Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

No it won't. That'll tell you the proxy it used for that request.

Do a google for "what's my ip" and you'll find many sites that show similar details.

You'll see from those other sites that different URLs will use different lutn- caches. You don't have a "default" afaict.

I certainly don't. An example of how I know is the problem using .rapidshare.de because under their newer system the initial request for the file can be on one cache, and the final one to get the file after you wait the 20 seconds, choose a mirror and type the 3 digit code can be another one depending on the mirror.

Anyway that's digressing a bit, I'm in LB and use the luton caches and I'm not having problems at the moment [hope I'm not tempting fate :)]

Indeed I've not had any problems with my connection for ages, I just wandered past to read about the 4mb. Nevertheless I've been where you are now in the past and I can sympathise with how frustrating it is.

But perhaps James is right when he suggests a localised issue?

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Im afraid you do have a default proxy.

Try specifying this proxy for all protocols and see what you get:

lutn-cache-2.server.ntli.net

And of course it is a localised issue ... anyone who has as default the luton 2 proxy has gaming, secure and ftp problems.

If you read some of the other posts you will see that many people in my immediate area have the same problem.

They won't even let me cancel it now ... :mad:

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

I've been having the same problems in Luton since Friday 5th May. Called up numerous times but still no progress. Eventually, they said it will take time as they have heard simular complaints in the area and their 'technicians' are working on it and will be fixed next week...

Over a week has past now and no change. Its the usual thing, browsing seems to be ok since i changed the proxy, but gaming is a definate no-go and even VOIP/webcam on MSN lags me out all the time. This never happened before, i've been with them since November.

I've been patient up until now (no online games for about 2 weeks now, i think i'm going cold turkey!) but this really does take the biscuit. Is there anything we can do on our side to fix this problem or is it simply down to NTL who need to get their act together - again...

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

It's a bit early for pantomime season, but "Oh no I don't"

I get that cache when I go to your link - I use the same lutn caches that you do as I said :)

OTOH, if I use this link I get a different lutn cache :-

http://megawx.aws.com/support/faq/software/ip.asp

If I go to .rapidshare.de to get a file, I use different caches for different mirrors.

i.e I don't use lutn-cache-2 for every request, there is no default in place here. YMMV, but I very much doubt it.

Unless ntl uses http caches for gaming I can't see how that will be affected [the fact your gaming and others voip traffic is affected suggests it's something else]

As for cancelling send them a registered letter / fax etc - bear in mind minimum contract periods though if you have one, you might be better using the letter to document the problems, if you've already accepted some kind of discount / refund for the problems you've had.

As for localised I meant that it doesn't appear to be the caches - because they are used in a far wider area than the kind of issues that James indicated, e.g LB where I live uses the same caches that you are and despite using lutn-cache-2 I'm not experiencing the problems you're having.

Believe me, if lutn-cache-anything were giving me similar problems I'd shout from the rooftops.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Ok, can you try the test I placed earlier:

change yout FTP proxy to:

lutn-cache-2.server.ntli.net

try to download this file:

ftp://ftp.lom3europe.com/mir_install.zip

what speeds do you get?

then change FTP proxy to:

lutn-cache-2.server.ntli.net

what speeds do you get?


I'm not trying to challenge peoples knowledge, I'm trying to get my broadband sorted out. The more information I can get from people testing there connections compared to mine the better.

If you had a problem and asked me to test certain aspects then I would be glad to help ... just saying ... 'your wrong' will get the response 'no your wrong'. Most people here are working from pseudo knowledge.

I'm quite sure that I will be picked up on spelling and grammer eventually.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

I have already told you what is wrong. You don't know how the caching works so please stop trying to be technical about it. I'm not working from pseudo knowledge at all.

The caches only receive requests sent to port 53 (DNS) and 80 (HTTP), no other traffic goes through them unless you explicitly send traffic to them by specifying a cache. Even this tends not to work too well if at all. So your claim of a 'default proxy' affecting your FTP download is just wrong. It's not really surprising that FTP doesn't download too well through a webcache.

