Slow header download speed

[bruce73]

This is something I've been noticing lately (I'm currently on v6.31, latest). Header downloads slow down to a virtual crawl (<10Mbps, sometimes <3Mpbs). Normally I get 100+Mpbs with my connection. I haven't been able to see any pattern. I have a strong hunch that my ISP (TimeWarner) throttles speeds in the evenings and weekends, but not at 5-6am when I'm usually pulling headers). I use UsenetServer exclusively for headers. An interesting observation is that, once in a while, if I shut down NB and restart, normal speeds resume.

Is this an issue with the software, the ISP or the newsserver? For the record, this happens with/without SSL and I also have Background Update checked in Settings.

[Quade]

I use UsenetServer exclusively for headers.

I'd sign up for a month of Supernews, I think it's $10-12 bucks and see what kind of header speeds you get. Supernews is 100% compressed headers. Some of the other servers only have some servers with compressed headers.

[bruce73]

OK, worth a try, thanks. Perhaps those times when re-starting NB solved the problem, I was connecting to a different set of servers at UsenetServer.

[bruce73]

Some more info:

I re-activated my account with Newshosting, which supports XFeature. Same thing happens -- intermittent slowdowns, oddly in the mornings (I did a header pull yesterday afternoon reaching 150+Mbps; this morning it was at 1.5).

But ... it seems to affect only a couple of (large) groups -- a.b.hdtv and a.b.hdtv.x264 -- at least from a quick survey. And I can switch back and forth between my two newsservers and continue pulling headers (restarting NB after each switch), and the slow speed is the same.

I'm assuming enabling/disabling SSL would have no bearing on this, right? What about size of the DB? I did a purge to display (7 days) as a last resort, but it didn't seem to make any difference.

[Quade]

Newshosting = UsenetServer. They're both highwinds server farms.

They have the same problem with not all servers supporting XFeatures. That's why I suggested supernews.

[bruce73]

Ah, the devil's in the details, I see.

[rbaer]

Thanks - I've been having the same problem with UseNetServer recently. All of my headers used to download in about one minute, two at worst. I start between 6:00am and 6:30am.

Over the past few weeks it has been as high as 45 minutes.

Been with them for more than 10 years, but it sounds like time for a switch...

[Quade]

I'd at least experiment with another server to make sure it is the server.

[bruce73]

Thanks - I've been having the same problem with UseNetServer recently. All of my headers used to download in about one minute, two at worst. I start between 6:00am and 6:30am.

Over the past few weeks it has been as high as 45 minutes.

Been with them for more than 10 years, but it sounds like time for a switch...

Bob, it seems our timeframe with this issue is the same. I've also had UsenetServer for years and this almost random slowdown has been just in the past month. I did contact their Support and, after a half dozen generic, canned responses about "how to increase your Internet speed" (which had nothing to do with this), I finally got a guy to confirm that *all servers* support XFeature. But it's odd -- I can disable XFeature and still get relatively high speeds (well, 30Mbps or so compared to the 1-3Mbps I've been having), but perhaps this isn't true XFeature.

The only trick that *seems* to work is to close/re-open NB and restart the header download. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries, but eventually it seems to work. I will try Supernews, as Quade suggested, and see what happens. Unfortunately, I'm locked into UsenetServer until August with their year plan.

BTW, I found this listing of Usenet server back-ends which was very enlightening:

http://www.newsgroupservers.net/newsgroup_server_resellers

[rbaer]

Thanks Bruce - I've followed pretty much the same path. I haven't tried shutting down NBP though. I generally kick off all of my header-fetchs at once and that would be a pain.

Have also noticed that the problem is the worst in a.b.dvd and a couple of the warez groups.

Signed up for SuperNews this morning and it works great. I'm going to cancel UNS. It will cost me about $20 but save me hours of waiting for header downloads...

[Quade]

You could simply keep both servers, set UNS to "no header downloads" and keep it in the mix for cases where it has chunks that Supernews might not. Maybe set it to 5-6 connections. Then when UNS runs out, you could decide whether to sign back up or not.

Usually you can get closer to 100% clean downloads with more servers.

[rbaer]

Good point - will do. Between EasyNews and UNS I've had excellent completions. Hopefully SuperNews will be a good substitute for UNS. But all three together will be as close to perfect as I'll ever see.

[bruce73]

I used Supernews briefly last year and I found, UNS's claims to the contrary, that Supernews's completion for older posts (> 1 year) was much better and required less repairing. I ended up with UNS because it worked better within my budget, but I'll most likely switch back when my year subscription is up.

[alexander038]

Guys take this special offer link: http://www.supernews.com/super-special/

(@ Quade: i'm not 100% sure if above link is allowed on this forum, if not then sorry)

[bruce73]

Thanks. I thought that deal was over. Cool.

[Lenster]

Just to add my two cents. I just switched from easynews to newshosting and am seeing the same non-compressed header in the mornings and turbo compressed header in the afternoon using Newsleecher. So the problem is not with Newsbinpro.
I am switching to NewsBinPro because I am tired of throwing 20 bucks to NL each year and I was going to also switch from Newshosting to Usenetserver before I read this thread.
So now I will take a look at supernews.
I have no idea if the same problem was occurring with easynews because I never had the thought to look before I cancelled my account.

