open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem in AT&T Midwest

open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem in AT&T Midwest http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r21171800 en Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:01:25 EDT Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:01:25 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21261187 drcake007 : Well my fellow trader. I hope you were able to get into the market and out as needed today. I was able to have one of my best day trading records to date. Lots of bargains Friday, lots of profits throughout today. More than made up for the dismal constant downward slope over the last several weeks.
Still confused by why you had the problems but I'm happy for you that it is working out, for today at least. The important thing is you have yourself covered. It is always a good idea to have more than one broker and one connection. Eggs in one basket deal.

I wish you the best and remember:

Buy high and sell low! :)

Um, Vice-versa on that one.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21261187 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 20:07:38 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21258484 StillLearn : I would like to thank you for reporting the effects and results.

Keeping both does make sense. Later you could consider a router that will combine the lines. That is called a dual WAN router. FAQ: »Networking Forum FAQ »What are some of the dual WAN routers available? I had thought about that at one point, but I found the DSL to be nearly free of lost packets for me, vs the cable.

I also suggest running Ping Plotter standard 24 hours per day during your test. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21258484 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:13:44 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21258309 cruller : what a long strange trip it's been ...

absolutely no failures today ..

new pc - comcast - 10 minutes perfect at the open
new pc - att - 10 minutes perfect
old pc - att - 10 minutes perfect

haven't tested old pc with comcast but why bother; like the man said, I'm losing trading time if I keep testing.

I'll run the new pc and switch back and forth between ATT and Comcast - keeping an eye out for any failures. I have 30 days to cancel comcast with no obligation. ATT is just 35 bucks a month.. may keep both so I have a backup in case of failure or the return of this intermittent hell zone.

For those of you rolling your eyes .. yeah, if i was working on this in my previous life I'd be cussin out the user in my head wonderin what the sob is doing and not telling me.. honest, haven't done anything I can point to in August (failure), or last week (apparent fix).

over the weekend, to get comcast going, I did run the inetwiz command on both PC's, taking defaults / blank entries. Did this fix it? dunno.

Thanks again for all of your suggestions and the time you spent working on this. Sorry I can't give you a good resolution to this situation.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21258309 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:40:04 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21251069 cruller : drcake007 summarized where I'm going .. at first when I posted here, I thought I'd either find a quick fix at my end or compelling evidence to get ATT and/or Scottrade to fix an issue. End result - I'd be able to have confidence in the tools I'm using. To paraphrase Jagger, I always thought I was just a post away.

I'm close to what he outlined.. I've got a second PC, comcast was here so I now have a second connection (will know Monday how it performs). I'm in a position where I can test the two connections with Scottrade and/or other brokers if needed to pick one and run with it. I did test last week with another firm and found their real time quotes were usually not as real time as Scottrade.. couple second lag time there (won't mention the name). I've also traded - not completely shut down .. I use the Scottrader platform (instead of Elite) as my backup for now - not as robust but reliable data stream at my end for trade execution.

So as much as I appreciate some of these additional suggestions, I need to focus on finding an out-of-the-can-off-the-shelf solution .. it should never get to this level of configuration and setup.

As a former techie though, I'd love to have the time, funding and knowledge to stick with this issue until a cause could be determined.

I'll post my results with Comcast sometime Monday.. thanks again everyone and enjoy your weekend !!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21251069 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:26:08 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21250681 psx_defector :

said by drcake007

:

Wow, that is amazing. How can you first say how it worked fine for you and then put your foot down saying the app is crap?

Shitty programming is shitty programming.

If it doesn't work on every platform, everywhere, every time, it's crap. Being that I have EXTREME differences in hardware, software, and router config, the fact that his doesn't work tells me that someone didn't do enough beta testing. Given the variation of PCs used by day traders, and I've seen enough of them with their "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG" compulsion that if they are not up they are losing BILLIONS of dollars every microsecond, they should be testing out the ying yang. And if it's not supposed to work on x64, could have fooled me. WOW64 is running it without any type of change. Despite what most think, WOW64 is pretty damn good at 32-bit app usage. Mostly due to the direct calls to the x86 registers within the processor. Itanium WOW64 sucked serious ass, as it had to emulate all those functions. It would be nice to have a native x64 app though, it's not that much to convert.

Being that the pipe isn't the issue, and his config is solid, it's got to do with the application and it's way of doing things. Be it the destination server, the program itself, or whatever. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21250681 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:45:45 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21250292 rolande : So, I got a capture of this application while it was misbehaving and did a little analysis. I am seeing some interesting behavior in that capture. First of all this application is making use of port 443 but it is not encrypted SSL/HTTPS traffic. It is obfuscated application data that just happens to be transmitted on port 443. It is not even HTTP traffic. This is some proprietary protocol they have come up with to handle their data streams. They are probably using port 443 to get around the standard proxy access issues within many companies and enterprise networks, since it will generally allow for protocol tunneling for protocols other than just HTTPS traffic.

It appears that the client queries DNS for www.scottrade.com which serves back 3 different IP addresses. The browser randomly establishes a connection to one of those three IP addresses on port 80 and performs a GET for /ScottraderElite/ScottraderEliteParams.asp?version=108. A 200 OK response comes back from the Scottrade server and you immediately see the client query DNS for scottradeelite.scottrade.com. That name then resolves to 3 more IP addresses. The client then pseudo-randomly picks one of those IP addresses to connect to on port 443 for the application data.

That is a pretty arcane load balancing solution. Not necessarily a problem in this scenario but it can very easily lead to uneven load balancing on the Scottrade end. That is an inefficient design for their own traffic management purposes.

