Network problems Tonight ?

[IanUK]

Can Poplar be turned off then ?

Its awful at present

No one has contacted me yet from technical support either as promised 4 days ago...

I'm getting awful speeds from Telia in the USA now to the Poplar proxies, less than 40k a sec.

I'd post a trace but it would be from my ip - which is fine - put in the Poplar prox(ies) and its awful (as are speeds to Fileplanet & 3dgamers) as usual the proxy shuffle normally returns full speed after trying 2 or three different areas of the country.
__________________

Just got an answer to my ticket with my server.

They think the route is fine and it must be something at NTL:

Here is their reply with trace:

------------
I did an MTR run, it looks pretty alright from here actually:

1. 69-50-137-3.mach10hosting.com 0% 116 116 0 0 5 161
2. atl-bb1-geth1-3-0-0.telia.net 0% 116 116 9 0 2 54
3. ash-bb1-pos7-1-0-0.telia.net 3% 113 116 15 12 13 54
4. nyk-bb1-pos7-1-0.telia.net 0% 116 116 19 18 19 45
5. ldn-bb1-pos7-1-0.telia.net 12% 103 116 89 89 90 123
6. ldn-b2-pos9-0.telia.net 0% 115 116 89 89 89 89
7. ntl-110030-ldn-b2.c.telia.net 1% 114 115 89 89 90 139
8. bre-bb-b-so-510-0.inet.ntl.com 2% 113 115 90 89 92 137
9. bre-bb-a-ae0-0.inet.ntl.com 1% 114 115 90 89 92 164
10. win-bb-b-so-600-0.inet.ntl.com 1% 114 115 92 92 93 121
11. pop-bb-a-so-000-0.inet.ntl.com 0% 115 115 93 93 96 128
12. popl-t2core-a-pos31.inet.ntl.com 1% 114 115 91 90 96 265
13. popl-cache-9.server.ntli.net 1% 114 115 90 90 90 97

(ignore that Telia one, that's just them dropping too much icmp),

I figure that since the cache server is the last hop down the line in the run
that there's something odd at NTL between you and that machine.

------------

I just tried a download through Poplar and speeds are still sub 40k, other proxies are fine, I'm getting pretty pee'd off that this is taking NTL so long to respond to !

[Chrysalis]

The problem is there is mass proxy problems already but NTL dont recognise this.

Static sites like news sites bbc.co.uk etc. are fine.
Dynamic sites like this site, other forums and webmail have problems.
Also like Ianuk has shown downloads get slowed down in many cases.
Sites have been known to ban proxies or not function properly eg. I cannot use the tweak tester on broadbandreports.com.

[JackJones-ÃÂÂÂÂ�ÃÂÂÂÂ�-ÃÃ]

so how long til NTL recognise the problem

[Chrysalis]

They wont recognise it as a problem unless the most basic of sites suddenly stop working. If bbc.co.uk and ntlworld.com work then its all good shape for them.

[IanUK]

Perhaps someone from the team here could tell me how I can make someone at NTL aware of this really quite massive problem for those of us affected ?

I'm sure if you have a good proxy, and have full speed web browsing and downloads then you think we are just moaning, I assure you we are not, the proxy performance, at least for myself here on Poplar, is quite awful, I get less than 40k most of the times from a large number of sites.
The rest of the time I need to continally click links to get them to work, switching proxies brings them in instantly.

Switching proxies *always* fixes it, using NNTP and POP3 brings full speed - it *has* to be the proxies.

I've expended a great deal of time raising tickets with my hosts, and performing traces, I've wasted even more time switching proxies between almost every site I visit to get some kind of normal service, I have a 3 meg connection, yet through Poplar I get about 40-150k at max from many sites (other proxies give over 350k) - this cannot be right, I'm paying for a service I'm not getting

Forget 10mb, NTL's network here cannot even deliver 3mb (except it *can* - if the damn proxies are bypassed)

I've used official channels and been ignored.
I've raised the issue on here and given traces where necessary
I've proved that the same sites work on some proxies and not others.
I've had the 2 companies I host servers with both tell me that the speed problems lie with NTL and not them.

