Metconnect: problems and status

[guardsman]

Here's an update (For anyone that cares):

Six days have passed and the problem (See above) still persists (We might as well bring the tally to seven days since tomorrow is Sunday and it is doubtful that anyone will be working on the problem tomorrow - "Kudos" to them if they do). Worse yet, on some days the affected server isn't being rebooted the day after the problem occurs so users are experiencing whole days without internet service (Sort of like a "black out").


The "black outs" could mean that one of two things is happening. Either:

a) The techs at MC are working hard on diagnosing and fixing a very complicated problem with the affected server.
OR
b) The techs or management at MC aren't really placing a high priority on diagnosing and fixing the problem and things have basically "gone to s*it" (Please pardon my language but at this point I'm at my wits end)!


Again, all we poor users can do is hope and pray that the problem is resolved soon.


BTW - If anyone else is experiencing this problem (see above), please let me know. It won't help fix the problem, but it would offer some solace to me to know that I am not the only one going through this horrible situation. Thank You!

[guardsman]

Well, 20 days have passed and the above mentioned problem is still occurring. I can still connect to MC, get an IP address but cannot get HTTP access.


The network engineer(s) at MetTel appear to be rebooting the affected server less frequently after each crash and it doesn't look like the problem will be resolved any time soon.


Sadly I'm beginning to think that MetConnect, the last unlimited free ISP in NYC, is on its way to being dead. In the least, it can be considered in a coma since it appears to be alive (Connections can be made and IP addresses assigned) but there is no activity (No HTTP access).


BTW - Is anyone else having the above problem with MC? Please let me know. I just want to know that I'm not alone here. Thank You.

[paula]

I did have trouble connecting in the past couple of weeks, but I'm not having any problems this week. I think the problems are caused by too many users. Do you use it at night ? I think it's easier to get on early in the morning. Good Luck.

[guardsman]

Thank you for replying, paula! I was beginning to think that this forum is rarely used since no one replied for a long time to this thread.


I use MC in the evenings and late at night. I have not had problems connecting. I was able to connect, get assigned an IP address but sometimes, I would not be able to go to any webpage (No HTTP access). Othertimes, I would be able to surf for few minutes and get disconnected. After I redial, I would be able to connect, get an IP address but then not be able to surf (No HTTP access).

So have you been able to connect, get an IP address, AND surf (HTTP access) without getting disconnected or get HTTP access then get disconnected, log in again afterwards, get an IP address again and THEN lose HTTP access? This is the problem that I have been experiencing in about the last three weeks.

[paula]

The problems I've been having the past three weeks have to do with not being able to connect at certain times, but able to connect if I try again later, or early the next day. However, I'm also totally familiar with the problem that you are experiencing. It happened to me many times in past years, but not now, because I don't logon late in the day. As I mentioned, I believe the problem is due to too many users trying to get on at the same time.

[guardsman]

paula wrote:

... As I mentioned, I believe the problem is due to too many users trying to get on at the same time.

Damn selfish people hogging up all the bandwith! Just kidding! - I know that I, along with everyone else out there, need to go online.


However, since I am not a CNE (Certified Network Engineer) nor have access to the affected server to ascertain the situation, I too can only make an educated guess as to what's going on at MC.

I still think that the server that is handling HTTP requests is starting to fail. Who outside of MetTel really knows how old it is - Five plus years or older? Maybe it's the same server that's been running since MC "opened shop"? Since it's a free service it's doubtful that MetTel would spend a lot of money to maintain, much less upgrade, the hardware. I still think that the server is shutting down sporadically (Which then requires a reboot by a CNE at MC who has the free time to do so).

I tried MC yesterday at 4:00PM (That's the earliest opportunity that I had - I usually try to get online at 9:00PM), was able to log in, get an IP address but still could not surf. May I ask at around what time do you try MC? I would like to test out your theory on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Thanks again!

[paula]

There is no good time to logon over the weekend. The weekend is as busy, if not busier than weeknights. I logon between 9 Am and 12 noon on weekdays. The problem of not being able to surf after connecting was happening four or five years ago, before the server got to be old.

[guardsman]

paula wrote:

...The problem of not being able to surf after connecting was happening four or five years ago...

Hmm.. That's strange. I have been using MC for more than eight years (Since Jan 2002) and I've never experienced a major problem like the one mentioned above. Over the years, I have experienced minor problems/annoyances like not being able to connect when I want to (Busy signal due to too many users trying to log in), someone (Working at MC?) trying to solict "donations" supposedly for MC (Page redirect as soon as I log in), to being sporadically disconnected for no apparent reason (Although, I could reconnect and surf after waiting five minutes and re-dialing). This is the first time ever that I've experience such a major problem. I would think that MC would have lost most of its user base if this problem manifested itself in the early years and for such a long duration before being resolved.