So, it appears that somehow Scottrade's server is detecting packet loss within their data stream. This is some non-standard behavior that they must have built into their application protocol. Not sure why they wouldn't just rely on TCP to handle this behavior. As soon as they send the alert, the client goes nuts sending out duplicate acknowledgement packets for this Data. The server does respond to each of these duplicate client ACKs with the ACK data in other subsequent frames containing additional data payload. Eventually after about .5 - 1 second their server responds with the retransmitted packet and the client finally accepts it and stops sending duplicate ACKs. I see this kind of behavior occur intermittently but very frequently in relatively short spans of time between 3-5 seconds.

In looking at the documented times of issues, here is the relevant behavior I see in the capture:

So there is "some" sort of event occuring from the server's perspective. However, if it IS a packet being dropped, it is not displaying as I would expect in the trace and personally I don't think it appears to be legitimate. I do not see any actual data packet loss coming in on the client end from a TCP standpoint. If a packet was being dropped going from the server to the client, I would see it in the debug as there would an out of order sequence number. It appears that Scottrade's server somehow detects that a data segment was not received by the client and alerts the client. Yet, within this very alert packet I see the Acknowledgement for the frame that it is complaining about. The client then sends multiple duplicate ACK frames in response to this alert and the server responds with ACKs for these frames accordingly. This continues until the server sends what appears to be a retransmit of the data. Very strange behavior. The fact that I am seeing the frame from their server that includes both an Acknowledgement for a particular frame and an alert that it didn't receive the previous frame is really odd. The server also responds to the multiple duplicate ACKs sent by the client with their own response ACK packets and the client seems to ignore this until it sees the retransmitted frame. My guess is they have some sort of higher level application function monitoring for data loss. It is as if the client software drops data on the floor and the server figures it out and forces the client to request retransmission. That is clearly a behavior that is not governed by the RFC standard TCP error recovery methods. I do not see any "real" TCP issues on the client end to speak of. So the fact that the application asks for data retransmission seems to be a higher level problem and not really network related.

Based on this limited snapshot of data capture that I have seen, I would argue that Scottrade possibly has an application feature that is acting inappropriately. Whether it is how their application runs on the client machine or how they manage the integrity of their data streams to the clients, I don't know. But based on this trace, it appears that the finger would point in their direction.

--
Scott, CCIE #14618 Routing & Switching
Too bad those that know it all can't do it all.
»www.thewaystation.com/techref/tech.shtml
»blog.thewaystation.com/]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21250292 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:47:55 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249581 drcake007 :

said by psx_defector

:

Now that I've got a copy of this application, I can see what you are talking about.

First, it works just fine for me. I can't say that there is any issues with the flow of data. I don't know what I'm looking for, and it's 20 minutes behind. But now the opening bell data has come in, and if you had to ask me, the data is flowing right. Plenty of blinking red and green. Time doesn't skip more than a second about every 12, which would coincide with the amount of lag it would take to get the data. And, down at the bottom of the screen, it says what kind of speed we are using. I'm barely at 20Kbps, with about 50 symbols ticking away. Pretty heavy ones too. Using 2.4.108, on two Pro pipes connected via a Linksys RV082, on a Core2Duo E8600, 8GB of RAM and Vista Ultimate.

That said, I'm putting my foot down on a Scottrade issue. I'm just gonna have to go with the application is crap. Either that or something big is missing from what you have told us.

Go to Comcast. The problem isn't with AT&T, never has been, never will be.

Wow, that is amazing. How can you first say how it worked fine for you and then put your foot down saying the app is crap?
Also, just to bring it up since you have 8 GB of ram which can only be recognized by a 64 bit OS, that this program will not run properly on a 64 bit platform. It will buffer the data and run behind real time progressively getting more and more behind real time. Scottrade told me they were working with Microsoft to remedy this. All of the fixes tried so far such as running in compatibility mode have no effect on the software.

I don't run the demo anymore but to me it is pretty amazing that Scottrade runs them at all especially when the market is so crazy volatile. I'm impressed that they would give even a little of obviously precious network resources for demo accounts.

As far as AT&T is concerned, to say that the problem isn't with them, never was and never will be just doesn't matter here. The man just wants to be able to day trade with a reliable program and a consistent connection. To that end I'll say it again to the original poster, Cruller:
Running around doing all this foot work is not in your job description nor should it have to be. It's really just this simple:
Get something that works for you and your situation. Believe me I like Scottrade and I have had some problems in the past but nothing like what you are having. If I was having problems (and I have, with other online brokers)I would:

1. get another brokerage and still keep the one I'm using now.

2. get another connection and keep the old one as well.

3. test the connections and the trading platforms.

4. after a time I would know which ones I would stick with.

5. Keep whatever works best; dump the rest.

So, Cruller, good luck to you and get off of here and get back into the game. You've been sidelined by this way too much. If you do what I am suggesting your main concern would be dealt with immediately: You will be able to trade effectively again.

If you would, when everything settles and you have made your choice, message me and let me know what you ended up doing. Take your time, I did. But while I took my time I was trading and making good money for the most part.

Good Luck!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249581 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:57:25 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249446 lev : I was thinking 1300 actually. More likely to make a difference.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249446 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:06:40 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249431 StillLearn :

said by lev

:

What if we had him lower his MTU, just for giggles?

I like it. I think you are suggesting he do so in the router. Maybe 1400 as a test.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249431 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:02:44 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249416 lev : If you haven't posted a traceroute, you should.

