Virtual ISP blog / Tags / “support”
Maintenance on proxy and customer support hotline changed
November 30, 2008, 12:18 AMDear Customers
In order to improve the reliability and quality of our service, we will be transferring the site to a new server today (30 nov) at 2AM EET (night). HTTP service for some customers will be unavailable for about 15min.
Also our customer hotline changed from +961 3 058971 to +961 3 774200.
Information is updated at customer support panel and main company website.
Mail server maintenance
November 8, 2008, 11:55 PMThe SMTP mail server (usermail.globalproof.net) is scheduled for maintenance
from Saturday (November 8) from 11:00pm to Sunday (November 9) at 6:00am.
This downtime will include a minor reconfiguration and other
maintenance activities to address future performance needs.
During the scheduled down time, you will not be able to send your
mail.
Depending on how your mail client is configured, you may still be able
to receive mail during this period.
The SMTP mail server is one of the most important and heavily used
servers in the VISP and finding a good time for maintenance is
very difficult, as it is always in use. This time period was chosen in
order to impact the least number of users while providing adequate
time to complete the maintenance before the start of work week.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Updates will be posted on the blog.
Further reminders will be sent as we get closer to the maintenance date.
Ethernet surge protector DIY
October 28, 2008, 11:04 PMFor people, who have skills to assemble that. If you dont have, find friend who can do that.
Instead of many diodes D1-D7, you can use DB107.
Dont forget, you need PROPER, GOOD grounding. Dont use "zero" wire in your sockets, water pipes and etc.
Here is also schematics of simple "UPS" for switch, or broadband router or wireless. Sure parts will vary, depends on required voltage.
If you dont have protection, better unplug your appliances from sockets, and ethernet network during the lightenings.
sharedzilla.com
October 26, 2008, 03:22 PMWe had few reports about sharedzilla.com not working. After investigation i notice: domain hosted by two DNS servers
208.72.170.11 208.72.170.10 rich ~ # whois 208.72.170.11 OrgName: McColo Corporation OrgID: MCCOL
We had to block whole ip range of McColo, cause of their abuse requests ignorance. Many customers in Lebanon got infected by various bots, and this bots sending private information of customers to this hosting. This is not because of this specific website.
Here you can read about McColo (search by word McColo):
http://www.secureworks.com/research/threats/warezov/?threat=warezov
http://blog.fireeye.com/research/2008/08/srizbi-and-ru-1.html
Google.com and Google.de, DSL/wireless/cable hysteria
October 21, 2008, 04:36 AMYou dont like to be redirected to German version? just type:
www2.google.com
or
google.com/en
Why such thing happening?
We are using Globax accelerator service, and our server located in Germany, and Google using redirection based on IP geolocation. Probably we will be able to solve this issue soon once and forever.
DSL, Cable networks, Wireless ISP and internet hysteria in Lebanon
DSL
Each internet user notice that many advertising banners on road show "DSL internet" offers. I am sure, they start thinking, what is a difference with "Cable provider", "DSL", "Wireless ISP" and others. The difference is in access methods and sure companies and people who provide the service. What is DSL? Modern DSL able to archieve speeds up to 24Mbit/s, BUT it depends on distance. Here is graph, how speed related to distance.
Also speed can be lower, if cable infrastructure of telephone company is not in good condition. Speed can drop also if connection between telephone exchange point to main NOC is low, because of poor weather conditions, if wires is not insulated from water well.
