blocking?

[cathc]

Hi,
I'm new to folding. I have downloaded the client successfully, about 24 hours ago now but have received no work packets. When I hover over the tray icon it says "attempting to get work packet". I suspect one of my security systems is blocking the packet. I have allowed Stanford University, and Folding at home site but wonder if you are using a data handling company to transmit the work packets that might be being blocked.

Could you give me the name of any such company so I can allow it or give me any other ideas why I might not be receiving work packets please?

[uncle_fungus]

This page contains the IP addresses of all the machines the Folding@home client can connect to: http://fah-web.stanford.edu/serverstat.html

[bruce]

Wecome to the foldingforum, cathc.

Please locate the file FAHlog.txt and post a portion of that file, showing the error. Sometimes it gives unusually accurate information that can't be guessed from a general description like yours.

I agree with your assessment that your security software is probably causing the problem. Start by trying to open the following URLs in your browser. If they fail to get a response, figure out why. If they do get a response, check that your anti-spyware software allows the FAH client to connect to the internet just as if it were an alternate browser.

http://assign2.stanford.edu/
http://assign.stanford.edu:8080/
http://www.stanford.edu/

Also please check the link at the top of this page called "Server Status" There are many other servers (mostly in the Stanford.edu domain) that are used by FAH, but these three are a good start.

[cathc]

Thanks for your quick responses.

Here is a portion of the log file. Clearly a problem with the http request. I'll see if I can do anything with this. Any further advice appreciated.

@ bruce

what I need to allow those http's are the starting and ending ip's. I'll start with those three if you can let me know them. The list in the link above is rather intimidating. I appear to have to enter the numbers manually in my list so the entire list is going to take me a long time! I'll do it if i have to but if I can get away with the three that would be great!

sername=cathc...
[23:41:59] + Attempting to get work packet
[23:41:59] - Connecting to assignment server
[23:42:01] - Successful: assigned to (128.143.48.226).
[23:42:01] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[23:42:01] Loaded queue successfully.
[23:42:22] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[23:42:22] + Could not connect to Work Server
[23:42:22] - Attempt #13 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[00:30:35] + Attempting to get work packet
[00:30:35] - Connecting to assignment server
[00:30:36] - Successful: assigned to (171.67.108.13).
[00:30:36] + News From Folding@Home: Welcome to Folding@Home
[00:30:36] Loaded queue successfully.
[00:30:57] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[00:30:57] + Could not connect to Work Server
[00:30:57] - Attempt #14 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.




EDIT/ I've tried breaking them down into ranges so that may have done the trick but Ihave also set the client to run through a proxy and if I hover over the tray icon now it says "working"!!! so I think i may have sorted it.

Thanks for your help.

[cathc]

Unfortunately the success was shortlived. I completed a work packet but the software was not able to return it to you.

Then when I rebooted I lost the log file to date and presumably the completed work packet too.

Should that have happened.

I am now operating without the proxy and without the ip blocker that I suspected was causing the problem, but work packets are not succeeding in reaching me.

I am short of ideas. I have added the software and the three sites bruce posted to my trusted zone on my internet options security tab. The software is allowed through my windows firewall, and by my avg antivirus.

Are there any known software conflicts that might be causing my problem?

It is deeply frustrating not to be able to get the client to work.

[codysluder]

There are dozens of servers that you have to be able to contact. (See the link that uncle_fungus gave above.) From the snippet of the log that you posted, you could not connect to http://128.143.48.226/ or http://171.67.108.13/ When I click on either of these links in my browser, I get "OK" so both servers are functioning normally.

[cathc]

I'm not suggesting the problem is with the servers. I just want to know how to get the client to work.

Here is a recent segment from the log file

[23:40:20] + Attempting to get work packet
[23:40:20] - Connecting to assignment server
[23:40:20] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[23:40:20] + Could not connect to Assignment Server
[23:40:20] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[23:40:20] + Could not connect to Assignment Server 2
[23:40:20] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[23:40:20] - Attempt #98 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.

As it says the previous 98 attempts have been the same.

What else might be stopping it from connecting?

[codysluder]

I'm not suggesting the problem is with the servers. I just want to know how to get the client to work.

Sometimes it MAY BE a problem with the servers. The recommended answer is to configure your IP blocker to enable the client to contact and IP on the internet any time it wants to, just like your browser is configured.

In that segment, the client is unable to contact http://assign.stanford.edu:8080/ or http://assign2.stanford.edu/ which were listed by bruce (above) and you seemed to imply that was fixed. All of the addresses on http://fah-web.stanford.edu/serverstat.html might be accessed for new work or to upload completed work. The first 5 are accessed by name and the rest are accessed by IP number, either on port 80 or on port 8080.

[cathc]

Sometimes it MAY BE a problem with the servers. The recommended answer is to configure your IP blocker to enable the client to contact and IP on the internet any time it wants to, just like your browser is configured.

I have in fact disabled the ip blocker altogether so it should no longer be an issue.

