Uploads excruciatingly slow again

jthomas

Trying to upload a couple of 200kb files this morning. Upload bar moves very slowly up to 80kb and then aborts with error mesage:

java.net.SocketException:Software caused connection abort:socket write error


Is the problem likely on my end?

My ISP is Comcast cable in Virginia.

Andy

jthomas wrote:

Is the problem likely on my end?

My ISP is Comcast cabel in Virginia.

It's likely a connectivity quality issue between you and us.

You can try a traceroute from you to www.smugmug.com and let us know?

To run a traceroute on a PC, click on "Start". Then click on "run" and type in "command" and hit enter. That should bring up a black screen. When you get that, type in "tracert www.smugmug.com". There should be a little 'c:\' in the upper left corner of that black screen, click on that. Then select "edit" and then select "mark". You will see a little gray box appear inside the black box at the top. Click on that and drag it to the bottom so that all the text is highlighted. Then click on the 'c:\' at the top again and click on "edit" then "copy".

Paste the info here.

jthomas

Thanks, Andy. Here are the results. Connection gets timed out on each try:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Jim>tracert www.smugmug.com

Tracing route to hera.smugmug.com [63.81.134.23]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 * * * Request timed out.
5 * * * Request timed out.
6 * * * Request timed out.
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 * * * Request timed out.
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 * * * Request timed out.
11 * ^C
C:\Documents and Settings\Jim>

Andy

jthomas wrote:

Thanks, Andy. Here are the results. Connection gets timed out on each try:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Jim>tracert www.smugmug.com

Tracing route to hera.smugmug.com [63.81.134.23]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 * * * Request timed out.
3 * * * Request timed out.
4 * * * Request timed out.
5 * * * Request timed out.
6 * * * Request timed out.
7 * * * Request timed out.
8 * * * Request timed out.
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 * * * Request timed out.
11 * ^C
C:\Documents and Settings\Jim>

Yes, you have no solid connection between you and us with your ISP. Contact them. It happens from time to time.

BTW, have you put in any additional firewall, adblocker, or other such software recently?

jthomas

Andy wrote:

BTW, have you put in any additional firewall, adblocker, or other such software recently?

Not to my knowledge!

I'll complain to Comcast.

Thanks for responding.

jthomas

Well, I just had a very unsatisfactory encounter with a Comcast Rep about this problem. Here's the transcript of our chat session:

Problem : Connection/Speed
Carrie.9683 > Thank you for contacting Comcast. My name is Carrie.
Carrie.9683 > I'd be happy to assist you with your connection issue today, Jim. What seems to be the problem?
Jim > I have been having trouble uploading pictures to www.smugmug.com. The connection times out before I can upload a single picture.
Carrie.9683 > Unfortunately you'll need to contact smugmug.com for assistance uploading to their site.
Jim > I already have, their response is:
Jim > Yes, you have no solid connection between you and us with your ISP. Contact them. It happens from time to time.
Carrie.9683 > Please click this link for information on Comcast's unsupported policy: http://sitesearch.comcast.net/?c=help&q=unsupported
Jim > Of course you can't click on a link in a chat window.
Jim > If you don't support this I'll have to go with a differetnt ISP. I never had this problem before Comcast took over Adelphia.
Carrie.9683 > I'm sorry to hear this.
Carrie.9683 > One moment and I'll have a reference number for you.
Jim > Are you saying that you can't help me at all?
Carrie.9683 > I'm sorry, but this is not supported by Comcast.
Carrie.9683 > Unfortunately I am unable to provide you with a reference number for this chat as my program isn't loading correctly.

If you have any questions regarding this chat, please reference my name and empoyee number, Carrie.9683.
Jim > What do you mean by "This is not supported by Comcast"? What is "This"?
Carrie.9683 > smugmug.com is not supported by Comcast.
Carrie.9683 > Aat this time, I am unable to offer technical support
for your issue, as it falls under Comcasts unsupported policy.
Jim > That is ridiculous! I guess I'll have ot look for another ISP.
Carrie.9683 > I'm sorry to hear this.
Carrie.9683 > Is there anything else I can help you with?
Jim > Can I get a transcript of this session?
Carrie.9683 > You will be able to print/save a copy of our chat by using the Transcript button when we close this chat.
Carrie.9683 > 84848135 is your reference number for this chat.
Jim > Thanks. That is all.
Carrie.9683 > I wish I could've been of greater assistance to you.

Andy

Oh oh oh

Jim!