Actually, a pathping would be even better, especially when performance is bad.

Also, I'd like to throw a wild-ass idea out to everyone that makes no specific sense to me, but hasn't been suggested and is tickling the back of my brain.

What if we had him lower his MTU, just for giggles?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21249416 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:58:20 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246610 StillLearn :

said by Gus K

:

I would have tried another brand of modem instead of another 2 Wire again.

See page 4 of the thread.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246610 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:31:18 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246454 Gus K : I would have tried another brand of modem instead of another 2 Wire again.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246454 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:05:38 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246246 StillLearn : For comparison, here is my traceroute. I am not involved in the problem.

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246246 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:32:19 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246119 Dennis : Trying to understand how IP based routing works in the internet from point A to B is a case study in chaos theory. You might never know what slight change made things work better, but most likely it has to do with the path the data traveled to get to you vs. the path it travels on a different network provider. Different peering points, different architectures, different configurations....

Never did post a traceroute did you?
--
My Blog. Because I desperately need the acknowledgement of others.

Visit the Judd Family website to see my kids!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21246119 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:09:37 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245551 cruller : we can eliminate Wireshark as the fix .. fired up my new PC which doesn't have wireshark .. ran for 5 - 6 minutes with no problems detected. Happened to be on the same server that gave me a few issues this morning on the old PC while wireshark was running.

I'm basically running everything the same that I had on Tuesday .. miserable performance then, very good yesterday and today.

The biggest change I can point to is that I'm using the replacement 2wire I got from ATT last weekend - but that's also what I used on Tuesday when there were problems. In the old days of PC's we had a "burn in" period for electronics that supposedly made sure everything was functioning - don't know if that would apply to the 2wire.

I know that Scottrade didn't change anything and I have no reason to doubt their word (and the version number hasn't changed).. I trust them with my money and trades - this is small potatoes compared to that (did I spell that right? - I'm from the same state as Dan Quayle).

I can see why Scottrade might say (and they haven't) that no one else has this problem so it must be the ISP. I can see why ATT says everything else works so it must be Scottrade (they have said that).

Without any tangible evidence I feel I've eliminated everything except ATT (who could be making changes somewhere without my knowledge) or a problem in the house.

The circumstantial evidence is that it worked with Earthink.. started failing with ATT on day one... only starting working after ATT cleared up some residential phone issues on the same line AND ran a home run to my office. The missing piece is why did it stop working in August and why did it seem to start functioning properly yesterday.

I thank everyone for trying to help me out.. my testing days are winding down, especially if Comcast works. It would be nice to get this solved (1) out of intellectual curiosity and (2) to keep ATT as a backup in case Comcast would fail (assuming they'll work out).

what a bogus journey this has been.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245551 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:35:13 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245242 cruller : thanks for taking the time to download that and look at it.

I do know that there were no changes made at the Scottrade end that would have improved things yesterday.

I also hate to level the crap charge at either side when nothing's been proved at either ATT or Scottrade.

In my eyes, the application is superior enough that I'm going thru all this to try to keep it as my tool of choice. It definitely wasn't crap when I used it for 2+ years on Earthlink with no problems.

Having worked on help desks and user support in the past, please be assured I'm not holding back any details at all about what's transpired and hopefully have answered everyone's questions on a timely and accurate manner. How can I expect to solve my problem if I'm unwilling to discuss it in it's entirety?

I do hope we can find the problem and I don't really care who's at the root cause (including me).. innocent til proven guilty is a pretty good concept though.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245242 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:36:42 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245171 psx_defector : Now that I've got a copy of this application, I can see what you are talking about.

First, it works just fine for me. I can't say that there is any issues with the flow of data. I don't know what I'm looking for, and it's 20 minutes behind. But now the opening bell data has come in, and if you had to ask me, the data is flowing right. Plenty of blinking red and green. Time doesn't skip more than a second about every 12, which would coincide with the amount of lag it would take to get the data. And, down at the bottom of the screen, it says what kind of speed we are using. I'm barely at 20Kbps, with about 50 symbols ticking away. Pretty heavy ones too. Using 2.4.108, on two Pro pipes connected via a Linksys RV082, on a Core2Duo E8600, 8GB of RAM and Vista Ultimate.

That said, I'm putting my foot down on a Scottrade issue. I'm just gonna have to go with the application is crap. Either that or something big is missing from what you have told us.

Go to Comcast. The problem isn't with AT&T, never has been, never will be.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245171 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:23:22 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245120 cruller : today's action kinda contradicted yesterday's results.. I guess that's part of the definition of intermittent.

booted up old PC .. didn't start Wireshark .. connected to Scottrade at opening.. ran for about 8 minutes before seeing the first clock error. Thought I saw only one data interruption. Considering the massive volume at the open, this was really good (I don't expect perfection)

turned off PC .. rebooted, started wireshark and data capture, opened ScottradeElite .. clock error in about 1 minute, data interruption about 2x per minute during 5 minute session.

Both servers were different from any I was on yesterday. I'm going to fire up the new PC just out of curiosity but that'll most likely conclude my testing.. like the man said, I'm losing valuable time and opportunity.

Another comment to add from earlier post today .. if Scottrade had a lot of clients running into what I am, they'd be in a fire drill mode and be losing customers and hopefully be able to roll back to a previous stable environment. I tend to agree that this is not a widespread problem or their problem .. still think it's att or my house wiring.

I'm just here to try to gather facts to hopefully find the problem and find the party who can fix it.

