intermittent problem loading T2W pages

Just wanted to find out if anybody else is having problems accessing T2W or whether I have got a problem with BT Broadband.

I set up my own server and workstation and lan and so there's a good chance I caused the problem myself but I can't figure it out.

Randomly and for long periods, Trade2Win will refuse to load, gives me 'Address not found" in firefox on linux.

Some days it won't happen at all, other days it happens 80% of the time.

Being a techie, I managed to find a work-around which involves adding another name server to my network config (I'm on linux). but the problem is only with T2W and I browse up to 50 websites a day, so it's bizarre.

Anyone else experienced this?

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

It does seem unusual, maybe there is something different about T2W that is causing the issue. I use Firefox and have not had any issues.


Paul

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

Yes I use firefox as well. I asked on a technical forum and they all said it was BT causing the problem, but it looks like I'm the only one in the world, so maybe not! I need to do some more technical checks. So far, I've got my network set up to use a public DNS rather than the BT DNS and it works for now. Strange.

Very technical question!

My investigation of the issue leads me to the conclusion that BT's nameserver is "buggy" and is blocking my access to Trade2Win - although I have obviously found a work-around.

I just don't know if this is something that I should complain to BT about, because it looks like I am the only person suffering, or whether Trade2Win should get hold of BT and tell them to sort their stuff out.

Here's the evidence (194.74.65.68 is the DNS given by BT):



adam@isengard:~$ nslookup www.trade2win.com - 194.74.65.68
Server: 194.74.65.68
Address: 194.74.65.68#53

** server can't find www.trade2win.com: NXDOMAIN


BT's nameserver failed.




adam@isengard:~/docs$ nslookup www.trade2win.com - google-public-dns-a.google.com
Server: google-public-dns-a.google.com
Address: 8.8.8.8#53

Non-authoritative answer:
www.trade2win.com canonical name = panna-229.trade2win.com.
Name: panna-229.trade2win.com
Address: 208.43.120.229


The public access nameserver at google has no problem.

Is this incontrovertible evidence that it's not me causing the problem? I think it is. It shows that my ISP (BT)'s nameserver is buggy, because it works fine via Google's DNS.

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

If you ping their nameserver you'll see a TTL expiry error impying they have a circular routing problem on their server/network. It's either that or you have caused the circular routing yourself.

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

I haven't had that page loading problem recently, but there is definitely something odd about T2W lately - no not the posts ... they are no odder than usual ... the performance, and I suspect it is something to do with the adverts, which seem to be more "animated" than they used to be.

While I am not going to join the conspiracists who cast nasturtiums on the powers that be behind T2W for their links to advertisers, I do think that there has to be a good balance between functionality as seen by the normal membership, and advertising "payoff".

It could be my laptop of course, which is not as young as it used to be, and maybe it needs some performance tweaks, but I am currently finding T2W a lot harder work to navigate around than it used to be. It's just gluey and unresponsive and more often than not, when I change pages within T2W, my laptop fan goes into overdrive as though the system is fighting something. I've done the obvious cleanups on the laptop without benefit.

I don't get this on any other website.

Is anyone else seeing this?

If it is what I think it is...i.e. over "animated" ads detracting from performance, you realise of course that it will ultimately be counter productive, as members will vote with their feet, or at least keyboards.

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

robster970 said:

If you ping their nameserver you'll see a TTL expiry error impying they have a circular routing problem on their server/network. It's either that or you have caused the circular routing yourself.

Click to expand...

At this moment if I ping 194.74.65.68, I get 100% packet loss.

If I had a circular routing problem that I had caused, that would affect all my surfing, not just this site, right?

Monmorency - if you're using firefox, there's an add-on called AdBlock-Plus which will filter out the adverts from your page, so they never get loaded.

Is anyone else seeing this?

Click to expand...

No I am able to navigate as fast as I always have and my pc is over 3 years old now.


Paul

Had to laugh at one of those ads just now, in spite of hating them:

"As aggressive as a soccer Mom on steroids..." (or similar)

How do they get away with that one?

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

Adamus said:

At this moment if I ping 194.74.65.68, I get 100% packet loss.

If I had a circular routing problem that I had caused, that would affect all my surfing, not just this site, right?

Click to expand...

Unless you're using IP addresses all the time to browse, then you're going to see a huge amount of your browsing timing out.

I'm getting 100% received but TTL errors. Why not use different DNS servers instead of BT ones?

@Monty - I've noticed this too, although content is pulled from the advertisers website so if they've used big fat animated imagery that takes forever to load, then the page load time for here will suffer too, especially if the T2W pages have a dependency on some of the 3rd party content to load before continuing to render.

Re: internittent problem loading T2W pages

robster970 said:

Unless you're using IP addresses all the time to browse, then you're going to see a huge amount of your browsing timing out.

I'm getting 100% received but TTL errors. Why not use different DNS servers instead of BT ones?

Click to expand...

It's only trade2win that times out - and only intermittently, for a couple of hours here and there. For the last few days it's been fine. I have no idea what is going on other than the vague idea that BT has a bunch of monkeys with spanners who occasionally have a go at the DNS server they send me via the DHCP protocol.

I put 4.2.2.1 for a second DNS into my config and it works fine now all the time. I have no idea who runs 4.2.2.1 or why it's public or whether it's only temporarily available and how reliable it will be. But for now it'll have to do. Would like to sort out what on earth BT are doing with their setup.

Anyone else getting a 'database error' when clicking on the 'new posts' button.
I've been having problems with the site for 2 days using both explorer and firefox.
cheers

morgan_edge said:

Anyone else getting a 'database error' when clicking on the 'new posts' button.
I've been having problems with the site for 2 days using both explorer and firefox.
cheers

Click to expand...

Yes I am.
t2w upgraded last night but the new posts, new threads don't work. I can only see meposts via going to "Forums" which is just too tedious.
I assume t2w is working on it.
Richard

Yes, since yesterday. Seems to be ok now, though.

Just tried posting in the "Capital Spreads" thread - can't get in at all: "database error" - get this whatever opening i select.

Note to T2W techies: - keep taking the aspirins,- bet you wish you had a job not working Monday mornings!

Fins is not perfect, this morning, either. although the charts that I got first thing are still there, I can't get new ones up.