Help needed with intermittent internet
Bookmark this page:
 Yahoo!
 Google
 Windows Live
 del.icio.us
 digg
 Netscape
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Posted by JM on April 30, 2007, 11:42 am
Please log in for more thread options A customer of mine (I'm an IT-for-hire person) has Comcast business class cable internet service. A few weeks ago they started experiencing intermittent internet. They have a Comcast/Netgear combo device (router/modem/firewall) that we have configured for what they call "router mode," which I call "bridge mode." Either way, we have a static IP address that is passed through to our LAN, NAT and firewall in the device turned off. I have the IP address configured on one of the NICs in a Novell server. The second NIC in the server is for the LAN, with the server giving out DHCP. There have been no problems there. The Novell server also is our main app server and our email (Groupwise) server. When the internet is down, everything else works fine. And I changed out the WAN NIC twice. Point being there are no indications that the server is behaving in a way that would cause the internet problems. Each morning when they show up for work the internet is down. They call me, and I start trying to ping both the IP of the Netgear (gateway address) and the server (static IP). Usually, I cannot get a response from either address. Occasionally I can get a response from the gateway, but not the server (and of course I can never get the server and not the gateway). This weekend I performed random ping tests to the gateway, and I caught it down at least 5 times. Comcast has changed out the Netgear unit 2 times (meaning we've had 3 of the units). They monitored the device for several days and say it does not go "off-line." However, this morning they told me that, yet neither I nor the support rep could ping the gateway. She offered to "reset the modem" for me. As soon as she did, I could ping the gateway, the server, and the internet was up at the office. Comcast's theory - after many, many support calls, as well as changing out the box twice - is that something on the client's network side is "locking up" their device (the Netgear). Does that make any sense? jm | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by Warren H on April 30, 2007, 2:08 pm
Please log in for more thread options JM wrote: You start by saying that there are intermittent outages, but you only specifically mention it being down first thing in the morning. Are there on-going problems at random times during the day, or is this only happening when the connection has been idle for some time? If the problem appears often after the use of the Internet connection has been unused for a period of time, then I would check to see if the server is shutting down the NIC because of some power management setting. Also, if it only happens overnight, set it up to run ping continuously overnight, and see if the problem goes away. Something else you could try is instead of having the Novell server connected to the Internet, connect a different system. Of course this wouldn't be practical during the work day, so you'd probably have to do this over the weekend. Make sure there are no power management settings to shut parts of that system down when idle, and test to see if the Internet connection goes down. BTW... You don't mention how you get the connection back up when it goes down. Are you rebooting the server? Power-cycling the modem? Calling Comcast, and having them reset the modem remotely? What does, and what doesn't work to bring the connection back up? -- Warren H. ========== Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife. Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants to go outside now. Maintain your landscape with Black & Decker: http://www.holzemville.com/mall/blackanddecker | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by JM on April 30, 2007, 4:28 pm
Please log in for more thread options
>>A customer of mine (I'm an IT-for-hire person) has Comcast business class
>>cable internet service. A few weeks ago they started experiencing >>intermittent internet. They have a Comcast/Netgear combo device >>(router/modem/firewall) that we have configured for what they call "router >>mode," which I call "bridge mode." Either way, we have a static IP >>address that is passed through to our LAN, NAT and firewall in the device >>turned off. I have the IP address configured on one of the NICs in a >>Novell server. The second NIC in the server is for the LAN, with the >>server giving out DHCP. There have been no problems there. The Novell >>server also is our main app server and our email (Groupwise) server. When >>the internet is down, everything else works fine. And I changed out the >>WAN NIC twice. Point being there are no indications that the server is >>behaving in a way that would cause the internet problems. >> >> Each morning when they show up for work the internet is down. They call >> me, and I start trying to ping both the IP of the Netgear (gateway >> address) and the server (static IP). Usually, I cannot get a response >> from either address. Occasionally I can get a response from the gateway, >> but not the server (and of course I can never get the server and not the >> gateway). This weekend I performed random ping tests to the gateway, and >> I caught it down at least 5 times. >> >> Comcast has changed out the Netgear unit 2 times (meaning we've had 3 of >> the units). They monitored the device for several days and say it does >> not go "off-line." However, this morning they told me that, yet neither >> I nor the support rep could ping the gateway. She offered to "reset the >> modem" for me. As soon as she did, I could ping the gateway, the server, >> and the internet was up at the office. >> >> Comcast's theory - after many, many support calls, as well as changing >> out the box twice - is that something on the client's network side is >> "locking up" their device (the Netgear). >> >> Does that make any sense? Thank you very much for your excellent reply. Here are some answers (I'll get other answers this evening). > You start by saying that there are intermittent outages, but you only