Thank God comcast is coming today. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21245120 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:14:35 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21244492 cruller : Thanks for adding some additional info .. good suggestion on the demo program for anyone that wants to see it.. not sure if delayed quotes will effect performance but at least people can see the app.

First, I want to clarify that I never intended to blame Scottrade and I hope I didn't do that in this thread. My complaint with them is that when they hear my problem, they always say "make sure port 443 is open". But they don't really tell the user a way to test it. The microsoft tech site I posted early in the thread seems the easiest way anyone could do it but ST doesn't reference it. Only a few techs will suggest GRC, but I've run Elite successfully without any of the port scans showing 443 open. I realize they can't support every individual install but I think they need a level 2 type of support for really odd situations like mine to give me ammo to go back to the ISP.

I do like their platform a lot and having a local office; in other words, I'm hoping I can get this to work so I can stay with them.

If I had to guess or poing a finger, I would start with ATT since this stuff worked fine for a couple years on Earthlink and I struggled on day one with ATT. I have tried to switch to another ISP -hard to find service; plus, when I've described my problem, if they rely on ATT they shy away. Hopefully Comcast works and that's the end - problem unsolved and worked around.

ATT is one that points fingers.. they always say if it works with everything else, your problem must be Scottrade. I also agree working with them is a nightmare - a maze of 800 numbers where you're usually disconnected after 45 minutes of waiting right before the person that can help is on the next transfer. And never spend a dime on that PC support service they recommend... they tried on this and you don't want to see the long thread that would generate.

Thanks again for contributing ..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21244492 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:01:28 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21243891 drcake007 : Wow..This is a long thread! I just finished reading it from start to finish and do not see any other posting from Scottrade users besides the original poster so for what it's worth here is what I know from using Scottrade's Elite for a little over a year.

ScottradeElite is not java based, it is written in C+
Scottrader is Java based.
The address of the Scottrade Elite servers is scottradeelite.scottrade.com (Its listed in the system settings)
trading.scottrade.com is the regular website address (https)

I've been using the program for over a year. The problem is not the software or the servers.

I've been on the phone with them before at tech support and when they have had problems on their end they promptly admitted it and that was the end of it.

I used DSL in the past from ATT and there was where I ran into a nightmare with technical support.

Hooking up your machine at another location on a different connection produced none of the problems you have on your home connection? Sounds like the connection to me. If I had the problems you were having I would dump either my ISP or Scottrade rather than go through all this crap. Learning is fine but time is money and trading time lost even more so.

When Scottrade does an update on the Elite platform it will do a forced shutdown that you can't miss if you are at your computer. They do the updates about once a quarter. Last one was about a month ago. You can see the version number in the upper left of the screen.

For those of you wanting to help that have more tech abilities than I do can get the program to try it out yourself. Data is delayed twenty minutes and some off the functions are disabled in the demo accounts. I used the demo before I got an account with Scottrade and when I opened the account I was suprised to find out that the demo I had downloaded was the full program. Logging in with my account number and password into the demo login screen activated the features that were not available in the demo.
You can get it at www.scottradeelite.com.

I don't want to point the finger at your ISP but I don't think it is Scottrade. Maybe a few of you that have posted here can use the demo ScottradeElite program and find out otherwise, but I don't have the problems that you are running into, but then again I'm right in St. Louis. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21243891 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:55:43 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21243572 psx_defector : Although I can pretty much agree with Wireshark not "fixing" the problem, it's something I can't completely ignore at this point.

This goes back to my thought about Comcast working when AT&T won't. Even though PPPoE is supposed to be clean, clear, and work without any issues, I've seen crazy shit happen with it turned on. Being that Wireshark intercepts the packet through Winpcap, maybe it's changing the packet just enough make it right. And unless both of the machines just happen to have Intel NICs, I would doubt it was the issue anyways.

Needless to say, I don't think AT&T has been making any backend changes. I can believe Scottrade has been just bouncing you around, wasting your time on shit that didn't have anything to do with the problem that was their crap being crap. They changed something, told you "Durrrrrr, we didn't do nothing, durrrrrrrr", and sent you on the fruitless quest.

There is a commonality between new/old PCs, connections, and everything else. My thought is with the Scottrade application. They did something, they just ain't admitting to it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21243572 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:34:01 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21243244 cruller : I agree that the wireshark probably had nothing to do with today's improved performance.. makes you wonder who else did what.

ScottradeElite does not run in a browser. The application is downloaded from their website (to qualified accounts). I think it's java based... basically accepts live streaming stock info (bid / ask / last sale / lot size / etc... buncha stuff) and displays it to the user as charts, graphs, etc, with technical tools (moving averages, etc) selected and customized by the user.

They have a few other platforms but ScottradeElite is the one I have this trouble with. Their Scottrader seems to be immune from this problem but it's not as flexible. The streaming data into that one is considerably less than Elite - to my knowledge, there are no setup / configuration issues at the user PC.

Considering the volume of data coming down and the gyrations available to the end user, it is pretty amazing how close (second or less) it is to real time.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21243244 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:26:47 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21242703 Dennis : Wireshark more than likely had nothing to do with solving your problem...

Is the program your running a stand alone, or is it an activex Internet Explorer kinda thing?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21242703 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:01:01 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21242179 cruller : yes the data is real time (or awfully close)..

I'm using the standard Intel PRO 10/100 VE network connection card that Dell put in the machine 3 1/2 years ago. Just noticed that the driver is from 2004.

Not sure what's in the new PC but I wasn't using that one today.