Oh. My. God. Do you think that without sanctioned monopoly these companies would ever be in business?

apiercy

jthomas wrote:

Well, I just had a very unsatisfactory encounter with a Comcast Rep about this problem. Here's the transcript of our chat session:

Problem : Connection/Speed
Carrie.9683 > Thank you for contacting Comcast. My name is Carrie.
Carrie.9683 > I'd be happy to assist you with your connection issue today, Jim. What seems to be the problem?
Jim > I have been having trouble uploading pictures to www.smugmug.com. The connection times out before I can upload a single picture.
Carrie.9683 > Unfortunately you'll need to contact smugmug.com for assistance uploading to their site.
Jim > I already have, their response is:
Jim > Yes, you have no solid connection between you and us with your ISP. Contact them. It happens from time to time.
Carrie.9683 > Please click this link for information on Comcast's unsupported policy: http://sitesearch.comcast.net/?c=help&q=unsupported
Jim > Of course you can't click on a link in a chat window.
Jim > If you don't support this I'll have to go with a differetnt ISP. I never had this problem before Comcast took over Adelphia.
Carrie.9683 > I'm sorry to hear this.
Carrie.9683 > One moment and I'll have a reference number for you.
Jim > Are you saying that you can't help me at all?
Carrie.9683 > I'm sorry, but this is not supported by Comcast.
Carrie.9683 > Unfortunately I am unable to provide you with a reference number for this chat as my program isn't loading correctly.

If you have any questions regarding this chat, please reference my name and empoyee number, Carrie.9683.
Jim > What do you mean by "This is not supported by Comcast"? What is "This"?
Carrie.9683 > smugmug.com is not supported by Comcast.
Carrie.9683 > Aat this time, I am unable to offer technical support
for your issue, as it falls under Comcasts unsupported policy.
Jim > That is ridiculous! I guess I'll have ot look for another ISP.
Carrie.9683 > I'm sorry to hear this.
Carrie.9683 > Is there anything else I can help you with?
Jim > Can I get a transcript of this session?
Carrie.9683 > You will be able to print/save a copy of our chat by using the Transcript button when we close this chat.
Carrie.9683 > 84848135 is your reference number for this chat.
Jim > Thanks. That is all.
Carrie.9683 > I wish I could've been of greater assistance to you.

Sounds like the support heroes could teach them a thing or two.

-Anthony

jthomas

I think that Carrie9683 just doesn't know what she is talking about. I'm going to try again tomorrow.

jthomas

I need to update this thread, I guess.

I tried Comcast again later that evening and got a more helpful customer service rep. She suggested shutting everything down and starting all over again. I didn't think that would help, since most internet activity was proceeding normally. I was only having trouble with uploads to Smugmug.

Nevertheless, I tried it, and it did work.

The same thing happened last evening, and the same solution worked.

I'm beginning to think that my problem may be caused by the Virtual Private Network I use to access the VT campus network occasionally. I have discovered that when it is active, all of my internet activity is routed through it. Simply killing the VPN doesn't fix the problem; apparently I have to shut down the cable modem, router, and computers and start afresh.

I am relaying this information in case it may help someone else with a similar problem.

jfriend

Ask about a VPN split tunnel

jthomas wrote:

I need to update this thread, I guess.

I tried Comcast again later that evening and got a more helpful customer service rep. She suggested shutting everything down and starting all over again. I didn't think that would help, since most internet activity was proceeding normally. I was only having trouble with uploads to Smugmug.

Nevertheless, I tried it, and it did work.

The same thing happened last evening, and the same solution worked.

I'm beginning to think that my problem may be caused by the Virtual Private Network I use to access the VT campus network occasionally. I have discovered that when it is active, all of my internet activity is routed through it. Simply killing the VPN doesn't fix the problem; apparently I have to shut down the cable modem, router, and computers and start afresh.

I am relaying this information in case it may help someone else with a similar problem.

If your company has configured the VPN to route all internet traffic from your PC through the corporate network, then it may be that your company is blocking access to Smugmug in full or partly and that's what you're experiencing. VPNs can be configured this way or they can be configured as a "split tunnel" which only routes traffic that is destined to your companies network through the VPN tunnel and the rest of the traffic to the internet just goes out to the internet (not through the VPN tunnel to work). If you have the kind of IT department that you can ask these questions of, you could ask them if they support a split tunnel configuration so that your regular internet traffic doesn't have to go through the corporate network while you have the VPN on. Some companies are fine with a split tunnel, some are not.

As for why shutting down the VPN doesn't just fix it and it requires a reboot, that is probably the fault of software bugs somewhere in the VPN software, Windows or your home router and will not be easy to troubleshoot. You'll probably have to either live with the reboot or use a different computer in the house for the uploads perhaps from a shared drive (if you have another computer).

jthomas

Thanks for the info, John.

I use the VPN so seldom that it's not worth pursuing further. I'll just need to be aware of the potential problems next time I do use it.