Header Download Issues from Usenetserver

[dexter]

We have been receiving reports of issues downloading headers from Usenetserver. The symptom is, in some groups, header downloads will just stall out. Newsbin then retries the same range and gets stuck in a loop. If you click on the Logging tab, you'll see the same messages over and over. Sometimes, Newsbin may revert to a Download All and start downloading 120 million headers.

We have recreated the problem and found that this issue only happens if XFeatures is enabled and you are using SSL. The workaround is to disable either XFeatures or SSL in the Server Options screen (click the Servers button to get there).

We have contacted Usenetserver and are hoping they will be able to address this problem soon.

[kirm]

We have recreated the problem and found that this issue only happens if XFeatures is enabled and you are using SSL

This is where my adventure began the other day. XFeatures was enabled WITHOUT using SSL, and only one group stalled. One of the larger groups, I should add. Seems to me I read somewhere on here that the big groups get affected. I first enabled SSL, which did nothing to prevent stalling. Even used a backup of rv4 files, the group that hung, was ok on backup till same spot, and hung again. Disabling xfeatures, all headers came through.

Presently running with xfeatures back on with ssl, and no probs since just that 1 incident. In all my years of using newsbin, never used ssl. Guess I better read up some on that one.

[TripHammer]

Same here

I never used ssl. I just disabled xfeatures, restarted and whatever header that it stalled on went thru. In Usenetserver's network status page (found under your accounts page) it says they fixed it Feb. 1st. So I guess that once you get past that point, you should be fine again.

I just wish I'd of found this out before re downloading about 25 gigs of headers.

[Quade]

It's still broken. Dex and I were testing it today. Have an email into usenetserver about this.

[joedel1970]

Hello!

Have the same problem with my Usenet-Provider... except that neither disabling SSL nor disabling XFeatures helps...
Currently, my log's filled with lines like

XOVER xxxxxxx-yyyyyyy
224 data follows

Typically 5-6times per second

Greetings

Joedel

[richy99]

those are normal messages

[itimpi]

Those messagesare normal messages that are only shown when you ahgve enabled the option to see server commands. An XOVER command is basically a request to send headers with the parameters specifying the header range.

[joedel1970]

Those messagesare normal messages that are only shown when you ahgve enabled the option to see server commands. An XOVER command is basically a request to send headers with the parameters specifying the header range.

Yes, I thought so... but Newsbin doesn't download any headers... I have a relatively slow connection, so one header-request every 4-5secs is normal... not 5-6 per sec - without any headers downloaded

Joedel

[itimpi]

Sounds like there may be a problem with the header data the server is returning. Not sure how one finds out what the problem actually is. Who are you trying to get these headers from?

Do the values for xxxxx and yyyy stay the same or is the range changing?

What anti-virus software do you use? There seem to have been a spate of issues around this.

[joedel1970]

Sounds like there may be a problem with the header data the server is returning. Not sure how one finds out what the problem actually is. Who are you trying to get these headers from?

Do the values for xxxxx and yyyy stay the same or is the range changing?

What anti-virus software do you use? There seem to have been a spate of issues around this.

I'm trying to access a.b.linux.iso from usenetbyorder.com, the range is changing and I'm using Avira Antivir. Downloading messages is no problem, so I don't think it's causing the problem... this evening I'm trying to "download all headers" to check if the server lies about the header data...

Thanks

Joedel

[itimpi]

If the range to the XOVER is changing, then that means that Newsbin thought it got a valid reply to the previous request. However that does not mean that there were actual headers in the range requested. There should also be the commands where the server returns the range of headers available for a group.

[Nascar24]

Any opinions on Usenetserver? Been using newshosting for years now without much trouble but price has become an issue with them as of late. Was thinking of trying these guys out for the under $100 a year unlimited setup. Was just curious if they are reliable and generally fast.

[fsalter]

I use Usenetserver and have recently run into some sort of problem with it showing me what is available. I can look at a group like a.b.classic.tv.shows and see a listing for <something>. Well I see that there is only 7 episodes listed and I ask if the rest are going to be put up. I'm advised by someone that they already were posted. I then go to the search section of newsbin and type in <something> and lo and behold, they are all there. I've also run into instances where some files were incomplete in my listing of a group and can't be fixed with par files. I go to the search section and there they are. Complete. I can't figure out what is going on. Is this something to do with usenetserver? I've got the X Features disabled (whatever that is) but it driving me crazy. This has only been happening in the last month.

I have also had newsbin shut down for no reason. It is up and completed it's tasks of updating groups and then will just crash. This has happened to me at least a half a dozen times. Memory issues???

[Quade]

What version?

[fsalter]

The latest and greatest. 5.55 Build 9762

[Quade]

What's your "display age" and "storage age" set to? Did you ever "Download All Headers" on this group?

[fsalter]

download age is set at 100 days but I have done a complete download of all headers. Display age is 400 as well as storage age. Usenet server has recently updated their servers to keep over a year of binaries on their servers so I have been playing around with it. The files I'm dealing with though are only a week or two old so shouldn't be effected by any of those settings.
Fred

[fsalter]

I'm trying to redownload the complete a.b.classic.tv.shows postings to see if for some reason or other it somehow missed it. I don't know how it works when you update the listing to get anything new. Does it ignore anything that has been attempted to download before or try and download things that it might not have gotten but should have? Maybe the download was interrupted for some reason "crash" and it thought that it downloaded everything and didn't. Then when I to "download latest" it thinks that those were already downloaded and doesn't try and get them because that day was supposed to have been downloaded even though it was interrupted by a crash....
Fred

[fsalter]

OK. I redownloaded the complete group and will wonders never cease, the missing episodes are there. I am pretty sure that with all my crashes it has really messed me up and it took the redownload to fix the database on my computer. I presume I would have to redo any other groups I'm having trouble with if I want them fixed. At least I think I'm getting somewhere.
Fred