[Hidden-tech] Please help--any network geeks out there? (X-Post)

[Mark Bucciarelli]

On Fri, Nov 17, 2006 at 04:15:45PM -0500, Shel Horowitz wrote:

> 1. Internet access: The router is refusing to provide access to
> the Internet. I can get the Internet on the desktop Mac by
> unplugging it from the router and plugging it into the cable
> modem directly--*most* of the time. But it's having more and
> more frequent outages even that way, sometimes requiring
> restarting not only the modem but the computer.

First, figure this problem out as it is the simplest case--no
wireless, no interveneing router.

Possibilities:

1. bad network cable
2. bad port in cable modem
3. bad network card in desktop
4. bad cable modem
5. bad connection between cable modem and upstream

on cheap hardware, ports definitely go bad.

cables don't often go bad, although new ones can be bad.

i think bad network card in desktop is also low priority.

so i would focus on 2, 4 and 5.

also, next time you get an outage, verify that it is a
connectivity issue and not a dns lookup issue.

that is, open a terminal and type:

    $ ping 72.14.205.99

Let this command run for about three seconds, then press
control-C.  This will stop the command and print out something
like:

    ----72.14.205.99 PING Statistics----
    3 packets transmitted, 2 packets received, 33.3% packet loss
    round-trip (ms)  min/avg/max/med = 188/871/1554/871

Look at % packet loss--if 100%, you have no connection to the
internet.  If zero loss, it's not your connection its your name
server.  (My wireless is not great right now--so 33% loss.)

Or just call Matt Lampiasi and have him come over and figure it
out for you while you catch up on some reading and have a coffee.
:)

> 2. Spam deluge

At GAIA, we have noticed an uptick in spam volumne.  Probably
because it works--a study at Oxford showed that on average, if
you buy the day before a deluge of stock touts and then sell the
next day you make 4.6% on average.  :(

To answer your question, get a email hosting provider that
provides better spam protection as part of your account, pay for
Postini, or have a young geeky relative install the CRM114
Discriminator on your home PC.  (It's the best statistical filter
I have found and it is what GAIA Host will be converting to as
part of a massively revamped spam protection infrastructure.)

> 3. Shopping cart confirmation messages and order info are disappearing.

Did you upgrade software recently?  From a quick read, this
sounds like a bug in the application logic or email configuration
on your web server.  If the former, since it's proprietary
software, unless they have a healthy VAR infrastructure, you're
stuck with going to the vendor for support.

Good luck!

m