OT: Problems with sbcglobal news server?

[Joerg]

Hello All,

If you are reading and posting in newsgroups via an sbcglobal server, do
you also have these problems?

Every once in a while and recently every other day I get frequent
requests to enter my user name and password. Sometimes it sticks, other
times it returns an NNTP authentication error and locks me out. It's
like roulette, hit or miss. The worst is when that happens after a
lengthy answer to a post and it freezes up my reply. Usually then it's
gone. Other times that post does show up either a few minutes later or
several ten minutes later as a double post.

Writing to SBC wasn't helpful, they didn't know and just pointed
fingers. Oh, it's Yahoo and so on (strange, their servers name is
sbcglobal.net). IOW, no clue. Then I called support and after the usual
rigamaroo it rang at an outsource center, most likely India.
Surprisingly the tech there figured out what it was, a server problem.
An hour after that call it all worked again for a day or so, only to
deteriorate again. I just wonder what that is and whether it's
widespread among users or not.

If I don't answer for a while here forgive me, then I am most likely
locked out again. It can be days at a time.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Mac]

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 20:43:26 +0000, Joerg wrote:

Hello All,

If you are reading and posting in newsgroups via an sbcglobal server, do
you also have these problems?

I don't seem to.

Every once in a while and recently every other day I get frequent
requests to enter my user name and password. Sometimes it sticks, other
times it returns an NNTP authentication error and locks me out. It's
like roulette, hit or miss. The worst is when that happens after a
lengthy answer to a post and it freezes up my reply. Usually then it's
gone. Other times that post does show up either a few minutes later or
several ten minutes later as a double post.

Writing to SBC wasn't helpful, they didn't know and just pointed
fingers. Oh, it's Yahoo and so on (strange, their servers name is
sbcglobal.net). IOW, no clue. Then I called support and after the usual
rigamaroo it rang at an outsource center, most likely India.
Surprisingly the tech there figured out what it was, a server problem.
An hour after that call it all worked again for a day or so, only to
deteriorate again. I just wonder what that is and whether it's
widespread among users or not.

If I don't answer for a while here forgive me, then I am most likely
locked out again. It can be days at a time.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

I don't seem to be having any such problems at the moment, although I
have had such issues in the past.

I'm using news.sf.sbcglobal.net, because I live in San Francisco. (In
fact, I think I should try to convince John Larkin to give me a job at
Highland Technology; Judging from the address on his website, I would
have a sub-10 minute commute! In a pinch, I could even walk it.)

--Mac

 

[mw]

If you are reading and posting in newsgroups via an sbcglobal server, do
you also have these problems?

Every once in a while and recently every other day I get frequent
requests to enter my user name and password. Sometimes it sticks, other
times it returns an NNTP authentication error and locks me out. It's
like roulette, hit or miss. The worst is when that happens after a
lengthy answer to a post and it freezes up my reply. Usually then it's
gone. Other times that post does show up either a few minutes later or
several ten minutes later as a double post.

I have sbcglobal. I have always used Netscape, and at some point, not
sure exactly when I started noticing, I would get the same problem.
Sometimes newsgroup msgs would say

"> Error!

newsgroup server responded:No Such Article In Group

Perhaps the article has expired"

Or I'd get the frequent demands for passwords. Extremely frustrating.
I switched to using Netscape 7.2, and the problem is mostly gone. I am
not sure if it was because of the Netscape change, or something
sbcglobal changed.

I refuse to use IE or other Microsoft products like Outlook because of
Microsoft's notorious problems with running hidden viruses in the
emails. Netscape is "too dumb" to run the virus code... thank goodness.

mw

 

[Joerg]

Hello Mac,

I don't seem to be having any such problems at the moment, although I
have had such issues in the past.

Were these issues similar?

I'm using news.sf.sbcglobal.net, because I live in San Francisco. (In
fact, I think I should try to convince John Larkin to give me a job at
Highland Technology; Judging from the address on his website, I would
have a sub-10 minute commute! In a pinch, I could even walk it.)