I'm also aware that Scottrade and / or ATT could have made some changes today and my noted improvement might have nothing at all to do with Wireshark ... sure was a coincidence, though. Wouldn't be the first red herring in this thread !!

I'm thinking of running the old machine first in the am tomorrow without Wireshark .... then with, to see what I get. Then switch to the new machine that hasn't had Wireshark loaded... run a test, then depending on the results add Wireshark.

I'm also going to try to get the Scottrade Tech and ask if they changed anything last night / this morning.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21242179 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:09:47 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241636 psx_defector : Wireshark intercepts the packet with a sniffer driver, scans it, and sends it on it's way through the network card driver. Is that data truly real time, and is the time off other than the one second lag?

What kind of network cards are you using on these machines?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241636 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:29:55 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241524 cruller : you read correctly .. as a final test today, I rebooted at 3:30 eastern time.. started Wireshark (but did not start any captures), then opened Scottrade for the final half hour of trading - always the heaviest volume.

I never saw the data transmitted hit 0 (not even close).. and the time didn't start to skip until about 20 minutes after I started .. the last 10 minutes of the day when trading is extremely heavy. It only skipped a second at a time, not like the longer gaps I was experiencing before.

I don't know what my problem is or what exactly Wireshark is doing, but whatever it does, it makes things run very close to way they should... like they haven't in close to two months.

Haven't talked to the Scottrade tech mgr yet since the day started off so well ..

Also checked task manager .. didn't see wireshark taking any cpu cycles .. it uses just a small amount of memory. Guess what I'll be firing up tomorrow morning !!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241524 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:09:46 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241382 StillLearn : So when you are capturing data with Wireshark, you have had no misbehavior (if I read correctly). Maybe you should get a bigger hard drive, and collect those logs during the whole trading day.:-)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241382 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:46:44 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241271 cruller : For the last hour .. 2:15 thru 3:15, I've logged on and off scottrade, sometimes rebooting my PC, sometimes starting wireshark after the reboot.

Whenever I started Wireshark after a reboot and then logged into Scottrade, I never saw a failure in either the server time skipping, or the data transmitted dropping to 0. The downside of this success is no packet capture was taking place when errors were occuring.

If I didn't start Wireshark, I usually (about 75%) saw an error on the server time skipping a second occaisionally - not as bad as the past few weeks.

I didn't catch an error all day where the kbs dropped to 0 (which is the real problem I can't tolerate while trading).

That fourth server I mentioned earlier where I noticed my first error of the day and was real flakey from the get go was fine when I landed there again after a reboot and Wireshark started.

One of the servers that was fine this morning was a little flakey this afternoon with the time when wireshark hadn't been started.

I'm just reporting what happened .. I'm not sure if it really contributes to any conclusions.

If I were still in support I'd hate to get this ticket !!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21241271 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:29:05 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21240855 cruller : FIRST FAILURE of day ... signed off .. rebooted..

did not start Wireshark ... hit a 4th different server ... failed in a couple of minutes... repeated failures.. (of course, wireshark wasn't capturing data)

Will try loggin in and out with or without Wireshark to see if I can find a pattern (good server / bad server) and hopefully capture it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21240855 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:18:03 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21240742 cruller : never caught a failure on that server .. rebooted and ended up on a different Scottrade server - 3rd different servers today. Ran for over 10 minutes so far - no errors on the third.

So while the different Scottrade servers might be a new variable, the odds of me landing on 3 different servers today and not having any problems on any of them (when I have in the past on all three) .... especially, when I cannot remember a day since mid August that I didn't have any problems at all.. is pretty amazing. Especially when I juiced the first session by adding high volume stocks and options.

Before daytrading, I was in application development and support on mid range computers for over 30 years and I was always suspicious when a user said "i didn't do anything" when a problem started. I hope you guys are not suspicious of me.. honest to God.. didn't change anything to cause this or to "fix" it.

I am just floored that this is not failing today. As we all know, one day does not a solution prove.

One other change .. I mentioned earlier but didn't list in the post regarding changes .. I did download Wireshark and PingPlotter .. cannot imagine that their presence on my machine would do this. Could test by hooking up my new PC but that's unlikely today. I ran wireshark for at least the first five minutes of each session.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21240742 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:58:36 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21240044 cruller : psx... just signed off, ran ccleaner and rebooted PC, (scottrade tech told me once that doing that will increase the chances of reconnecting to a different server)..

logged on to a server that I know has given me fits in the past ..

things worked fine for 6 minutes .. no blips detected.

will try again after lunch since my posts here confirm my timeline that I've always had issues shortly after 1pm eastern.

I hate when problems seem to be fixed but we don't know what the solution was (or the cause in this case)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21240044 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:55:30 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239937 cruller : sorry bout that.. since I've seen the problem on every server I've been on for the last few weeks, I didn't share; glad someone asked.

Here's my stats for this morning .. have not seen a problem yet - not monitoring intensely since it's a visual check and I am trying to do a few other things.

I'm guessing the DSL unavail stat is from when I switched from the MOT2210 back to the 2wire last night.