May I ask since you experienced this major problem long ago, how long did it take for the problem to be resolved? Of course the timeliness of MC's tech support in the past is no guarantee to its future performance for resolving problems. Still, it would be be nice to have some ideal so as to formulate a rough estimate of when this major problem will be resolved. Thanks again!

[paula]

It took about 2 months.. I still think it's caused by too many users.

[guardsman]

Well, this problem has occurred for more than a month, so perhaps we will all have to suffer through this situation for another month before the problem is actually resolved.


BTW - I logged on four times yesterday (At 5:30PM, at 7:45PM, at 11:05PM and later at 12:30AM) was assigned an IP address at each session but still could not get HTTP access. Did you have any problems surfing yesterday morning? I think that the CNE(s) at MC aren't rebooting the server as frequently as they previously did after each crash (They used to reboot it the next day after it crashed - I know because whenever it crashed during the night, the next day at around 5:00PM I was able to get HTTP access).

[paula]

I don't have any surfing problems this year. I only have connecting problems, if I try to connect late in the afternoon or evening, but no problems in the morning.

[kennylew59]

Last night I logged on to MetConnect around 8:30 and I kept getting disconnected every few minutes. I got disconnected for the final time before 9:00 and I was unable to reconnect after that. When I tried to dial Into the server there was no response at all, not even the screeching modem sound, just silence.

[guardsman]

paula wrote:

I don't have any surfing problems this year. ...no problems in the morning.

From what you've been saying all along, paula, I must conclude that you are one of the rare MC users out there that are truly "blessed". The rest of us are going through Hell!


The caveat to your particular situation is that if it is practical for the peeps who use MC in the evenings to use it during the morning instead, then you may also go through the same problem that kennylew, I and other late night users are currently experiencing (If your theory of high traffic use as the cause for this problem is correct). I sincerly hope that it does not happen.

kennylew59 wrote:

Last night I logged on to MetConnect around 8:30 and I kept getting disconnected every few minutes. ...

May I ask, were you able to go to your browser's homepage or surf before getting disconnected? I'm just curious as to whether you were able to get HTTP access. Thanks!

kennylew59 wrote:

...I was unable to reconnect after that. When I tried to dial Into the server there was no response at all, not even the screeching modem sound, just silence.

Wow. That's really strange, kennylew59. I can always dial-in, hear the screeching modem sound (a.k.a. "Handshake"), get assigned and IP address but can not surf (No HTTP access). I'm surprised that your modem couldn't "Handshake" with the modem that is attached to MC's dial-in server afterwards. Did you wait five minutes and then retry afterwards? I would give that a try the next time that what you described happens.

[kennylew59]

I was able to surf the web and get to my browser's home page before getting disconnected several times. I tried to reconnect for the final time at 10:00 that night and still no response, no handshake. Today I had to dial In several times to connect even though I was getting a handshake this time. The Username/Password (or no password) wouldn't authenticate until I dialed In at least 4 times. I have been experiencing this problem quite often lately and It seems to be getting worse.

[guardsman]

Well, at least you can dial-in, get assigned an IP address AND surf. I tried four times each in the last three days and have not been able to surf (No HTTP access)!!!


If MC was not a free ISP, I would drop it in an instant! I am currently using the WIFI at my local library (That's how I'm able to communicate here). But in the evenings and at night, I am basically "stranded" on the information superhighway (No, correction - I'm stranded on the street and am trying to get onto the highway )!


BTW - paula and kennylew59 may I ask, where are you each located (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens or even Long Island [Since MC has 516 access numbers])? I am in Queens and am wondering if the problem is affecting those of us in Queens the worst. Thanks!

[kennylew59]

I am in brooklyn. As soon as I get something better, I will drop Metconnect like a hot potato.

[guardsman]

Hey wow! I'm glad to see that you're online right now, kennylew59!


Yeah, I would drop MC too except that I need to find a job first before I can move to Verizon DSL's 1Mbps Double Play plan (DSL + Freedom Plan). I think that Time Warner cable's Triple Play plan is too expensive after the first year. Verizon also says that they will raise their rates after the second year of the plan.

[paula]

I'm in Brooklyn.

[guardsman]

Thank you both for responding, kennylew59 and paula. So it appears that for the most part, MC users living in Brooklyn can get a working, although unstable, connection.


I still cannot surf (No HTTP access). I can only connect, get assigned an IP address and then cannot go anywhere. This is terrible!


I can't even guess what is exactly going on at MC. I have to gather more information before I can formulate a theory - Is anyone else using MetConnect AND living in Queens? If so, please let me know whether or not you are having any problems. Thank You.

[kennylew59]

MetConnect has been connecting very good for me for the past few days. I have been connecting every time I dial in. Maybe they have fixed the problems. How about anyone else?? Guardsman??, Paula??l