> specifically mention it being down first thing in the morning. Are there > on-going problems at random times during the day, or is this only > happening when the connection has been idle for some time? It happens throughout the day, mostly on the server's static address (for terminology clarification, I'll use "gateway" address and "server" address from now on). This fact led Comcast to conclude pretty early on that the problem was on our side, since when we called during the day they could ping the gateway address. That was reasonable, enough, until I started finding the gateway address down at certain times, too, and often it's down in the morning. However, over the weekend, I had failed ping tests to the gateway at various times, day and night. Another fact perhaps worth mentioning is that every workstation in the business is turned off at night and weekends. So whatever is happening along the lines of Comcast's theory is limited solely to server activity. In other words, if some activity on the lan side indeed is "locking up" the Netgear, it's emanating from the server, not a workstation, i.e., a malware-infected computer flooding the network. (and I'm being open-minded, but I have my doubts in any event that something lan-side could indeed lock up a cable modem). In general, there seems to be no relationship to idle time. > If the problem appears often after the use of the Internet connection has
> been unused for a period of time, then I would check to see if the server > is shutting down the NIC because of some power management setting. This does not appear to be the case. > Also, if it only happens overnight, set it up to run ping continuously
> overnight, and see if the problem goes away. As mentioned, it happens day and night. > Something else you could try is instead of having the Novell server
> connected to the Internet, connect a different system. Of course this > wouldn't be practical during the work day, so you'd probably have to do > this over the weekend. Make sure there are no power management settings to > shut parts of that system down when idle, and test to see if the Internet > connection goes down. That is my plan for tonight. I'm going down there in a little while to connect a newly-formatted PC to the connection. That should be very informative. >
> BTW... You don't mention how you get the connection back up when it goes > down. Are you rebooting the server? Power-cycling the modem? Calling > Comcast, and having them reset the modem remotely? What does, and what > doesn't work to bring the connection back up? That is another strange aspect to the story. For 3 straight days, the modem began working again during my call to Comcast. I would call in, and after identifying the customer the Comcast rep would attempt to log in to the Netgear to "take a look." The router would start working immediately. In fact, during that 3-4 day stretch, one of the reps and I used the "sleep mode" analogy, such as you mentioned with the power management suggestions. However, many Comcast folks have assured me the Netgear has no sleep mode. This morning when I called in, the Comcast rep offered to reset the modem, which brought the internet back up. When I said that indicated a problem on their end (or with their equipment), she reiterated Comcast's position that since they've swapped the unit out twice the problem MUST be on the client side. They think something is locking the Netgear up, requiring a reset sometimes, while other times not. jm | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by $Bill on April 30, 2007, 5:27 pm
Please log in for more thread options
JM wrote: >
I'd start with a separate router and modem setup if possible. Should make it easier to isolate your problem and it might just go away. | |||||||||||||
|
Posted by JM on April 30, 2007, 6:14 pm
Please log in for more thread options
> JM wrote:
>>
>
> I'd start with a separate router and modem setup if possible. > Should make it easier to isolate your problem and it might just go away. Funny you should suggest that, as I just returned from driving halfway to the customer site to install a Linksys. Instead, I turned around, deciding to have them turn off the server tonight to see if the gateway still "locks up" or otherwise stops responding anytime between now and 7:30 a.m tomorrow morning. I have a ping test monitoring the gateway right now. If the gateway still has problems with the server and all workstations turned off, I think Comcast's theory is pretty much debunked. Agree? jm | |||||||||||||
| Similar Threads | Posted |
| Help needed with intermittent internet | April 30, 2007, 11:42 am |
| Reinstalling OS: What is needed to set up internet connection | July 22, 2004, 3:16 am |
| Save On Long Distance Get VOIP internet phone service Marketers needed | November 15, 2005, 4:02 pm |
| Intermittent Service Interruptions | May 23, 2005, 2:52 pm |
| Dlink-524 Intermittent Wireless | November 19, 2007, 7:38 pm |
| Odd problem: 8-port Switch needed to be reset? | July 10, 2004, 2:29 pm |
| Re: Internet TV | October 3, 2007, 1:30 pm |
| Internet Connection | July 15, 2004, 2:58 pm |
| Internet Connection | August 9, 2004, 12:12 pm |
| I have adelphia internet | July 23, 2006, 11:04 am |
| Substitute The Internet For Your TV | January 29, 2008, 11:50 pm |
| COMCAST internet | April 2, 2008, 3:42 am |
| low pass filter for internet | October 26, 2004, 11:23 pm |
| Cable internet slower than 56k | October 20, 2005, 8:45 am |
| Cable Internet Installation | November 10, 2005, 7:13 am |
>class cable internet service. A few weeks ago they started
>experiencing intermittent internet. They have a Comcast/Netgear combo
>device (router/modem/firewall) that we have configured for what they
>call "router mode," which I call "bridge mode." Either way, we have a
>static IP address that is passed through to our LAN, NAT and firewall
>in the device turned off. I have the IP address configured on one of
>the NICs in a Novell server. The second NIC in the server is for the
>LAN, with the server giving out DHCP. There have been no problems
>there. The Novell server also is our main app server and our email
>(Groupwise) server. When the internet is down, everything else works
>fine. And I changed out the WAN NIC twice. Point being there are no
>indications that the server is behaving in a way that would cause the
>internet problems.
>
> Each morning when they show up for work the internet is down. They
> call me, and I start trying to ping both the IP of the Netgear
> (gateway address) and the server (static IP). Usually, I cannot get a
> response from either address. Occasionally I can get a response from
> the gateway, but not the server (and of course I can never get the
> server and not the gateway). This weekend I performed random ping
> tests to the gateway, and I caught it down at least 5 times.
>
> Comcast has changed out the Netgear unit 2 times (meaning we've had 3
> of the units). They monitored the device for several days and say it
> does not go "off-line." However, this morning they told me that, yet
> neither I nor the support rep could ping the gateway. She offered to
> "reset the modem" for me. As soon as she did, I could ping the
> gateway, the server, and the internet was up at the office.
>
> Comcast's theory - after many, many support calls, as well as changing
> out the box twice - is that something on the client's network side is
> "locking up" their device (the Netgear).
>
> Does that make any sense?