Broadband Link – Statistics ATM Statistics
IP Statistics
DSL Down Up
Current Rate: 6016 kbs 768 kbs
Max Rate: 11612 kbs 1124 kbs
Current Connection:
Current Noise Margin: 18.0 dB 18.0 dB
Current Attenuation: 15.8 dB 8.5 dB
Current Output Power: 7.8 dBm 11.9 dBm

ATM Cells Errors %
Transmit: 369648 0 0
Receive: 3095289 0 0

IP Bytes Packets Errors %
Transmit: 14187294 105301 0 0
Receive: 144502486 137579 0 0

Broadband Link – Detailed DSL Statistics
Collected for 14:39:27

ATM Since Reset Current 24-Hour Interval Current 15-Minute Interval Time Since
Last Event
Cell Header Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Cell Delineation: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL
Link Retrains: 0 0 0 0:00:00
DSL Training Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Training Timeouts: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Framing Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Signal Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Power Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Margin Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Cumulative Seconds w/Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Cumulative Sec. w/Severe Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Corrected Blocks: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Uncorrectable Blocks: 0 0 0 0:00:00
DSL Unavailable Seconds: 41 41 0 14:38:45 ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239937 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:33:34 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239838 psx_defector : Hence the insistence that you move to another server. You didn't tell us this little nugget of info about different servers acting differently.

It's Scottrade's issue. Get with them.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239838 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:12:03 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239665 cruller : stranger and stranger ..

fired up Scottrade at around 9:48 .. have been running on the 2wire and have had NO problems so far.. about 30 minutes. I can honestly say, this has not been the case at this time of day since August.

The only things I can think of that are different (barely)..
(1) 2wire is the replacement they sent me that has failed (produced problem) on all tests this week. Just plugged it back in last night so I know the settings are the same that failed earlier, before using the MOT yesterday.
(2) I wasn't logged into scottrade at the open .. I usually am. I wanted to avoid the rush of data when the market opened since I have wireshark running .. did get 5 minutes of clean operations to compare to when it fails. I don't think this is relevant since during my other tests, I've been logging in and out at different times of the day.
(3) grc port scan shows 443 closed (i have never ever seen it open) - that's not really different.
(4) I ran my usual set of stocks and graphs.. after no failure, I added a couple of high volume stocks to see if the extra data would cause a blip .. none noticed yet after 10 minutes.

Someone asked if I could request connection to another server at Scottrade .. basically, user signs on and is connected to one of their servers (number appears on screen). It's impossible to direct yourself to / or request connection to a specific server - I think it's part of their load balancing. I usually write down which one I'm on because sometimes, whether real or not, certain servers seem to play nice better than others.

While it's great that things are working today, I'm just wondering at what point I'll all of a sudden lose data for a few seconds (if at all). I'm also wondering if it doesn't fail, why it was failing for 6 -7 weeks and is now flying.

Will let you know if / when it fails .. will probably log out and sign back in after a while to see if I connect on a different Scottrade server.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239665 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:40:13 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239179 cruller : for those still keeping score at home ..

using the old PC and the new 2wire.

ran Scottrade for about 10 minutes in the PreMarket .. did not see any failures (had Wireshark capturing all packets). This is what I'm used to seeing before trading. The conclusion I'm drawing is that whatever the issue is, the 2wire is a lot better at suppressing it than the MOT2210. (which failed about every 30 seconds - but not on a discernable pattern - during yesterday's pre-market.)

will run packet capture after the market is opened for a while.. will probably also get pingplotter going (std version) .. the last few bullets I've got.

I'm using the old PC to avoid loading a lot of these packages on the new PC to stay as pristine as possible.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21239179 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:08:15 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21236177 cruller : haven't done that yet .. will try to give it a whirl tomorrow during trading hours.

have comcast scheduled for late Friday afternoon.. local Scottrade mgr will hook me up with their tech manager to discuss (hopefully tomorrow). Haven't pursued anything with ATT yet.

someone asked earlier about my speed tests .. typically 4.8 to 5.1 on the download ... only the java test from NJ seems to have issues - lucky to get 2.0 on that one.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21236177 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:33:13 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21235930 rolande : Were you still planning on running a packet capture with Wireshark so we could "actually identify" where the root cause of the symptom is located? You have exhausted about all the normal support resources you are ever going to get from either end. Until you run a packet capture, you will not be able to definitively identify a real culprit. If you really want to get some answers PLEASE download Wireshark and run a packet capture.
--
Scott, CCIE #14618 Routing & Switching
Too bad those that know it all can't do it all.
»www.thewaystation.com/techref/tech.shtml
»blog.thewaystation.com/]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21235930 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:41:10 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234894 anon : It is the App issue, scottrade should fix it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234894 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:35:51 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21235125 StillLearn :

said by cruller

:

Don't know how long that would take, what it would cost, or who to call .... make any sense?

If you don't lose packets to/from your gateway (often address xx.xx.xx.254 on hop 2 or 3 on your pinging), I would not expect that downgrading your speed would help anything.

Good luck. Let us know how you do with Comcast. I suggest you watch for lost packets there too. Their gateway will typically be at address xx.xx.xx.1 on your pinging on an early hop.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21235125 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:13:28 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21235025 cruller : I'm off to investigate Comcast options, stop at the Scottrade office.

Even though I'm a residential customer, trading on Scottrade is what I do for a living so maybe I should consider becoming an ATT business customer ..might cost more but would I get the kind of help I need to solve this (since my business is basically shutdown)? It is sad that the only reason I upgraded is the only thing that doesn't work (but it did at one time)

The only other thing I can think of is perhaps whatever the problem is does relate to the volume of data .. perhaps when I was on Earthlink at 1.5 (instead of the 6.0 of ATT Elite) I didn't have the bandwidth to run into this situation. As a last resort, would it make sense to ask ATT to downgrade my speed to see if that does anything? Don't know how long that would take, what it would cost, or who to call .... make any sense?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21235025 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:55:27 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234881 anon : May be the problem is with Scottrade, that is handling the volume during the peak hours. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234881 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:38:41 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234935 StillLearn :

said by cruller

:

I downloaded the ping plotter freeware yesterday ... late in the day so I didn't run it too long ..

not sure what I'm looking for .. had posted if I should pick one of IP addresses listed with the netstat command? Whoever suggested it yesterday posted screens from a different version.

would lost packets show in any of my modem stats .. will probably go back to the 2wire so I can return the MOT2210 for credit.

also .. shouldn't ATT be doing this type of stuff if I call them?

