Trouble Accessing WTW?

[MarkBC]

Has anyone had trouble accessing WTW today, like the browser just tries and tries to load but nothing?

A Member e-mailed me to say that he hasn't been able to access the site at all for a couple of hours.

I had this happen once on one page today (which is unusual), but otherwise it's been fine for me.
Anyone else?

 

[Ted]

No problems here using IE or firefox.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

I M O K

 

[ski3pin]

Good on firefox here.

 

[highz]

No problems here. I suggest those with a problem do a traceroute. Here's a good online tool for that:

http://network-tools.com/

Select "trace", enter wanderthewest.com into the domain text box. and click GO.

Here are the results for me:

 

[Smokecreek1]

I did! twice yesterday, then digital path went down until about an hour ago, so don't know if the two were tied together or not!

 

[MarkBC]

I suggest those with a problem do a traceroute. Here's a good online tool for that:
http://network-tools.com/
Select "trace", enter wanderthewest.com into the domain text box. and click GO.
Here are the results for me:
View attachment 14205

Thanks, highz.

I tried that link...and got exactly the same result, the same route, as you did. That seemed odd to me...that someone in central Oregon would have the same route to WTW as someone in NM. Maybe using that online tool just traces the route from the server of the website -- not a route that's specific to the user. And I wasn't sure what to do with the information, anyway.

So, I looked up "traceroute" on Wikipedia, and the main thing I got from it was that there's a tool built into Windows (Mac has one, too), accessible via command line called "tracert". I ran the tracert command from a command line window (I'm back in DOS-world!) and got this:

C:\Windows\system32>tracert wanderthewest.com

Tracing route to wanderthewest.com [173.192.60.141]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 8 ms 9 ms 10 ms bc1761.bendcable.com [216.228.176.1]
2 10 ms 9 ms 9 ms 67.204.187.63
3 13 ms 13 ms 13 ms por-edge-12.inet.qwest.net [65.121.148.253]
4 78 ms 18 ms 19 ms sea-edge-12.inet.qwest.net [67.14.41.26]
5 16 ms 17 ms 17 ms ae11.bbr02.wb01.sea02.networklayer.com [63.228.127.66]
6 16 ms 17 ms 17 ms ae7.bbr01.wb01.sea02.networklayer.com [173.192.18.186]
7 45 ms 45 ms 44 ms ae0.bbr01.cf01.den01.networklayer.com [173.192.18.145]
8 169 ms 63 ms 63 ms ae12.bbr02.eq01.dal03.networklayer.com [173.192.18.138]
9 66 ms 63 ms 63 ms ae1.dar01.sr01.dal01.networklayer.com [173.192.18.255]
10 62 ms 62 ms 74 ms po1.fcr05.sr06.dal01.networklayer.com [66.228.118.221]
11 65 ms 62 ms 62 ms 173.192.60.141-static.reverse.softlayer.com [173.192.60.141]

Trace complete.

OK, this makes more sense to me: the route starts at my Internet provider, bendcable.com (aka BendBroadband), goes through what looks like Portland and Seattle, etc.
I still don't know what to do with this information

...and I'm not the one with the problem, anyway...but I'll get in touch with the member with the problem and suggest this. Maybe I'll go over to his house, as he lives in Bend. That's what's weird: we both get the Internet through Bend Broadband, and he has no trouble connecting to anything else on the Web, just WTW today...or he did a few hours ago.

Last year there were a couple of episodes like this, problems like this for lots of folks, as in this post, so I thought maybe "it" was going on again...

Of course...if there are others who currently have this problem going on they won't see this post nor will they be able to respond.
Only the sighted can respond to: Can you see this?

 

[MarkBC]

I checked out the computer of the "can't connect to WTW" guy, and there's definitely a problem.
I ran tracert to WTW on his computer (via command line), and it timed out -- couldn't go anywhere. And yet he can connect to any other website he's tried, and running tracert to another website shows a multi-hop route, as it should.
I told him he should contact his Internet provider...even though it's also my internet provider and I can connect fine.

I wonder if what I experienced (briefly) this morning...and maybe what Smokecreek experienced (maybe) might be a sign, too.

 

[highz]

Apologies for not being clear. I used wanderthewest as an example (instead of broadcasting my ip's address), but someone having connectivity issues would put in their external IP address. If there is no problem to the test server, then it would indicate the problem lies with wander the west's server.

Of course, you have to know where to find your external IP address...I only know how to do that for Macs.

 

[MarkBC]

Apologies for not being clear. I used wanderthewest as an example (instead of broadcasting my ip's address), but someone having connectivity issues would put in their external IP address. If there is no problem to the test server, then it would indicate the problem lies with wander the west's server.

Of course, you have to know where to find your external IP address...I only know how to do that for Macs.

The guy's connectivity issue is only when connecting to WTW. That is, he tried several other websites and all was well. And, as I said above, I ran tracert from his computer to wanderthewest.com and it couldn't get there...but tracert worked fine to other sites.

Last year when a lot of people had trouble connecting to WTW the weird thing was that it didn't affect all people; some people could connect just fine -- WTW itself wasn't down. I think Dirty Dog kinda explained what the issue was...but I don't remember.

I'm glad that fixing stuff like this isn't actually part of my Moderator job.

 

[Ted]

the last five posts have been so far over my head I see nothing but contrails.

 

[MarkBC]

My un-connected friend is going camping tomorrow for the weekend -- he's gonna actually wanderthewest...so he can ignore access to the virtual version for a few days.

 

[highz]

My un-connected friend is going camping tomorrow for the weekend -- he's gonna actually wanderthewest...so he can ignore access to the virtual version for a few days.

Now THAT'S a good solution!

 

[Smokecreek1]

My pc is starting to slow down again, really must be time to head to the field before things crash again; life was so much simpler before they invented the internet. You actually have to move your body not just your fingers to do something!

Smoke

 

[craig333]

I'd much rather be out there than typing here. Please call my boss and tell him we should not be working Saturdays

 

[MarkBC]

Please call my boss and tell him we should not be working Saturdays

I think you need a note from a doctor to be excused. I think highz is a doctor...

 

[highz]

I think you need a note from a doctor to be excused. I think highz is a doctor...

Yeah, but as the T-shirt says, "not that kind of a dr.". However, Craig, I'd be happy to write you a note. Just don't blame me if your boss catches onto the scam. And, if it makes you feel any better, I'm working Saturday, too.

 

[MarkBC]

UPDATE, FWIW: When the fellow-who-couldn't-connect-to-WTW returned from his weekend trip he found that he still couldn't connect to WTW -- though, as before, he could connect to every other site he tried.

I suggested he turn off his cable-modem and router and leave them off overnight, to see if maybe...for some reason...getting assigned a new IP address would fix it. He found that turning them both off then re-booting right away fixed whatever was wrong. He rejoined the WTW fold!
Good...but weird.

 

[craig333]

It got worse. Monday they announced we'll be working Sundays also. "we will try and move people around so no one works more than six days a week".

Then today, they ask if I want Saturday off (wasn't scheduled for Sunday) and I damn near peed myself saying yes. Camper is fueled (beer and fuel and food) and I"ll be taking off from work. How far I get is yet to be determined. Getting excited over two days. I'd have a heart attack if I had three