Cable
Cable in international meaning usually means DOCSIS internet access, which is not used in Lebanon. Right name of Lebanese "Cable ISP" is Ethernet provider. Most of Ethernet providers in Lebanon providing local connection on speed 100Mbps. Ethernet is most successfull access technology, because of speed and implementation cost. VISP have many resellers who provide access to internet over their own Ethernet infrastructure. But Ethernet is vulnerable to problems also, especially if network not designed well, if reseller doesn't use proper cables, it is vulnerable to "cut&run" attack (when someone cut cable :-) ), equipment is sensitive to EMP made by lightenings. We are working hard to cooperate with our reseller and to improve their networks.Wireless
Most complicated, but also most advanced technology, to provide internet access. Depends on equipment, can provide even Gigabit speed. Most of equipment used in Lebanon able to provide 10-100Mbps air bandwidth, speed is varying on distance, but that all can be improved by using by "better" antennas (with better gain,more narrow beam). VISP have his own wireless network, which deliver internet directly to customer house. Wireless networks also vulnerable to EMP, interference, bad antenna alignment. Most of this technologies able to provide easily speeds for connection speed available in Lebanon market. So when you are choosing internet connection, important is not access technology, but WHO provide you service. And it is your right to ask to fix "access network" if it is not working properly. We are always glad to assist our customers to diagnose the problem, but if customer taking internet access not by our access network, and he is not direct VISP customer - they only thing we can help, that we can confirm to reseller, that his access network have problem and we can give technical details of this problem to reseller and assist him to fix the problem. If you are direct VISP customer, and support is not taking care about your problem, please send us information about this incident with details over customer support form at https://customer.visp.net.lb. This mail sent directly to manager who is in charge for customer care service.One more time again, reminder
October 21, 2008, 12:43 AMThis blog is not supposed to be customer support form.
Customer support form located in Customer control panel.
Any comments made with customer support requests will be deleted
Recent news for 19 October
October 19, 2008, 11:14 PMWe are experiencing minor attack from Korea (most probably infected zombie computer) on our IP's. I think new router with protection will be installed at Monday to resolve such issues completely.
Do you think it is good idea to establish for lebanese people (ISP-independent) Wiki? Forum?
The forums i(maintainer of this blog, i am foreigner) found mostly political or technical.
Waiting for your feedback.
Broken/non-working websites
October 19, 2008, 07:43 AMWe are receiving numerous complaints about websites that doesn't work with us and working on other ISP.
First of all, because we are large ISP and using specific proxy technology, some website owners or hosting block our IP range, because they are thinking it is an attack. In case we receive many calls about specific website, we can run it over backup IP. If it will be blocked again - we can't help with that, you have to write complaint to website webmaster or system administrator, so possible they will change policy to more reasonable.
Second - some websites is misconfigured. Various reasons
For example we receive many complaints about kataeb.org website. Here is reason:
usa1 ~ # dnstracer www.kataeb.org
Tracing to www.kataeb.org[a] via 127.0.0.1, maximum of 3 retries
127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1)
|\___ C0.ORG.AFILIAS-NST.INFO [org] (199.19.53.1)
| |\___ ns0.lebanonhost.net [kataeb.org] (72.18.131.233) Got
authoritative answer
| \___ ns1.lebanonhost.net [kataeb.org] (72.18.131.251)
This means website have two authoritative nameserver, and one of them give "invalid" reply. In case our DNS server query this "second" nameserver - website will be cached as broken for some time.
Right now seems they fix their problem, but seems it is many times this problem came back and customers start to blame us.
Another frequent reason - misconfigured or old(broken) PIX firewall, doesn't support unsigned TCP window size.
You can always report about broken website over https://customer.visp.net.lb/ and we will try to review reason and help you.
UPDATE: kataeb.org one of DNS again is down. Here is full technical report:
usa1 ~ # dig @72.18.131.251 kataeb.org
; <<>> DiG 9.4.1-P1 <<>> @72.18.131.251 kataeb.org
; (1 server found)
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: SERVFAIL, id: 11488
;; flags: qr rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 0, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; WARNING: recursion requested but not available
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;kataeb.org. IN A
;; Query time: 53 msec
;; SERVER: 72.18.131.251#53(72.18.131.251)
;; WHEN: Sun Oct 19 15:08:42 2008
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 28
usa1 ~ # dig @72.18.131.233 kataeb.org
; <<>> DiG 9.4.1-P1 <<>> @72.18.131.233 kataeb.org
; (1 server found)
;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 35248
;; flags: qr aa rd; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 0
;; WARNING: recursion requested but not available
;; QUESTION SECTION:
;kataeb.org. IN A
;; ANSWER SECTION:
kataeb.org. 14400 IN A 72.18.142.173
;; Query time: 75 msec
;; SERVER: 72.18.131.233#53(72.18.131.233)
;; WHEN: Sun Oct 19 15:08:49 2008
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 44