Well, maybe you can contract with him? I am also using that server. What
surprises me is that your line breaks are ok. Mine often aren't even
though I have all the right settings on the PC and newsreader and it
shows correctly on the screen when I write. Sending email ist fine but
when posting all the line breaks are often gone afterwards. That's the
other thing that puzzles me.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Joerg]

Hello mw,

I have sbcglobal. I have always used Netscape, and at some point, not
sure exactly when I started noticing, I would get the same problem.
Sometimes newsgroup msgs would say

"> Error!

newsgroup server responded:No Such Article In Group

Perhaps the article has expired"

I had that as well but this happens with most servers. Sometimes they
seem to fail to copy a message. Or it does show but there is no text.

Or I'd get the frequent demands for passwords. Extremely frustrating. I
switched to using Netscape 7.2, and the problem is mostly gone. I am
not sure if it was because of the Netscape change, or something
sbcglobal changed.

I tried three newsreaders and it was always the same. What did help was
lengthy conversations with support. The last one was great but sometimes
they are frustrating. Miraculously it usually starts to work again a few
hours later. Then one day the ID problems are back, out of the blue
without any changes to my PC.

I refuse to use IE or other Microsoft products like Outlook because of
Microsoft's notorious problems with running hidden viruses in the
emails. Netscape is "too dumb" to run the virus code... thank goodness.

Same here, I won't use IE. Mozilla is what I am using now. I like that
better than their individual products, it's nicely integrated. Seems to
have memory leaks though so once in a while I have to restart it to free
up some RAM.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Mac]

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 17:11:07 +0000, Joerg wrote:

Hello Mac,

I don't seem to be having any such problems at the moment, although I
have had such issues in the past.

Were these issues similar?

Well, I think so. What I remember is that my newsreader wouldn't download
messages, and when I look at the error log it would say that there was an
authentication error. In my case, the newsreader (PAN) stores the
password, so I never get prompted to enter it.

This hasn't happened in a couple of months for me.

I'm using news.sf.sbcglobal.net, because I live in San Francisco. (In
fact, I think I should try to convince John Larkin to give me a job at
Highland Technology; Judging from the address on his website, I would
have a sub-10 minute commute! In a pinch, I could even walk it.)

Well, maybe you can contract with him?

I've never done any contracting. Only "full-time permanent" status
employment, although there is nothing particularly permanent about
permanent status nowadays. ;-)

How much experience do you have to have before you can plausibly be a
contractor? I've got about 5 years of experience since getting my BSEE.
My experience involves large digital boards (SBC's) and simple analog
design with op-amps (amplifiers, buffers, filters, level shifters). I have
also designed in a number of switch-mode voltage regulators without
starting any fires or blowing up any boards (that I know of). And I've
done some Verilog work.

I don't have any experience, for the most part, with cost-sensitive
design, so I sometimes just over-design things when I am not sure. And I
don't waste too much time looking for cheap parts. If I can find an
expensive one that looks like it will work, I'll just use it. This is
because the stuff I do now is very low volume, and my time is one of the
most expensive parts of the project.

With the SBC's (different company), there was intense schedule pressure,
and the cost was dominated by the processor, chipset, and on-board RAM,
and volumes weren't huge (thousands per year, if we were lucky), so it
didn't make too much sense to worry about saving a dollar or two per
board. At least nobody ever told me any part I selected was too expensive,
so I never worried about it.

Anyway, I am working right now, but I may be looking to work closer to
home in a few months. My wife and I just had our first baby.

I am also using that server. What surprises me is that your line
breaks are ok. Mine often aren't even though I have all the right
settings on the PC and newsreader and it shows correctly on the screen
when I write. Sending email ist fine but when posting all the line
breaks are often gone afterwards. That's the other thing that puzzles me.

Interesting. Maybe it is a bug in Mozilla? Maybe you should try Agent by
Forte (or whatever it is called), or PAN, if there is a windows version
available. PAN seems to do a good job with the breaks. It can re-wrap long
lines and preserve quoting levels in the process. This is very convenient
at times.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

--Mac

 

[Mark Zenier]

In article <OdsMe.44$GV7.18@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net>,
Joerg <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote:

Every once in a while and recently every other day I get frequent
requests to enter my user name and password. Sometimes it sticks, other
times it returns an NNTP authentication error and locks me out. It's
like roulette, hit or miss. The worst is when that happens after a
lengthy answer to a post and it freezes up my reply. Usually then it's
gone. Other times that post does show up either a few minutes later or
several ten minutes later as a double post.

