[mythtv-users] zap2it connectivity problems

[Oliver Seiler]

Hi all -- just joined the mailing list so can't reply to earlier threads...

I've been reading about recent problems with zap2it connectivity. Just
noticed the problem when I noticed that I had no listing for the last
two days (though I have a week of listings still left starting
tomorrow), so my connectivity problems haven't been continuous.

I can't access *any* sites within the .zap2it.com domain (any that I've
tried), including the main www.zap2it.com site. Let me qualify that: I
can't access it from home. I just tried going through my work network,
and there doesn't appear to be a problem (hell, I tried using google to
translate the site, and that worked too). So it appears to be network
related somehow. So let's get a bit more technical. Doing a tracepath to
datadirect.webservices.zap2it.com from home:

...
3:  rd1bb-ge3-2-1.vc.shawcable.net (64.59.158.242)       202.969ms
4:  rc1bb-pos15-0.vc.shawcable.net (66.163.69.70)        202.188ms
5:  rc1wt-pos2-3.wa.shawcable.net (66.163.77.26)         117.831ms
6:  ge-6-7.car4.Seattle1.Level3.net (4.79.106.1)         108.875ms
7:  ge-1-0-0-55.gar1.Seattle1.Level3.net (4.68.105.137)  asymm  8 109.139ms
8:  att-level3-oc48.Seattle1.Level3.net (4.68.127.110)   107.849ms
9:  12.122.84.38 (12.122.84.38)                          asymm 18 130.997ms
10:  tbr2-cl11.cgcil.ip.att.net (12.122.10.61)            asymm 17 131.880ms
11:  gar3-p370.cgcil.ip.att.net (12.123.6.5)              asymm 15 130.349ms
12:  no reply
13:  no reply

Doing the same tracepath from work:
...
5:  core2-vancouver-pos1-0.in.bellnexxia.net (206.108.101.41) asymm  4
23.475ms
6:  64.230.248.62 (64.230.248.62)                        asymm  5
50.005ms
7:  if-3-0.core2.VCW-Vancouver.teleglobe.net (64.86.115.13) asymm  6
15.649ms
8:  if-8-0.core2.SEP-Seattle.teleglobe.net (66.110.64.17) asymm 16
51.721ms
9:  if-9-0.core2.SQO-Sacramento.teleglobe.net (66.110.64.10) asymm 15
37.446ms
10:  if-1-0.core1.SQO-Sacramento.Teleglobe.net (64.86.83.221) asymm 14
48.212ms
825505593:  if-1-3.mcore3.LAA-LosAngeles.teleglobe.net (216.6.84.13)
asymm 13 493181.410ms
12:  if-5-0.core2.LAA-LosAngeles.teleglobe.net (216.6.84.22) asymm 11
43.300ms
13:  ix-2-0.core2.LAA-LosAngeles.teleglobe.net (66.198.112.14) asymm 12
81.682ms
14:  tbr1-p012201.la2ca.ip.att.net (12.123.28.130)        asymm 17
135.479ms
15:  tbr1-cl3.sffca.ip.att.net (12.122.10.25)             asymm 16
136.127ms
16:  tbr1-cl1.cgcil.ip.att.net (12.122.10.5)              asymm 15
140.884ms
17:  gar3-p360.cgcil.ip.att.net (12.123.6.1)              asymm 13
130.911ms
18:  mdf1-gsr12-2-pos-7-0.chi1.attens.net (12.122.255.194) asymm 14
130.386ms
19:  mdf1-bi8k-1-eth-2-2.chi1.attens.net (63.240.128.186) asymm 15
127.895ms
20:  no reply
21:  no reply
22:  no reply

(Note that neither actually made it in there tracepath attempts all the
way to zap2it.com)

So what does that tell us? Not a whole hell of a lot. Though both traces
wind up on AT&Ts network, its not clear whether the "no reply" messages
are starting at zap2it or are still within AT&T. For all I know my DHCP
allocated cable IP address (and presumably others having problems) is
blacklisted in some router along the route, or at zap2it itself, or
perhaps its a misconfigured router somewhere at AT&T (or zap2it!).

The whois record for zap2it.com lists tribune.com (parent company) as
the registrar, and cerf.net as one of the DNS entries; I am able to
access both of these sites from home, which seems to point the finger
more towards zap2it.com itself. Anyone have any reliable technical
contacts within zap2it that could check this sort of thing?

Cheers
Oliver