BPL server response time is crap

[Bob Gross]

I'm seeing server response times anywhere from 15 seconds up to about 55 seconds. Something is wrong.

Other sites I visit are normal, like 1 or 2 seconds.

–B.G.–

[Ken Thompson]

Thought it was just me at first. Been slow most of the day.

[David Lutz]

Me too.

For all the policy hubbub this is the kind of thing that will drive me nuts.

[jason quick]

Agreed with all.

I even got frustrated trying to write this post…it took ages to load.

Listen to us….such a first world problem! ;-)

But yes, in all seriousness, first world issues aside, I find it taking anywhere between 10 – 45 odd seconds to load sometimes too.

Grrr. :-)

[Gary Dunckel]

I agree–I thought it was just my computer or something. Somebody, please fix this. Where's Addie when we really need her? Roger, are you out there?

[Ken Thompson]

who actually has any control…

Since it is in the test forum, I give it a D.

[Mary D]

It was bad when I tried this morning. Response time is good now, though.

Also this morning, I had problems trying to read an article in the New York Times–it slowed to a crawl and I finally gave up. At least BPL is in good company!

[Rod Lawlor]

But on the plus side, you can now say crap! That's new. Heh, heh, heh.

[Bob Gross]

"A word used to describe something substandard."

–B.G.–

[Bob Bankhead]

This is nothing new.

It's been happening off and on for more than a year.

Changing servers and forum software costs money, and while BPL might like to up-grade both, it does not seem to have the financial resources to do so.

So, fellow users, get used to it or move on.

Maybe if we all included BPL in our letters to Santa…………….

[Roger Caffin]

Hi all

First of all, I am NOT defending any poor service. No way.

However, you can not blame all of this on the server used by BPL. As the internet gets faster and the traffic gets heavier, the internet world (the techie community) is slowly becoming aware of serious network delays which are happening but should not. I will try to explain simply.

When a whole lot of traffic comes into a node anywhere along the line between you and the server, the node may not be able to shove it all through immediately. Usually the data is not lost; it is buffered in a store. The node is supposed to send back a message to your ISP saying 'please slow down a bit'. This is in the TCP/IP protocol. This happens.

However, well-meaning designers have been putting huge buffer stores into the nodes – afetr all, memory is now very cheap. But the returning message saying 'slow down' can get stuck in a buffer in another node along the way and have to wait for a few seconds. This can pile up. So the 'traffic control' part of the TCP/IP design is failing and you are starting to see extended delays. If you want to read more, search on the phrase 'buffer bloat'. It's a serious problem.

Ultimately, the cure is in two parts: faster links between nodes and smaller buffers in the nodes. This may take a while as it means some serious hardware redesign and replacement. =$$$ And it has nothing to do with the BPL server.

Cheers

[Bob Gross]

So, Roger, what the rest of us do is to move out of a slow node and into a faster node so that traffic congestion is no longer a factor. Bandwidth can be infinitely cheap if you select the right providers.

–B.G.–

[Mary D]

I've always noticed a big slowdown on weekdays about 3 pm. when the high schools let out. I swear the kids get on the computer before they hit the refrigerator! Early evening is often slow, too (probably when their parents get on). However, that's all sites, not just one or two (probably traffic connections related to my ISP's servers?). Yesterday, though, I saw this slowdown only on two sites, as mentioned–BPL and the New York Times. Weird.

[Bob Bankhead]

+1 Mary D:

Every time BPL response gets slow, I always check the response times for all my other Favorites sites. It's always the same result – only BPL is lagging excessively.

I'm getting tired of seing IE9 report "waiting for response from Backpackinglight.com".

I expect slowdowns if someone is working with either the software or server hardware behind the scenes, but there's too many occurences of this for that to always be the case.

Still, what do I know? I'm not an IT guy.

[Bob Gross]

Mary D, you probably have a 10 Gigabit/sec fiber optic drop in your sewing room.

–B.G.–

[a b]

I am pirating my neibors wi-fi connection right now and i am not seeing any slow down at all on BPL or any other site.
Of course.. my standards are pretty low. I consider any internet service fine even if it takes a minute to load sometimes.
Anyhow, right now it's about 3 seconds between pages on BPL and thats from a wi-fi connection 100 feet away. (Don't worry.. it's all noble, i have permission)
Yea, the engineers say wi-fi doesn't go that far.. they are wrong.
.
.
Perhaps you need a pirate wi-fi booster dish like i made from tin foil and card board.

I also have a matching hat i wear to keep the govt from reading my thoughts.

[Roger Caffin]

> Every time BPL response gets slow, I always check the response times for all my other
> Favorites sites. It's always the same result – only BPL is lagging excessively.
Sorry, but that tells you nothing, except that the problem does not come from your ISP. If your other Favorites are in a different State to BPL, or just off in a different compass direction, they probably won't be hitting the nodes which are congested.

Sure, it might be the InfoGears servers (which host BPL), but it might equally be congestion at a node a couple of hops away from them. You could do a nettrace …

Cheers

[BlackHatGuy]

"Perhaps you need a pirate wi-fi booster dish like i made from tin foil and card board."

Dude, you're not fooling me. That's your bidet….

[Ken Thompson]

Stop splashing!! It's not for playing in.

But he is a plumber…

[Jeffs Eleven]

I thought the same thing, Doug.

A Magic Eraser bidet.

[a b]

The really scary part is how close Doug is to the truth..

Ever since i met Sage on the CDT and she taught me the NOLS way of "cleaning up" after potty time.. I have not used a single square of toilet paper on the trail or in my place.

Yep, the yellow sponge is for dishes.. the blue sponge is for..

So, who want to come over for dinner?

I'm making brownies for desert (yes, had to go there!)

Seriously, if you got "it" on your hand would you rather wipe it off or wash it off?

I know, i know, don't get it on you hand… Yada Yada Yada.

[John S.]

I'm gonna have to get back on my medicine…glug, glug

[Bob Gross]

It certainly seems like the server response time has slowed to a crawl, again.

–B.G.–

[Bob Gross]

Now at 20-25 seconds.

–B.G.–

[Mary D]

Just reread the thread after my last response. I want to make it clear that I do not have a sewing room. I always was horrible at sewing and since my detached retina episode I don't have binocular vision close than 3 feet. Forget sewing! It's a combined computer and backpacking gear storage room!

Anyway, BPL is currently approaching the speed of our native western Oregon fauna. I haven't tried the New York Times lately (I ran out of my free article allowance for the month).

[Author]

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