Re: [NTLK] [OT] Something more irritating than off-topic posts...

From: Ed Kummel (tech_ed_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Jun 16 2004 - 18:18:25 PDT


It's most definatly your ISP.
Your ISP gets a grade "F" for their mail server.
go to www.dnsstuff.com and do a DNS timing against the
MX record. Here is what we get:
Searching for MX record for tufty.co.uk at
k.root-servers.net: Got referral to ns1.nic.uk. [took
230 ms]
Searching for MX record for tufty.co.uk at
ns1.nic.uk.: Got referral to ns1.plethora.net. [took
144 ms]
[Had to look up A record for ns1.plethora.net.; assume
200ms]
Searching for MX record for tufty.co.uk at
ns1.plethora.net.: Reports an answer.

Looking up at ns1.plethora.net.... [Had to look up A
record for ns1.plethora.net; assume +200ms]...Reports
1 MX record(s). 237ms.
Looking up at placetserv.placet.com.... [Had to look
up A record for placetserv.placet.com; assume
+200ms]...Timed out.

Average of all 2 nameservers: 1839ms (plus 574ms
overhead).

Score: F

Took off 8 points for ".uk" TLD (extra lookups likely
will be necessary to find the parent servers).
Took off 8 points for having no glue at a parent
server [adds 2 extra packets to lookup].
Took off 6 points for having no glue for
ns1.plethora.net [adds 2 extra packets to lookup].
Took off 2 points since ns1.plethora.net allows
recursive lookups (if lots of people are using the
server, it can slow down).
Took off 6 points for having no glue for
placetserv.placet.com [adds 2 extra packets to
lookup].
Took off 15 points for a nameserver timeout at
placetserv.placet.com (causes lengthy delays and extra
packets).
Took off 2 points since placetserv.placet.com allows
recursive lookups (if lots of people are using the
server, it can slow down).
Took off 25 points for >700ms average response time.

Note: The 574ms overhead is the time it takes to get
your NS records from the parent servers, and indicates
a worst-case scenario (normally, the resolving DNS
server would have the common parent server entries
cached, and would know the parent server(s) that were
responding most quickly). The best times since the
last time this web server was last restarted are: 21ms
average response, plus 92ms overhead. Note that these
times are from a server located in the United States;
if most of the people using your DNS are outside of
the United States, your actual results may be better
than what is shown here. A rating of 'B' or higher is
generally good. This tool is designed to make an
educated guess about speed, and to point out potential
factors that may reduce the DNS speed, and it is not
perfect.

And it's running Apache (not Windows):
<HR>
<ADDRESS>Apache/1.3.27 Server at <A
HREF="mailto:root_at_plover.net">plover.net</A> Port
80</ADDRESS>

Now...your results may be different since this tool is
not located in Europe...the timing hopping across the
Atlantic may be a little lower...not by much though.
Ed
web/gadget guru
http://newton.tek-ed.com (download Newton packages)

<snip>
> through. My ISP seems a little glitchy at the
> moment. It absolutely
> won't let me mail to AOL, and about 50% of the mails
> I send disappear
> into the aether. If it will let me connect at all,
> that is. Mostly
> it's "mail server too busy". I blame Windows,
> myself

=====
"A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well armed sheep contesting the results of the decision."
 - Benjamin Franklin

                
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