1. I suggest Ping Plotter standard (there is a 30-day free trial) because it graphs the the pings over time. Note that in interpreting the plots, each hop had to pass thru the earlier hops. Some routers working perfectly well don't return some ( or even return none) of the packets that a trace displays. You would be looking for changes that are at your gateway or that correspond to the times that you are having Scottrade application problems.

2. Modem logs might show problems, and might not-- even if interpreting the logs was not a limitation. If pinging does not show

3. You think that ATT should monitor your connection for hours? You expect a lot for your $35 per month. Your theory is that you have an intermittent problem only with a single application. If you don't have a problem that affects other applications, I don't think there is anything to fix. I could be wrong. But the purpose of the Ping Plotter suggestion is to look for problems that that could be identified, but are not so notable to more robust applications.

The theory that ATT is blocking some port intermittently killing your communication isn't something I would entertain. I don't work for ATT or any related company. I do not claim authority; I try to use to logic. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234935 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:38:09 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234878 psx_defector : OK, it's official, you have done everything you could possibly do on your end. There is nothing left except the app, the way you are connected, and Scottrade.

I still say get a ticket in with Scottrade. Tell them to knock it off with the firewall crap, it's wide open baby. AT&T might be at fault still, for what I do not know, but any attempt to run this up the flagpole through AT&T would more than likely just result in it getting squashed. Let's get Scottrade to give a good reason why you need to talk with AT&T. Telling you "Hey, your firewall is blocking 443, unblock it with your provider" is what we call in the business a punt. It's 4th and long, and they got nothing, so they just kick it away. I'm still leaning towards something with the app, but it's a good sign that everything has been done on your end. This is why I tell people to keep clean machines around. If it happens on two, there's really only a few places you have to look.

Other than that, wait for Comcast to put in their pipe. I bet it works then.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234878 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:28:53 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234752 cruller : been on scottrade for about 10 minutes using PPP on the PC .. starting to see intermittent failures (interuption in data for 1 -2 seconds or the time skipping a second)..

nice try but doesn't look like the answer.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234752 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:05:08 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234692 cruller : ok .. followed the steps and I'm connected .. will try Scottrade next and see what happens ... as I noted a little bit ago, it seems to work fairly well this time of day. I'll post my progress later ... thanks for your help.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234692 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:52:09 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234530 psx_defector : Not quite the exact screen, since I can't find it.

»/speak/slidesh···cw%3D%3D

This is with the Motorola modem. Login to the web interface, go to Advanced, then PPP Location. Set it to PPP on the Computer.

Create a PPPoE connection:

»technet.microsoft.com/en-us/libr···997.aspx

If you want to run PingPlotter, get the server address from Scottrade. You can filter through the netstat info, or just get the exact server really fast. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234530 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:28:34 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234474 cruller : thanks .. I haven't bridged the modem yet.. tried the new one instead. I may need to be directed to some instructions on how to do that .. saw them once upon a time (might have been on the 2wire site).

Will try that and hope it works. as I said, I put that off due to all the warnings about trying that.

I did happen to notice that, like yesterday, performance is much better between 11 and noon, and seems to be even a little better than that since noon. If it's like yesterday, errors will creep in around 1:15 eastern time.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234474 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:21:06 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234446 cruller : I downloaded the ping plotter freeware yesterday ... late in the day so I didn't run it too long ..

not sure what I'm looking for .. had posted if I should pick one of IP addresses listed with the netstat command? Whoever suggested it yesterday posted screens from a different version.

would lost packets show in any of my modem stats .. will probably go back to the 2wire so I can return the MOT2210 for credit.

also .. shouldn't ATT be doing this type of stuff if I call them? ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234446 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:14:52 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234429 psx_defector : The line isn't the issue, either coming into the house, to the NID, from the pedestal and back to the B-box. Your previous issue wouldn't apply, and the guys will come out and say everything is great. You could have an upstream data issue, but highly unlikely.

You are right, you have eliminated everything you can touch. You did bridge the modem and setup the PPPoE session on the PC right? There's a reason for that. I bet you that Comcast will work just fine out the gate, though.

If it's like you describe, and everything else that you do through streaming is working as described, it's something between AT&T and Scottrade's server that is causing the problem. Sounds as though the buffer is choking on something, causing the studder. Maybe it's puking on the packet. I've seen some servers dish out stuff via HTTPS that wouldn't come up if connected via PPPoE, but works just fine on cable/RFC1483. I've seen strange things happen like that, hence the suggestion to bridge the modem, remove routers out of the mix, and that Comcast will probably work just fine.

These things "shouldn't" happen, but they do sometimes. Since we don't know anything about the app you are using, and none of us can get a copy of it, I would suggest contacting Scottrade about it. You can put in a ticket with AT&T about it, but I doubt it will go anywhere. Much like Scottrade, it's gonna be a punt. Unsupported app. And really, without the ability to use the application, they won't be able to troubleshoot it anyways. Since you have eliminated everything else with regards to the firewall crap they hung on to and made you run around in circles about, Scottrade has no punt to fall back on. If you are wide open, and it sounds as you are with firewalls off and the 2210, then there is absolutely nothing they can say about it that would apply to you. They will have to deviate from the script.