In that segment, the client is unable to contact http://assign.stanford.edu:8080/ or http://assign2.stanford.edu/ which were listed by bruce (above) and you seemed to imply that was fixed.

i thought it was fixed as the client was receiving work packets but, as I said above it would not return the packet when completed. I therefore unset the proxy and disabled the ip blocker. When i try to access the three ip addresses listed by bruce via my browser they all check out ok.

All of the addresses on http://fah-web.stanford.edu/serverstat.html might be accessed for new work or to upload completed work. The first 5 are accessed by name and the rest are accessed by IP number, either on port 80 or on port 8080.

i have forwarded both ports to my wireless router.

[codysluder]

If your browser can contact those addresses and the FAH client cannot, you have some additional security software (perhaps known as an advanced firewall, perhaps known as anti-spyware) which blocks specific programs from contacting the internet. Configure that software to give the FAH client full permission to establish a connection to the internet.

[cathc]

I have now turned off my windows firewall and uninstalled my spybot search and destroy.

I have f@h and the url’s bruce listed allowed in my internet options security and privacy tabs.

I have allowed folding@home.exe in my avg pup exception list. Is there any other file extension I need to allow there?

I have allowed the url’s in avg’s exception list as well. Unless there is any other way windows can be blocking you I have no other security functions.

I am still not receiving work packets.

Could there be a software conflict issue?

[7im]

Please post a bigger section of your fahlog showing the connection failures, and include the first 35 lines of that file so we can get more detail about your setup.

[cathc]

Thanks for the response. Please let me know if any other information would be useful. I am really running out ot ideas here. I don't want to have to abandon the project though.

This is the start of the log file.

NB the proxy cited at the start is no longer in the set up

--- Opening Log file [April 29 20:50:23 UTC]


# Windows CPU Systray Edition #################################################
###############################################################################

Folding@Home Client Version 6.23

http://folding.stanford.edu

###############################################################################
###############################################################################

Launch directory: C:\Documents and Settings\cc


[21:10:32] - Ask before connecting: No
[21:10:32] - Proxy: 217.146.181.34:80
[21:10:32] - User name: cathc (Team 163897)
[21:10:32] - User ID: 767E0660323B9A86
[21:10:32] - Machine ID: 1
[21:10:32]
[21:10:32] Work directory not found. Creating...
[21:10:32] Could not open work queue, generating new queue...
[21:10:32] Initialization complete
[21:10:32] - Preparing to get new work unit...
[21:10:32] + Attempting to get work packet
[21:10:32] - Connecting to assignment server
[21:10:32] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server response
[21:10:32] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server 2 response
[21:10:32] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[21:10:32] - Attempt #1 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[21:10:48] + Attempting to get work packet
[21:10:48] - Connecting to assignment server
[21:10:48] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server response
[21:10:48] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server 2 response
[21:10:48] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[21:10:48] - Attempt #2 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[21:11:08] + Attempting to get work packet
[21:11:08] - Connecting to assignment server
[21:11:09] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server response
[21:11:09] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server 2 response
[21:11:09] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[21:11:09] - Attempt #3 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[21:11:34] + Attempting to get work packet
[21:11:34] - Connecting to assignment server
[21:11:34] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server response
[21:11:34] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server 2 response
[21:11:34] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[21:11:34] - Attempt #4 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[21:12:24] + Attempting to get work packet
[21:12:24] - Connecting to assignment server
[21:12:24] + Could not authenticate Assignment Server



The closing reports in the log file

[16:31:22] + Attempting to get work packet
[16:31:22] - Connecting to assignment server
[16:31:22] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[16:31:22] + Could not connect to Assignment Server
[16:31:22] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[16:31:22] + Could not connect to Assignment Server 2
[16:31:22] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[16:31:22] - Attempt #119 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[17:17:22] Opening ...
[17:19:35] + Attempting to get work packet
[17:19:35] - Connecting to assignment server
[17:19:35] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[17:19:35] + Could not connect to Assignment Server
[17:19:35] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[17:19:35] + Could not connect to Assignment Server 2
[17:19:35] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[17:19:35] - Attempt #120 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:07:40] + Attempting to get work packet
[18:07:40] - Connecting to assignment server
[18:07:40] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[18:07:40] + Could not connect to Assignment Server
[18:07:40] - Couldn't send HTTP request to server
[18:07:40] + Could not connect to Assignment Server 2
[18:07:40] + Couldn't get work instructions.
[18:07:40] - Attempt #121 to get work failed, and no other work to do.
Waiting before retry.
[18:41:01] Opening ...

[7im]

[17:19:35] + Could not connect to Assignment Server

[17:19:35] + Could not connect to Assignment Server 2

These two lines one after the other typically indicates something is still blocking the client.

[cathc]

Well the only thing left to try is to uninstall my av. Is there anything else windows could be doing to block?

If i take my av out i have no protection in place at all apart from anything windows has built in.

Is it possible that the client hasn't realised i've reconfigured so that I'm no longer routing through the proxy and failing to get beyond that point?