Newsgroup Speeds

[MrSimian]

Hello.

I was just wondering if anyone is having speed issues with Virgin Media and any usenet hosts (either VM or a paid provider)? The usernet service provider that I have always used (usenetserver.com) has been inconsistently slow over the last two or so weeks and I have had a talk with them and they have had similar complaints from people on the same ISP. They said (however true this is or not) that they think some high users (not sure I would fall in to that category at all) have been moved to a different IP block that is limiting their speeds.

I can download a regular file at near full speed, but I was wondering if this is an isolated case, whether the usenet provider is at fault or if there is some sort of shaping going on with newsgroups that I am unaware of.

Thanks!

[ruddock08]

im using usenetserver.com and mines flying!

ring virgin and ask them?

[ceedee]

Last night I downloaded from both VM's newsserver and usenet-news at very nearly the maximum speed my connection can manage.

Have you tried a tracert to the usenetserver?

[MrSimian]

I have done a tracert and it looks to me like its not a VM problem. Its only the last few hops that seem to be slow here:


1 * * * Request timed out.
2 7 ms 28 ms 7 ms 10.128.208.1
3 7 ms 7 ms 10 ms cmbg-t2cam1-b-ge914.inet.ntl.com [80.1.202.213]

4 28 ms 8 ms 7 ms cmbg-t3core-1b-ge-012-0.inet.ntl.com [195.182.17
4.73]
5 18 ms 11 ms 28 ms nth-bb-b-so-720-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.174.181]

6 12 ms 11 ms 17 ms tele-ic-1-as0-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.184.2]
7 15 ms 12 ms 12 ms 212.250.14.126
8 22 ms 12 ms 12 ms unknown.hwng.net [209.197.1.198]
9 18 ms 31 ms 20 ms unknown.hwng.net [209.197.1.202]
10 113 ms 153 ms 114 ms 1-1.r2.at.hwng.net [69.16.190.38]
11 112 ms 115 ms 114 ms unknown.hwng.net [69.16.190.54]
12 112 ms 115 ms 114 ms email.usenetserver.com [208.49.83.42]

[ceedee]

I'd agree that your problem probably has nothing to do with VM.
My tracert to usenet-news' server:

Tracing route to newsfarm.ams2.highwinds-media.com [69.16.176.253]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms my.router [192.168.1.1]
2 8 ms 9 ms 7 ms 10.11.120.1
3 9 ms 8 ms 9 ms gsr01-bt.blueyonder.co.uk [62.30.64.193]
4 9 ms 10 ms 9 ms 195.188.230.85
5 36 ms 34 ms 41 ms aztw-t3core-1b-ge-010-0.inet.ntl.com [80.1.240.1
29]
6 31 ms 30 ms 29 ms bir-bb-b-so-110-0.inet.ntl.com [213.105.175.161]
7 32 ms 30 ms 29 ms nth-bb-a-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.105]
8 37 ms 36 ms 33 ms nth-bb-b-ae0-0.inet.ntl.com [62.253.185.118]
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 14 ms 13 ms 15 ms 212.250.14.126
11 20 ms 23 ms 25 ms unknown.hwng.net [209.197.1.198]
12 21 ms 22 ms 43 ms unknown.hwng.net [209.197.1.202]
13 37 ms 21 ms 24 ms 5-1.r1.am.hwng.net [69.16.191.121]
14 26 ms 27 ms 28 ms ar1.am2.hwng.net [69.16.191.118]
15 25 ms 25 ms 27 ms 69.16.176.253

Trace complete.

I do wonder about the first line of your tracert however (timing out to your router, I'd guess).
Probably worth powering down everything and then turn on each device in sequence (modem, router, pc) allowing each to 'settle' for 30 seconds before the next bit of kit.

If the problem persists, I'd recommend you try a tracert to news.virginmedia.com and contact TS if it's as bad.

[MrSimian]

No problems with the first hop, I have ICS on this PC so that will be the other PC this one is connected to.

I have actually managed to route the IP to the usenet server using a tool they have and this has actually increased the speed to what it should be. I think there must be a bad server somewhere on the default route I was taking.

Thanks very much for all your help guys!

[Alto]

I've been with usenetserver for about a year, and although it was great to start with, in recent months I've been increasingly getting 502 connection errors, and odd speeds. Sometimes switching to and from SSL connections helped, sometimes not.

Signed up with Giganews, and the thing is flying at maximum speed, so ditched usenetserver! Costs a few quid extra, but you also get double retention times, so I'll suck it and see....