FYI: download.microsoft.com problem

We're seeing bad throughput via http from both IP addresses we resolve for
this host (207.46.235.150 and 207.46.235.162). Connections from three
unrelated AS all with T1 or better are giving throughput in tests with
wget around 28-64Kbps). Each has a unqiue path to MS.

One of our clients reports that from his AT&T cable modem, he gets
1.5Mbps+ for the same file at the same time. Perhaps they're caching the
files? (not sure how comfortable I'd be with my provider caching something
important like an OS update). Our outbound path to MS currently traverses
AT&T fwiw.

A test to ftp.microsoft.com when this was first reported to us last night
yielded closer to 750Kbps peak and slowly climbing when it completed, so
this doesn't look like a congestion issue AFAICT. Traceroutes to MS look
quite good, no loss and low latency (all under 100ms) as far as they go.

Tests to other sites from all three AS I checked looked significantly
better by a factor of 20-50; I found no evidence of connectivity issues
anywhere I checked except MS.

Copies of the test results and traceroutes were sent to the listed MS
contacts on jared's noc list. No auto-ack or bounces yet....

I made one last test (using IE instead of wget), and things seem slightly
improved, yielding an initial 800kbps that quickly dropped to 300 dropped
steadily to a final 112kbps on a 17MB file. Repeating the wget test also
showed some improvement, but not as much (round robin makes this tough to
accurately guage).

Mike

Don't know the history of this input but MS is in the process of an auto
security update for ALL XP machines worldwide. Might have something to
do with this behavior.

On a side note, it kills ALL E-mail attachments (MS files et al) and
significant web content. Security vulnerability in XP. As I told the MS
agent I talked to, kind of makes Windows useless. :slight_smile:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q265424

Best regards,

I think you need to read a little more carefully and
also see

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q262631

Which is linked to the article you mention.

The only real downside is that you can't change the "level-1" list
at all unless you use Outlook 2K in and Exchange server environment,
with your mail delivered to an Exchange mailbox, then it can be
changed by and admin.

IMHO all the file extensions that I see on the "Level-1" list
belong there anyway. If you need to e-mail one of those files
for some reason (ie, sharing development code or whatever), just
zip it and then send it....

Now back to more operational content......?

/Alex Kiwerski