Whether you specify or not, traceroutes cannot go through the ntl webcaches as they don't run over TCP. I have asked you repeatedly for info on latency / packet loss but again your obsession with cache 2 meant you ignored my question. They are web caches not all protocol proxies, misusing them as an all protocol cache as you are it's not surprising things aren't working 100%. They are dedicated webcache appliances supplied by Network Appliances.

There is no default cache, the IP address of the site you request is hashed and from this hash a decision is made on which of the caches to use, the entire IPv4 address space is split between the caches.

Frankly you're expressing your anger at the wrong people and overestimating your own knowledge here, it doesn't help that you're telling other people they don't know what they are talking about when infact you don't.

Just to repeat what's wrong, you have a bad upstream path to the ntl equipment, it's very unstable (as your two power readouts showing 61dBmV, the absolute max, and then 51.5dBmV have evidenced), and when a change in transmit power above a certain level is forced by a variation in this path it can cause a disconnect. Using a cache may alleviate this as it reduces the latency to servers dramatically meaning that there's more chance of retransmits compensating for the packet loss more. Could even be a load of noise on the upstream causing your modem to increase power to try and get over it too.

Ask the cretin you speak to at tech support (assuming it's one of the people who has so far failed to spot this extraordinarily obvious issue) to check the flap list on your modem, preferably looking for power adjustments, the column marked P-Adj. Their tools should be quite capable of doing this if he can be bothered to look at them. Also worth checking is your upstream SNR. If they can't see the problem (IE a very big number where working as intended modems have a very small one or zero) then they need the sack to be honest.

As you appear to have issues accepting that your technical 'knowledge' isn't all that here's a couple of links to save you the trouble of arguing the toss with what I've said:

Web Cache Control Protocol

Flap list info

Acceptable Modem power levels as per the sticky at the top of this board

Now stop trying to argue technically with tech support over which cache does what, how, when and why and just report a slow speeds / intermittent connection issue and ask them to check out the flap list for your modem. The fact it affects gaming as well as TCP based protocols, and affects FTP as well as HTTP makes it abundantly clear that caches aren't causing your particular issue.

I'm not saying that there isn't potentially a cache fault somewhere, but it's not the cause of all of your issues. Get the physical connection issues sorted first, then can move a bit further up the chain.

EDIT: For punctuation, clarity, and a small addition.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

I just downloaded that file at 2mb/s no cache specified, and from lutn-cache-2 at the same speed.

But the test is flawed. Because as I've said there is no default cache and I use lutn caches whether I put them in firefox or not, and as I've said twice, I don't have a problem.

Hoping I'm a ****head won't change that. Besides, I didn't just say you were wrong, I gave evidence and a test you could have done yourself to check what I said about the caches was correct and applied to you. I then had to repeat the same points and post a link. Spelling and grammar are the least of your problems, you can write it in Klingon for me, it won't change what I'm going to say.

That said, if there is a problem with a particular cache in lutn - and from time to time there certainly can be - it'd be easily solved and you would have done it already and the sun would be shining, skies blue and you wouldn't be trying to cancel.

Simply put, no amount of testing that cache is going to fix the problems in Luton with gaming. Nor is it really going to help because asking who uses that cache is widening the number of people beyond those with the problem, not narrowing it down. That was the reason I posted - but if that info wasn't helpful so be it.

Logically, for those of us using lutn caches, either downloading that file would use lutn-cache-2 if we don't specify a cache - which you seemed to believe earlier happens to all our requests. In which case I'd be testing nothing when I specified it. Or it doesn't use lutn-cache-2, in which case that file wouldn't be a problem even if that specific cache did have problems for the requests that do use it.

I'll bow out now anyway - someone as intelligent as yourself should be able to figure out what info to get to narrow it down from those who share the problem - but to answer dxl's question the chances seem high that there's not a lot you can do even if you narrow it down, other than wait for the engineers to sort out the problem. :(

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Has exactly the same problem as me and has upstream power as above.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Presumably you think his disconnects are being caused by cache 2 as well. Am sure I referred to both instability on the upstream path and noise as being potential causes.

