Question Can't get to RPF, but only sometimes...

[jamiemcshan]

Ok, I didn't know where to post this... but I would like to see if we can get to the root of this… It doesn't seem to be a DNS issue, but a strange issue none the less.

So, here is the deal. If I load the URL Movie Props, Costumes and Scale Models | the RPF it pulls up just fine. But, as soon as I click on something the browser icon spins for a few seconds, then stops and the homepage is still there in my browser. Then if I click on something again. (any link) It just spins until it finally times out and says “Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage”. At that point. I can’t get it to load at all any longer. Not even the homepage. The homepage does initially load (not cached), as I can see updated dates and time stamps on the forums… This non connectivity seems to last for a good ½ hour or more… then I can do it all over again. Just getting to the homepage.

BUT, if I don’t go to the homepage first, if I go to www.therpf.com/junkyard for example. All is fine. And I get all around the site just fine. But if I go back to the homepage… it all starts over again just as above and no access for me for at least 30 minutes or more. It’s like the site is blocking me?? And it’s not just my computer. If I jump on a server in my same network and do this same thing it happens there to. But if I jump on a server in a different city, it seems to works fine.

Is there something that could block my IP on the homepage? But not on the other pages? It’s like it’s putting me in a time out. This seems to only happen at work from what I remember… Could my work have some sort of strange block on the site that could do this? Seems like if they were blocking it, it wouldn’t ever come up.

Best Regards,

Jamie

 

[Montagar]

A few questions.

1) What ISP (Internet service provider) do you use?

2) Have you tried a different browser (chrome, Firefox) on the same computer/network?

Try the following.

1) When the problem happens, clear your browsers cache and cookies, restarting the browser and try it again.

4) Try clearing your local DNS cache.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type cmd and press enter
4. At the command prompt type ipconfig /flushdns and press enter

.

 

[jamiemcshan]

1) What ISP (Internet service provider) do you use?
2) Have you tried a different browser (chrome, Firefox) on the same computer/network?

Try the following.
1) When the problem happens, clear your browsers cache and cookies, restarting the browser and try it again.
4) Try clearing your local DNS cache.

1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type cmd and press enter
4. At the command prompt type ipconfig /flushdns and press enter

.

This is a work account with ATT. Yes, it does the exact same thing with all browsers...

The strange thing is. After reading your reply, I went to my fellow coworkers desk who has never been to RPF and asked them to go there. They did. Clicked on a link, and it did the exact same thing. Now, I am locked out from my desk as well. So it's something from our IP that is being blocked, but I don't understand why it would only block it for the root and not the rest of the site, (at first) and why as long as I don't go to the root to begin with, I can stay connected to the site. I am a web guy and I have never seen this before. It's like there is some sort of timed refusal of service on your side for our IP address. Not sure what to do other then never go to the root of the site again...

BTW, to write this, I had to jump on another server on another ISP.

Jamie

 

[Montagar]

Did you try flushing the local DNS cache? I have seen this behavior before and it was a DNS issue. It was on Comcast's network/DNS servers and clearing the local DNS cached forced the browser to do another look-up. With a packet sniffer on the network, it was determined that one of the DNS servers was not handling things properly, and it was eventually solved.

Of course, if your network has a gateway/firewall appliance that is doing DNS caching, it's not going to matter if you clear your local cache, but it's just something else to try for troubleshooting purposes.

 

[jamiemcshan]

As I said though, this lock out, can be started by another computer on the same network... Once the path is locked out, it is locked out for anyone on our network, so clearing the DNS on one computer is not going to matter. That's what is so strange.

 

[Montagar]

Do you know if your network has DNS caching? That could possibly explain why it happens to all the computer on the network after the initial connection. Also, do all the computer on your network share the same public IP address?

 

[jamiemcshan]

yes, I am pretty sure all computers share the same outgoing IP adress. But I still don't understand how we can get to the page initially, but once we do it stops the connection for a time period. I'll have to see if we have DNS caching... but I still don't see how even if it did, that it would prevent you from going to rpf.com/junkard as it would if you just went to the root.