Fetch Softworks

spinning wheels (10 posts)

• Started 19 years ago by glakloufi
• Latest reply 19 years ago from glakloufi

• glakloufi Member

  i am having issues uploading multiple files on FTP clients via Fetch.

  I am using fetch 4.0.3 on a mac 10.2.8. all softwares updated. Clean and fast broadband connection. ISP has looked into it. Line is clear.

  I have narrowed the problem to loading multiple files onto a server. Once a "big" file has finished uploading, instead of kicking the next one queued up, fetach spins it wheels endlessly. Now this happens only after a large file is DONE uploading. no problem at all with smaller files, they zip along one after the other, until I hit a 35MB or larger file.

  The info windows clearly shows the spedd of the connection still live, all the bytes have been uploaded and the countdown is at 0:00 time left.

  So the file has been uploaded , it is just teh next one that doesn't seem to queue itself up. if i try to quit, i get a "live connection in progress are you sure you want to disconnect" kinda message. problem is that if i start loading say 15 files, the window doesn't update so i really do not have any idea what has been loaded, loading or all done. now i finally know that there is a problem, so quitting basicaly cancel whatever was remaining to load.

  HELP!!!

  Greg

  Posted 19 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  This problem is usually caused by a bug in the router being used to connect to the Internet. FTP programs like Fetch use two connections to the server, one to send commands (the control connection) and one to transfer data. During a long transfer only the data connection is active, and some routers (incorrectly) decide to close the control connection because it has not had any traffic in a while. So Fetch finishes transfering the file, but never hears from the server that the transfer completed successfully because the router has dropped the control connection.

  I would recommend investigating whether there's a firmware update available for your router, which might fix the problem. If that does not help I would investigate other routers. I've never seen this problem in an Apple Airport Base Station, and there must be other routers that also avoid it. You may also want to tell the vendor of your current router about the problem, to give them a reason to fix it.

  By the way, I would be interested in knowing what brand and model router you are using; I'd like to build a list of routers with this bug.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 19 years ago #

• glakloufi Member

  I am using a brand new D-link DI-624 (802.11g), with a D-Link broadband modem. So i'm thinking the firmware is probably pretty up-to-date.

  but i can check if a new firmware is available tonight and call D-link CSR as well.

  Thanks for your help and your enlightment, I'll keep you updated.

  Greg

  Posted 19 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  I've seen this problem in the D-Link DI-524 as well, and it wouldn't surprise me if D-Link used variants of the same firmware (with the same bug) in all their models.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 19 years ago #

• glakloufi Member

  Okay, the D-link people are saying that this seems to be a port issue.

  The firmware is up-to-date and they have nothing else to give me to update.

  He wants to know what port connection Fetch is using.
  he said that Port 21 is usually the only port in use, and they are thinking that maybe if Fetch is trying to open a second port for the Command, while the data is running on the first port, and if that port is closed, then the command connection basically goes nowhere. I have no idea where to find that information and how to open "closed" ports.

  This can make sense only to someone like you.

  What's my next move Jim?

  Greg

  Posted 19 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  You can tell him that Fetch is opening a control connection to the usual port on the server, port 21. The data connection goes to a port picked by the server (in passive mode) or by Fetch (in non-passive mode). But it's the control connection that is getting dropped because it does not have traffic for a number of minutes (as long as the transfer takes). You should tell them that it's wrong for the router to drop inactive TCP connections after a set number of minutes, because it breaks long FTP transfers. At the very least they should exempt TCP connections to port 21 from their idle timeout.

  Or you could ask them to try a 15 minute FTP transfer through their router (using the NAT feature of the router), using the FTP client of their choice. I think they'll find that it does not complete correctly, because of this bug.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 19 years ago #

• glakloufi Member

  Jim,

  I'm really not sure they have any idea what i am talking about, even though i read them your entire response.

  Anyway, only 2 things they can think of. Make sure Fetch is in the passive mode, which i belive it is. And they made me go into my router configurations and change my WAN settings (MTU) to 1452 instead of 1500. To be honest with you i don't even know what that is or does.

  In my Fetch preferences, i happened to see a "keep connections alive" button. Should i check that in?

  They don't seem to think that any firmware upgrade is necessary, since i have the most recent one.

  Greg

  Posted 19 years ago #

• glakloufi Member

  Jim,

  I'm really not sure they have any idea what i am talking about, even though i read them your entire response.

  Anyway, only 2 things they can think of. Make sure Fetch is in the passive mode, which i belive it is. And they made me go into my router configurations and change my WAN settings (MTU) to 1452 instead of 1500. To be honest with you i don't even know what that is or does.

  In my Fetch preferences, i happened to see a "keep connections alive" button. Should i check that in?

  They don't seem to think that any firmware upgrade is necessary, since i have the most recent one.

  Greg

  Posted 19 years ago #

• Jim Matthews Administrator

  No, keep connections alive won't help in this case.

  I'd be happy to talk to the D*Link people, but my guess is that they just aren't familiar with the internals of their routers. Fortunately routers aren't very expensive these days, so you might try a different brand. I wish I knew a brand (besides Apple) that definitely didn't have this problem.

  Thanks,

  Jim Matthews
  Fetch Softworks

  Posted 19 years ago #

• glakloufi Member

  Thanks for all your help Jim.

  I guess i'll have to learn to live with it and work around uploading and queueing up multiple large files at once. or buy a new router :()

  Thanks again for all your patience.

  Greg

  Posted 19 years ago #