As you clearly know more than everyone else on this entire board you can help yourself to be honest, I really don't know why you posted on here asking for assistance when you are refusing all the assistance offered and are only interested in proving your own incorrect hypothesis out.

BTW the same upstream issues affecting you could be down to a component which feeds several hundred homes, could call that your local area actually and noise on it will affect everyone on the fibre node.

Still it must be cache 2, Gizzy says so and who's a peon like me having worked with cable for 3 years and IP networks professionally for over 5 to argue?

Also bowing out, no point in trying to offer advice or help people who aren't going to listen to anything they don't want to hear.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Ever had that feeling you are :banghead:. Give up now before you start going round and round in circles

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

There most certainly are issues with the NTL Luton Proxies, ive been experiencing sporadic performance for the past week or so, and im a techie, so its not my networking gear, Geez NTL if im a network Techie im sure I know how to set up my work stuff on the Home network (3Com).

I download that file through my transparent proxy and get 256kB/s.
I then change to the Watford Proxy "watf-cache-1.server.ntli.net" and download at 1200kB/s. Someone explain that one :)

Come on NTL sort it out :) Please :)

I should also Mention Im in Hemel Hempstead
Also my transparent Proxy is ALWAYS 'lutn-cache-2.server.ntli.net'

TBH tho all i do is surf using the Watford Proxy and use NNTP which isnt affected so my connections fine at moment.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

I'll respond to this one even though I'm probably wasting my time again considering that my earlier post was obviously not read.

Firstly, stop stuffing FTP through the caches, they aren't there to cache FTP transfers and as you probably noticed performance can't be guaranteed. You don't download any FTP file through a transparent proxy in normal operation, they cache web not FTP.

You're a network tech (whatever a network tech is, these days means anything from a CCIE guru in charge of the entire world network to someone who changes passwords at a College) but you didn't read my link on WCCP, Web Cache Control Protocol, nor what I said about it. Just to repeat...

So to do this in as clear a manner as possible: Every... time... you... go... to... a... site... it... will... use... the... same... cache... because... the... IP... address... will... hash... to... the... same... value... in... the... decision... making... process.

The only time this changes is if a cache is down, in which case the hashing algorithm will take account and split the traffic between the remaining caches so they all take a slightly larger address space each. The reason you see the same cache is probably because you are going to the same site to check it every time.

In any case, I'm not denying there might be issues with Luton caches, however for the absolute last time This isn't what's affecting FTP and gaming, for God's sake just get the signal issues fixed then start worrying about what might be wrong a bit further down the line!!!!

OK I'm really out of this thread now, by all means get the caches fixed as there probably is an issue with one or more of them, still won't resolve the slow FTP transfer issue so you'll have to carry on stuffing every protocol through a cache not intended for it, which may stop working at any time.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Right, i'm not going to lose my temper or get sarcastic (at least not until i get on the phone to ntl tomorrow). I know it's all been done before but here's what i've done to be sure it's not me. Took the router out of the system, Tried using Internet Explorer and Netscape. Tried another computer. Tried a 3rd computer without the last 12 months windows updates, without SP2, without any firewall and without an anti virus program. Only way i can speed up browsing is by changing the proxy setting but it doesn't help me when trying to get my e-mails. They take about 15 minutes for 2 or 3 to come down the line.
Oh well, back on the phone to them tomorrow. They'll probably start by advising me to turn my computer off and on again.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

Of course it wont help with emails as james henry already said its only used for http port 80, emails are not port 80.

Re: Speed problems in Luton
 

You need to take a chill pill son :)

Dont get soo excited its not doing your heart any good.

Just calm down ;) (/scouse accent off)
Chill Out!

And believe it or not, not all folks that are working in the IT world are experts on Proxy servers and Web Caches.

Just a shame, 2 members are no longer visiting the forum, thanks to your views and comments, which i take it are always right.
When members feel they need to leave and start a thread on a forum elsewhere, thats really good mate!

WELL DONE!

I thought the idea of these forums were to help and assist people, and if they arent technical eggheads, you try and explain in a friendly approachable manner? You might want to try it sometime.

Of course thankfully the majority of forums users do, do that, which is why this is such a great forum.