[merged] binary newsgroups on NTL

[IanUK]

Still no new posts since 18th

Is this being fixed, looked at ?

[JediMaster]

Originally Posted by Charlie_Bubble

I'd consider if you need a seperate subscription newsgroup service then. You don't seem to be downloading a huge amount, so do you need a binary service? NTL probably do a good enough text service.

Anyway, I was just highlighting the fact that their limits include header downloads too, which to me is a bit poor. Most news service providers allow you free downloading of the headers without it counting against your limit. When I was on the newshosting 40Gig plan you knew that the headers weren't part of the limit.

I download Vids & Images off a few of my FAV ones. About 1-3 GB a month. So I need a nice one not Text

[astra_lestat]

Well, looks like they truncated news.ntlworld.com server.
It worked yesterday, but today I have got no updates, only incompleted files. It means that the service is working but they now filter what we can see in the news

[Matth]

Looks like we still don't know if it's a fault, or a furter decimation of the news server

[astra_lestat]

It doesn't look like a fault.
If it were a fault, you would not be able to connect to the news server or or would not be able todownload ANY updates at all. But you can download updates, they are just decimated to uncompleted posts. It shows, that it works but decimated, this time completely. I have heard about this kind of ISPs before, but I have been always proud of NTL.
Not anymore.

[Keytops]

Somethings up that's for sure. There's a post on ntl.discussion.broadband from Feenix who says:

ok, spoke to them [Tech support] and they are having the same problem, they have escalted it to faults, keep your fingers crossed.
Feenix

so hopefully it's just a fault - but it wouldn't surprise me if NTL have dropped the binary groups completely

Anyone know of a decent ISP that carries the binary newsgroups? I don't download enough from them to warrant a paid-for newsservice (just a few postings from alt.binaries.sounds.radio.bbc mainly - on the rare occasions there's something decent to download). Plusnet used to carry them, but looking at their website I can't find a list of what newsgroups they now carry.

[PAZZA]

I've just had a long chat with a NTL tech support guy, who semed very friendly and helpful (and Welsh ). The news problem was identified at around 6pm Sunday night, work started on it at about 7pm Sunday night. It is on priority, but unlike the email servers, they dont have a backup server ready to use in its place (because of the insane amount of data stored in the binaries I suppose). He also said the email/news support people do work 24hours, but they have "reduced staff" at night (which probably means one person).

He said the newsgroups have now been "officially" down for almost 24hours, because of the massive amount of data to be backed up and then put back after repair it could easily take another 24-48 hours. He also said any binary news posted between 6pm Sunday and when comes back online will all become available, as its already queued up.

Im just refreshing one binary newsgroup every few hours too see if its back, I did get some old data appearing before dinnertime, but its gone now.

He also told me the binaries have NOT been taken down perminantly, this is just a rumour - this is nothing but a hardware fault that has to be repaired.

I suppose in 48 hours we will see it hes telling the truth, he had no reason to lie to me though.

NTLs news.virgin.net is also the same as the NTL news binaries (nothing there), if anyone doesnt know we can all use this too.

Originally Posted by PAZZA

I've just had a long chat with a NTL tech support guy, who semed very friendly and helpful (and Welsh ). The news problem was identified at around 6pm Sunday night, work started on it at about 7pm Sunday night. It is on priority, but unlike the email servers, they dont have a backup server ready to use in its place (because of the insane amount of data stored in the binaries I suppose). He also said the email/news support people do work 24hours, but they have "reduced staff" at night (which probably means one person).

He said the newsgroups have now been "officially" down for almost 24hours, because of the massive amount of data to be backed up and then put back after repair it could easily take another 24-48 hours. He also said any binary news posted between 6pm Sunday and when comes back online will all become available, as its already queued up.

Im just refreshing one binary newsgroup every few hours too see if its back, I did get some old data appearing before dinnertime, but its gone now.

He also told me the binaries have NOT been taken down perminantly, this is just a rumour - this is nothing but a hardware fault that has to be repaired.

I suppose in 48 hours we will see it hes telling the truth, he had no reason to lie to me though.

NTLs news.virgin.net is also the same as the NTL news binaries (nothing there), if anyone doesnt know we can all use this too.

to Cable Forum - very informative first post on here, thankyou

[Charlie_Bubble]

Originally Posted by JediMaster

I download Vids & Images off a few of my FAV ones. About 1-3 GB a month. So I need a nice one not Text

God, why so touchy?

[sherer]

still down at moment... got some headers then couldn't download any posts... reset the group and then didn't even get any new servers back.. hope it comes back soon don't want to go back to the state we had last year where they never worked at all

[astra_lestat]

Thanks for the news, let hope it will be fine by the end of this week!
And thanks for another ntl news server.

[Rik]

Originally Posted by badnbusy

I would never use a newsgroup provider out of Europe - sloooooow!

Hmm thats strange because Newshosting.com maxes out my 1.5meg connection

Faster Bitch Faster!! 3Meg I need 3Meg!!!

[Vegeta]

Originally Posted by Rik

Hmm thats strange because Newshosting.com maxes out my 1.5meg connection

It maxes out my connection too and I get a ping of 88ms to unlimited.newshosting.com server which is excellent!

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Rik

Hmm thats strange because Newshosting.com maxes out my 1.5meg connection

Faster Bitch Faster!! 3Meg I need 3Meg!!!

I subscribe to eurofeeds and clara and the both max out my connection no problems, I do find claras retention sometimes crap but eurofeeds no complaints

[PAZZA]

Giving the matter some thought, either the NTL guy was telling the truth, or NTL are "testing the water" as to how many people are p*ssed off with stopping the binaries (so they can decide whether to drop them for good, SO BE SURE YOU COMPLAIN), or he was lying (or misinformed) and they are gone (doing this to customers isnt very good though, so probably unlikely).

If you call the status line (0800 052 4315), there is no mention of the binaries, the NTL guy was surprised about this as he was sure there would be one. There are a few messages about a lot of upgrades to Broadband today (Tuesday) and some email upgrades too.

NTL have never talked about the newsgroups much anyhow, they probably dont want any more people leeching off the binaries, so I think we can put no information about the status down to NTL being covert about the newsgroups existance, I know many NTL users who leech 24/7 off the binaries.

Planning ahead in case they dont come back - http://www.news.astraweb.com seems the cheapest unlimited download news service (US$10 pm, thats about £5.50), does any user know if its OK? Is it as least as good as NTL was? (NTL was never amazing, but I was always happy with it).

A refresh this morning on a binary newsgroup brought up some random files posted on the 19th BTW.

Can more people call the helpline (0845 650 0121) and ask about the binaries (they wont know what you are talking about, you have to be pushy (but polite) until they put you through to someone who knows about this), just to remind them we are here and we havent forgotten the binaries (in case they are testing the water as I have already suggested).

Lets see whats happening in 36 hours!

Thanx