Looking at the Path header, you're really using prodigy.net for the news
service.

One possible cause is that you make contact with a load balancer that
then connects you to a server in a server farm, (or even a different
server farm) depeding on load (or a round robin queue) and they've not
got all the servers configured the same.

You may be timing out, (on either end), and the new server you connect
to isn't configured to find out who you are. Or it may be trying to
use internet services, (like identd), that your firewall blocks.

Mark Zenier mzenier@eskimo.com
Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)

 

[Joerg]

Hello Mac,

Were these issues similar?

Well, I think so. What I remember is that my newsreader wouldn't download
messages, and when I look at the error log it would say that there was an
authentication error. In my case, the newsreader (PAN) stores the
password, so I never get prompted to enter it.

That's exactly what I had.

This hasn't happened in a couple of months for me.

Right now it's fine but you never know when it starts again.

How much experience do you have to have before you can plausibly be a
contractor? I've got about 5 years of experience since getting my BSEE.
My experience involves large digital boards (SBC's) and simple analog
design with op-amps (amplifiers, buffers, filters, level shifters). I have
also designed in a number of switch-mode voltage regulators without
starting any fires or blowing up any boards (that I know of). And I've
done some Verilog work.

There is no rule as to experience. It's all word of mouth since there
really is no market forum for contractors. Unless you go through
contracting firms and accept that they take a large cut as middlemen.

I don't have any experience, for the most part, with cost-sensitive
design, so I sometimes just over-design things when I am not sure. And I
don't waste too much time looking for cheap parts. If I can find an
expensive one that looks like it will work, I'll just use it. This is
because the stuff I do now is very low volume, and my time is one of the
most expensive parts of the project.

I found that it was often necessary to turn a 5c FET around and around,
then replace it with a 1c bipolar. It depends where you want to work. I
enjoy cost sensitive design a lot.

Anyway, I am working right now, but I may be looking to work closer to
home in a few months. My wife and I just had our first baby.

Congratulation!

I am also using that server. What surprises me is that your line
breaks are ok. Mine often aren't even though I have all the right
settings on the PC and newsreader and it shows correctly on the screen
when I write. Sending email ist fine but when posting all the line
breaks are often gone afterwards. That's the other thing that puzzles me.

Interesting. Maybe it is a bug in Mozilla? Maybe you should try Agent by
Forte (or whatever it is called), or PAN, if there is a windows version
available. PAN seems to do a good job with the breaks. It can re-wrap long
lines and preserve quoting levels in the process. This is very convenient
at times.

Well, I tried numerous newsreaders and three different OS. Always the same.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Joerg]

Hello Mark,

Looking at the Path header, you're really using prodigy.net for the news
service.

Good idea. SBC told me it's all run by Yahoo now.

One possible cause is that you make contact with a load balancer that
then connects you to a server in a server farm, (or even a different
server farm) depeding on load (or a round robin queue) and they've not
got all the servers configured the same.

You may be timing out, (on either end), and the new server you connect
to isn't configured to find out who you are. Or it may be trying to
use internet services, (like identd), that your firewall blocks.

I was hoping that SBC tech support could figure that out. Can't be
rocket science. But they didn't. I mean, I am paying good money for this
service including newsgroups so they should make that work reliably for
their customers.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Mark Zenier]

In article <uz4Ne.467$GV7.202@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net>,
Joerg <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote:

I was hoping that SBC tech support could figure that out. Can't be
rocket science. But they didn't. I mean, I am paying good money for this
service including newsgroups so they should make that work reliably for
their customers.

Not if they want to get rid of their Usenet service. Take a problematic
service, add a dose of incompetance, wait until usage drops to a minimum,
quit advertising its availability, and kill it. Looks good on the income
statement when the support costs go away. No more worries about trolls,
spammers, or intellectual property lawyers asking what all this alt.binary
stuff is about.

Mark Zenier mzenier@eskimo.com
Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)

 

[Joerg]

Hello Mark,

Not if they want to get rid of their Usenet service. Take a problematic
service, add a dose of incompetance, wait until usage drops to a minimum,
quit advertising its availability, and kill it. Looks good on the income
statement when the support costs go away. ...

Until they realize that lots of people defected to their rival Comcast.
But by then it's too late because typically you can't get people to
switch back without accepting prohibitive profit cuts.

Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com