Yet No one from NTL will respond, this has been going on for ages, and I've been polite and patient, but there comes a time when perhaps more effort is needed - what point is the repsonsetek thing when no one bothers following up on problems raised using it ?? (I had a stock response about 6 days ago saying that someone from tech support would contact me - I've heard nothing)

Perhaps if I shout it from the rooftops:

NTL - THE NTL PROXIES AT POPLAR ARE FAULTY - PLEASE FIX THEM !!!

I don't think NTL even consider the proxies when they keep raising their speeds, the 3mb increase needed us to moan(http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=25562) that they were configured incorrectly (and they were) but now it seems they are sliding back into being crap again..

Put 'Proxy' or 'Proxies' in the search box on this forum, and LOOK at the results - this is a BIG BIG problem, yet its continually ignored (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=19532)

Why on EARTH don't NTL fix these obviously flawed proxies ?
What is the point of continual speed increases, when they are impossible to achieve on web sites because of these stupid proxies ?

NTL cannot say they are not aware of these issues, enough of us have raised these issues (both officially and unofficially), I guess they don't have anyone that knows how to fix them - I suggest a trip to AOL, who despite their many faults are able to run proxies superbly that reach full speeds 99.9% of the time.

What a waste of everyones time this is

[Stuart]

The ResponseTek system?

[IanUK]

The ResponseTek system?

The system you provide, a direct link to NTL:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/ntl.php

[JackJones-ÃÂÂÂÂ�ÃÂÂÂÂ�-ÃÃ]

-=me tips my hat to IanUK=-
lol nicely put ;-)
do any NTL tec read this forum

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by IanUK

The system you provide, a direct link to NTL:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/ntl.php

I know what it is. That's why I was actually suggesting it..

[IanUK]

Please read my post, I already did that....

what point is the repsonsetek thing when no one bothers following up on problems raised using it ?? (I had a stock response about 6 days ago saying that someone from tech support would contact me - I've heard nothing)

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by IanUK

Please read my post, I already did that....

Fair enough..

I personally don't have access to the execs at NTL, but I'll see if I can get one of the other mods to follow it up.

Also, have you tried running with no proxy set?

[IanUK]

Thanks,

Yeah, with no proxy its default Poplar, thats the problem.

Other Proxies work but not my default one(s).
Also other Proxies are often just as bad, it seems the performance varies wildly.

[Chrysalis]

Thanks from me as well, I have found specifying a proxy works in many cases, but the problem with that is opera sucks at using proxies, also one proxy never works very long so its a lot of juggling.

[jonholyfield]

My main problem her lies at the feet of NTL. The support people try. They really do. But they dont appear to have the tools to do the job. "Ah so you ar MR ***" No I'm an It techician and there is a latency problem on this line "So you cannot access the internet".

Sigh here we go again. Script city.

Try bbc.co.uk

Nice try lets take the most well cached site in the world for trouble shooting.
How about trying http://www.zmag.org/ instead.

Relying on cached info to prove it is not a problem verges on criminal.

I DO have problems with outsourcing this support work but that is irrelevant.

If you do send it to India or wherever you have to give them the tools to fix it.

At least a decent escalation procedure that is transparent to the consumer.

Having to threaten court action to get NTL to admit there is even a problem should NOT be common practice.

[da-geezer]

Originally Posted by JackJones-ÃÃâ€*’ÂÂÂÂ�ÃƆ™Ãƒâ€*’ÂÂÂÂ�-â„ ¢

do any NTL tec read this forum

yes

Originally Posted by jonholyfield

Try bbc.co.uk

Nice try lets take the most well cached site in the world for trouble shooting.
How about trying http://www.zmag.org/ instead.

Relying on cached info to prove it is not a problem verges on criminal.

Indeed, but it's certainly a start. You know what people are like, if I sent customers to that zmag site to test for HTTP connectivity, how on earth would we explain the usage of a site with the headline "the spirit of resistance lives"? The reason the BBC is generally chosen is because it's a popular neutral site with a short URL. However I can appreciate that the argument that "it's always up" is never a good argument due to the caching issue.

Unfortunatley, I see the issue with the "script city" style of conversation all the time. 99 times out of a 100, it's generally the result of agents not logging exactly what they've done, hence leaving it open for the following agents to repeat themselves.

I will agree though, going to court isn't good news at all.