Len

[rbaer]

Update: EasyNews together with SuperNews works extremely well. Not a single problem so far. And for the record - I've never had a problem with header download on EasyNews. Although the link to get the discount was posted after I had signed up, their customer service folks did give me credit.

[bruce73]

Guys, what header speeds with Supernews are you seeing? I'll be switching over as soon as my UNS subscription is up (maybe sooner), but I'm curious anyway.

I'd still love to know why stopping/restarting the header download (I normally do all groups) -- which may take up to a half-dozen times -- seems to overcome the slow header download problem (upping from 3-4Mbps to >20Mbps). I've also noticed that when I do a restart by simply clearing the list and re-downloading (versus closing/reopening NB and re-downloading), I will usually get critical messages that state: "... problem talking to server:[specific header]." After that, the header speed will increase (almost as if the server had been choking on those particular files, but now is OK).

[rbaer]

I have 3MB (240mpbs) service from Verizon and SuperNews header downloads completely saturates my capacity.

[bruce73]

That's great. The most I've ever seen with UNS is ~150Mbps (on a "good" day, which hasn't been for a while now ... ). Of course your ISP bandwidth might be different than mine (I have TWC's Turbo @ 15MB down), but looks as if I'll be signing with Supernews sooner than later.

[Lenster]

Just switched to Supernews today and no more non-compressed headers.
Getting 3MB header download and 4MB body download on what is supposed to be a 6MB comcast connection.
I'm happy
If I have any problems with incompletes (as some have reported with Giganews I'll buy a block account for fills. Heard Blocknews is pretty good.

[Quade]

I'd expect DMCA takedowns to be about the same as Giganews so, you're probably going to need a block account of some kind. Might give the XS Usenet free trial a run and if you like it, sign up. They're offshore. Not sure the DMCA applies to them.

[Lenster]

I'd expect DMCA takedowns to be about the same as Giganews so, you're probably going to need a block account of some kind. Might give the XS Usenet free trial a run and if you like it, sign up. They're offshore. Not sure the DMCA applies to them.

Thanks for that. I also have set up the European Supernews server as a backup

Len

[Moondawgie]

Guys take this special offer link: http://www.supernews.com/super-special/

(@ Quade: i'm not 100% sure if above link is allowed on this forum, if not then sorry)

After having read the conversation here concerning the services of Supernews, I decided to subscribe to Supernews for a month to see if their services were superior to those of my current usenet providers, Giganews or Easynews. Unfortunately, my use of Supernews has been fraught with problems.

Technical support from Easynews is measured in minutes. Technical support from Giganews is measured in hours. Techical support from Supernews, is measured in days.

One problem, which I've asked Supernews for help with, involves the simple retrieval of new message headers posted numerous newsgroups during just the past 7 days. Using the newsgroup alt.binaries.teevee as one example, this is what I see using a virgin installation of Newsbin 6.40B2 under Windows 7 64bit, while attempting to retrieve message headers posted to that newsgroup during the past 7 days:

[09:18:08] HIGH NNTPSocket - 224 xover information follows [COMPRESS=GZIP]
[09:18:09] HIGH NNTPSocket - XOVER 1002-1012

Repeated over, and over again for the last 30 minutes.

Screen capture: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/16 ... iestee.gif

Server settings: 5 connections; unencyrpted connection; TCP port 119; no other settings enabled.

Screen capture: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/85 ... ttings.gif

It's essentially the same with another 57 active newsgroups from which I can quickly retrieve news headers and posted messages via Giganews and Easynews.

I'm waiting for a response from Supernews Technical Support. Does anyone here, who uses Supernews, have any ideas as to what the problem might be?

I'll stick it out for a month, but so far, not good.

[bruce73]

I, too, decided to go ahead and sign up for Supernews, and, while I am not having the problem you describe, I can say that my original issue of slow header downloads isn't completed solved. To be sure, *most* of the time I'm seeing double, even triple, the "speed" of the header downloads that I saw with UNS, but there still seems to be a problem with the same large newsgroups, albeit not so often, where the download will slow to a crawl toward the end. But, on the whole, Supernews does a better job.

[alexander038]

If i'm not wrong i heard that someone was saying that the servers of giganews does support compressed headers but
limit the speed of downloading headers to a certain level.

[Quade]

It would surprise me. Giga headers aren't as fast as Astra headers but, if you do multiple groups at once, you can get some insane speeds. I regularly see > 500 Mbps from both Giga and Astra when I do a bunch of groups at once.

[alexander038]

It would surprise me. Giga headers aren't as fast as Astra headers but, if you do multiple groups at once, you can get some insane speeds. I regularly see > 500 Mbps from both Giga and Astra when I do a bunch of groups at once.

Then i was wrong, i thought you said someting like that

[Quade]

My bad

It wouldn't surprise me.

Is what I meant to say.