Comments on: Downloading from Microsoft http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/ Tomos Hillman's mind-dump. Wed, 7 Jan 2009 12:54:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: yamahito http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-233 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:40:54 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-233 The whole university bit was supposed to imply (or even state) that the guys in INSRV (information services) also get it via proxy. The whole university bit was supposed to imply (or even state) that the guys in INSRV (information services) also get it via proxy.

]]> by: SilentBob http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-231 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:09:37 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-231 The point was more that the traffic goes through the proxy, I wouldn't be surprised if the network card was dying (especially if it's seen a lot of traffic go through it). This would also explain why the errors occur at different points. Where do Information Services get their files from? Do they get it via the proxy too? Or does some guy - because, statistically, it's unlikely to be a woman - download it at home and bring it in? ;) The point was more that the traffic goes through the proxy, I wouldn’t be surprised if the network card was dying (especially if it’s seen a lot of traffic go through it). This would also explain why the errors occur at different points. Where do Information Services get their files from? Do they get it via the proxy too? Or does some guy - because, statistically, it’s unlikely to be a woman - download it at home and bring it in? ;)

]]> by: yamahito http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-230 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:57:17 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-230 Yes, as does the whole university. But they don't cache files that large, and the corruption occurs at different points in the file extraction each time I download it. I'm currently waiting for a cd from Information Services - I remember having this issue before and their download worked for some reason, leading me to believe that it was a network and not a software issue - but then the motherboard blew up... Anyway, it should rule out a couple of things. Yes, as does the whole university.

But they don’t cache files that large, and the corruption occurs at different points in the file extraction each time I download it.

I’m currently waiting for a cd from Information Services - I remember having this issue before and their download worked for some reason, leading me to believe that it was a network and not a software issue - but then the motherboard blew up… Anyway, it should rule out a couple of things.

]]> by: SilentBob http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-229 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:53:21 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-229 Does your workstation and the server use the same proxy server? Does your workstation and the server use the same proxy server?

]]> by: yamahito http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-228 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:40:45 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-228 Serves you right for writing such long posts! Save the prose for that report you're supposed to be writing ;) I wonder if it's a mru/mtu problem with the whole school - either that or a software problem with our Server2003 installation set: I downloaded it using my personal workstation, burned it to CD-Rom, and tried installing it on both the problem machine and a second server we're in the process of re-installing. Both failed with the same corruption error. Frustrating. Serves you right for writing such long posts! Save the prose for that report you’re supposed to be writing ;)

I wonder if it’s a mru/mtu problem with the whole school - either that or a software problem with our Server2003 installation set: I downloaded it using my personal workstation, burned it to CD-Rom, and tried installing it on both the problem machine and a second server we’re in the process of re-installing. Both failed with the same corruption error.

Frustrating.

]]> by: SilentBob http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-227 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:36:49 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-227 Damn, Minotaur beat me to it! Damn, Minotaur beat me to it!

]]> by: SilentBob http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-226 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:34:14 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-226 Considering that the same downloads seem to work for everyone else (I presume it's the same W2K3 SP2 download that Mike and myself have independently grabbed without any trouble), suggests that you're right in assuming that Microsoft is probably not at fault, but I agree it'd be nice if they could distribute it with some sort of md5 checksum, or perhaps even over some form of P2P network (I'd suggest BitTorrent, but I know they're working on their own alternative) that would ensure perfect downloads based on a better hash (like SHA-1). Are you able to download it ok using another proxy, or bypassing the proxy? I wouldn't be surprised if it's something silly like the proxy server's network card is a bit flaky. HTTP goes over TCP, and TCP has a (very weak 16-bit field) checksum for error-checking of the header and data. It's not a perfect or great way of checking the HTTP data is correct, but it's better than nothing. Considering that the same downloads seem to work for everyone else (I presume it’s the same W2K3 SP2 download that Mike and myself have independently grabbed without any trouble), suggests that you’re right in assuming that Microsoft is probably not at fault, but I agree it’d be nice if they could distribute it with some sort of md5 checksum, or perhaps even over some form of P2P network (I’d suggest BitTorrent, but I know they’re working on their own alternative) that would ensure perfect downloads based on a better hash (like SHA-1). Are you able to download it ok using another proxy, or bypassing the proxy? I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something silly like the proxy server’s network card is a bit flaky. HTTP goes over TCP, and TCP has a (very weak 16-bit field) checksum for error-checking of the header and data. It’s not a perfect or great way of checking the HTTP data is correct, but it’s better than nothing.

]]> by: yamahito http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-225 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:22:04 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-225 Then it's not working too well... Then it’s not working too well…

]]> by: Minotaur http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-224 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 10:19:29 +0000 http://yamahito.net/blog/2007/04/24/downloading-from-microsoft/#comment-224 The checksumming method is TCP/IP :-) The checksumming method is TCP/IP :-)

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