do you use? i often had to use a full 20 to get anywhere near 20meg at times, depending on the time of day i can use as little as 7 to get full speed
try downloading something from the VM server, how many connections do you use? i often had to use a full 20 to get anywhere near 20meg at times, depending on the time of day i can use as little as 7 to get full speed
As i cannot use SSL with Virgins newsgroups i can only get 10mb. I have tried my laptop, A Linux machine, and my vista machine there all the same.
must be a local issue then as i have used giganews and astraweb without SSL and am seeing full speeds
and the idea was to see what speed you got from the VM server, obviously you have already tested this
must be a local issue then as i have used giganews and astraweb without SSL and am seeing full speeds
and the idea was to see what speed you got from the VM server, obviously you have already tested this
Yep.
I have always used giganews because they have a superb level of service. I am going to sign up with hitnews.eu for a months trial and see if they are the same.
If its the same and i can only get full speed when SSLing then that in my mind proves that there is something going on local to me.
are you using the us or european server?
are you using the us or european server?
Tried both.
++++++UPDATE++++++
Signed up for a 1 month account with http://www.hitnews.eu/english/
Tried nonSSL and SSL both give me 18mb with hitnews, However i still get the 10mb non ssl /16mb ssl with giganews.
Looks like giga are going to be losing a customer.
Very very strange
i often see slow downs to around 10 - 12 meg with giganews, but i put it down to issues with both VM and the euro server, its something i deal with, a few more minutes downloading isnt a really big concern
Tried both.
++++++UPDATE++++++
Signed up for a 1 month account with http://www.hitnews.eu/english/
Tried nonSSL and SSL both give me 18mb with hitnews, However i still get the 10mb non ssl /16mb ssl with giganews.
Looks like giga are going to be losing a customer.
Very very strange
I think you'll find giga/VM are having routing issues (this is down to VM to be fair)
Also a reason for slower speeds is the fact they are upgrading retention/all their servers!
Enjoy hitnews if you go with them though, personally i would never leave giganews, find me another one that provides 240day retention and i'll move, until then, nope ;)
so u do get throttled with newsgroups then ???
homealone
24-07-2008, 23:21
so u do get throttled with newsgroups then ???
I don't - Middleman came down at full whack 20Mb/s earlier (2400 KB/s), using Giganews after 21:00 hrs ?
I think you'll find giga/VM are having routing issues (this is down to VM to be fair)
Also a reason for slower speeds is the fact they are upgrading retention/all their servers!
Enjoy hitnews if you go with them though, personally i would never leave giganews, find me another one that provides 240day retention and i'll move, until then, nope ;)
Just going to run both account for a months and see who pans out to be the fastest.
I think you'll find giga/VM are having routing issues (this is down to VM to be fair)
Also a reason for slower speeds is the fact they are upgrading retention/all their servers!
Enjoy hitnews if you go with them though, personally i would never leave giganews, find me another one that provides 240day retention and i'll move, until then, nope ;)
i doubt the slowdown is anything to do with the retention upgrade
i doubt the slowdown is anything to do with the retention upgrade
Actually it is, they are installing new servers, removing old ones and rehauling a part of their network so a few backbone links are down.
But my original point is the fact VM has poor routing to giganews.
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