Could not get assignment ID

[baobeiiiii]

Hi,

have an i5 2500k rig @4.5GHz and GTX680. I've downloaded the latest windows client but i get the following messages constantly and no folding happens:

15:44:22:WU01:FS01:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80
15:44:22:WU00:FS00:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80
15:44:43:WARNING:WU01:FS01:Failed to get ID from 'assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80': Failed to connect to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.
15:44:43:WU01:FS01:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080
15:44:43:WARNING:WU00:FS00:Failed to get ID from 'assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80': Failed to connect to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.
15:44:43:WU00:FS00:Connecting to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080
15:45:04:WARNING:WU01:FS01:Failed to get ID from 'assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080': Failed to connect to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.
15:45:04:ERROR:WU01:FS01:Exception: Could not get an assignment ID
15:45:04:WARNING:WU00:FS00:Failed to get ID from 'assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080': Failed to connect to assign-GPU.stanford.edu:8080: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.
15:45:04:ERROR:WU00:FS00:Exception: Could not get an assignment ID

Is there anything I can do to fix this? I've had this error for over a month... Thanks for advice!

[bruce]

Welcome to foldingforum.org, baobeiiiii.

If you are unable to connect to http://assign-GPU.stanford.edu:80 it either means that server is down or that your security software/hardware are blocking the FAH Client from making that connection. I can connect to that server from here, which indicates you need to adjust your security settings before FAH can download anything.

Are you able to connect to that site with your browser?

[baobeiiiii]

Yes, i can connect to that with my browser. I'm also not running any antivirus or firewall, hardware or software.

It says OK.

[bruce]

If the connection between your browser and the server works and the connection between FAHClient and the server does not work, SOMETHING in your computer is blocking FAHClient from making connections. Whether that's called an AV suite or a firewall or anti-spyware or something else, I put it under the general heading of security. Are you sure you never got a popup saying "Do you want to continue to block FAHClient from connecting to the internet?" or you did something to disable seeing such popups?

[baobeiiiii]

I'm running windows 7 Ultimate, windows firewall is completely disabled. Are you suggesting it might be UAC? I have that disabled. I've also unticked ipv6 from my wifi connection.

[P5-133XL]

Are you running some form of "internet" security suite that has its own firewall separate from Windows. There are a variety of possible products like Norton Internet security, Mcafee Internet Security, Zone Alarm, or some other security program?

UAC has nothing to do with this: UAC limits Windows functions by non-admins by putting up a prompt box making sure that you actually want to do the action. It really is there to prevent automated actions from doing administrator actions without your knowledge.

IPv6 problems produce a different symptom. Specifically, continuous core download failures.

The OK message from your browser means you can directly connect to the server. That means there is something that is specifically preventing the folding client from connecting to the server. Normally something like that would be caused by some form of security software installed i.e. Some form of firewall whether that is the Windows firewall (which you've checked) or an external security application like Norton Internet Security...

[baobeiiiii]

hi, thanks for your help so far. I'm not running windows firewall or any 3rd party firewall software.

Could it be my fibre gateway is blocking it? I'm not able to log into that. Is there a way to change the port number that fahcontrol and the client uses? I suspect it might be my access point, as i use openvpn and frequently have to change the client port number, as a port will work and then suddenly not work... however its not the vpn because fah won't work with it connected or disconnected from the vpn.

[P5-133XL]

The client will try port 80 and if that fails then it automatically switches to 8080. You already proved that port 80 is getting through with the browser test.

The client is using the same port your browser uses and you said that you got an OK from the server. Something is blocking just the folding client. That type of blocking is typically limited to some form of security software.

A fibre gateway is just a translation device and not a security device. Think of it as simply converting Ethernet signals into fibre optic signals.

Are you running your internet through an external proxy (like Microsoft Proxy server) that can deeply examine packets and distinguish between applications using the same port?
Are you running in a corporate domain that has locked down your machine via policies to limit what applications get access to the internet?

[bruce]

The reason I know it's security setting somewhere is that your fiber gateway wouldn't be able to tell which program is trying to connect to the server. FAHClient acts just like a browser when it connects to that server and that's all that goes out over the computer's external connection. The internal security software is able to identify which program made the connection request.