Despite a certain someone's assertions, the line is good. After eliminating everything else, unless your line stats are horrible with the rain, you wouldn't have any line issue that would necessitate a truck roll. You can wireshark it, run pingplotter all day long, but I bet you that you will never see anything out of the ordinary. You have a clean machine and a tested verified good PC, as I always say one could be you, two could be me. Since we have two endpoints to deal with, and not your home, there's really only a few options left.

Open a ticket with Scottrade, if you want with AT&T, and wait for Comcast to drop the line in. You can call STS for the AT&T ticket. Just call the standard 877-722-3755, get to support,and ask for second tier. Have Scottrade see if they can move you to another server, port, or application.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234429 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:11:21 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234340 StillLearn : Have you tried running Ping Plotter continually during your day? Ping every 5 or 1 seconds to a path that does respond for you. Right-click the graph, and set it to a longer time period.

This could be a place like www.att.net or even better, it would be some router well on the way to your Scottrade server.

I would not even bother with the port thing. Regular pings would take care of what I am wondering about. I am looking for the appearance of lost packets at times corresponding to your outage times.

You can have more than one Ping Plotter instance running at a time.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234340 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:52:46 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234213 cruller : New MOT2210 with the new PC produced basically the same results .. within minutes, either a clock/time issue or an interruption of the data flow.

I'll be visiting comcast today because I can't afford to play PC tech instead of doing my day job.

I feel I've eliminated or swapped out everything possible under my control.. plus, I've proved that the application can run on my PC (at the PC store unfortunately) behind a more robust firewall than anything I've got at home.

Since I'm back to where I was when I first started with ATT (neither of their modems working) I have to look at what they did prior to my DSL working properly with Scottrade ..

they cleaned up several tickets involving open issues on my residential line. (static, voice mail auto attd).

and, they re-did the punch down block so the signal comes in the house then directly up to my office supposedly bypassing all the other phone jacks.

unfortunately, since they did both virtually at the same time, I'm not sure which (or both?) did the trick... either way, it seems to me that it's an ATT problem to solve.

And as much as I enjoy troubleshooting and trying to find the problem or point them in the right direction, i've hit the wall and have to redirect efforts to other things (like working my day job).

I'd appreciate any tips on trying to work thru the ATT maze of responsibilities and 800 numbers to get this resolved.. I'm guessing they've got a few days before I can hopefully have a broadband setup working thru Comcast.

Thanks again for sticking with me and offering your suggestions.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21234213 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:32:30 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21233868 cruller : Here are first test results from this morning using the new MOT 2210.. these tests are all with my old PC. It'll take me a little while to set up the new PC and rerun these tests.

When I refer to Firewall ON, I'm using the settings that worked Monday afternoon when I tested the new PC at the dealers location and everything worked great for close to half an hour. Using Microsoft PC Firewall.

I should also point out it's a steady rain this morning (off and off rain overnight) since someone suggested moisture in the line could make things worse.

(1) (Firewall ON) during pre-market trading, I noticed that the time (which comes from a Scottrade server) was not running properly .. skipped a second about twice a minute - this has never happened before to me in pre-trading.

(2) (Firewall OFF) same results as above - clock issues.

(3) (rebooted PC - FW back ON) .. market opens .. data streaming stops 12 seconds later. Terrible performance on both data and clock .. may be due to extremely high trading volume but cut my screens back to only ONE stock that is not hyper - active ... still had data and clock issues.

(4) FW off - same as 3 - not as bad but still terrible and unusable for trading.

time to set up the new PC .. will probably be asking you guys who to contact / how to contact the right group in ATT to deal with suspected wiring and/or ATT router / configuration issues.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21233868 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:28:13 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21233714 psx_defector : I think this reaffirms my original theory.

I would entertain this line of questioning, but I'm already running late. I've got to dispatch out some bucket trucks to North Richland Hills, TX, to do some "maintenance" and I've got to "verify" a circuit is working properly.

My alien government overlord masters are slave drivers.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21233714 Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:59:02 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21232212 anon :

said by psx_defector

:

What's ultimately strange is the fact that your line stats are hot, hot, hot. There shouldn't be any reason for you to be having any problem.

Well then Since his stats Are hot , hot, hot.

then it could not be A wire Problem Correct??

Im still wondering what a speed test shows from »speedtest.net

Maybee the Provisiong on The line is not correct.

psx_defector

]
Anyways, it's indeed strange that things just suddenly happened. Hence the insistence of removing the PC out of the equation.

Hmm

The Problem exist with the old PC also.

Well had you Read the post tou would have seen that What i suggest was not a PC repair As you Made it out to be in your post.

SO lets see???

Even David

said by psx_defector

:

What's ultimately strange is the fact that your line stats are hot, hot, hot. There shouldn't be any reason for you to be having any problem.

said by psx_defector

:

Anyways, it's indeed strange that things just suddenly happened. Hence the insistence of removing the PC out of the equation.

Hmm

The Problem exist with the old PC also.

Well had you Read the post tou would have seen that What i suggest was not a PC repair As you Made it out to be in your post.

SO lets see???

Even David

A Att Direct employee in a round a bout was Said running Ping Plotter Pinging the port Was a Valid Test IN this situation And all you can do is post Fudd. Without knowing what was posted!!!

And Yes Im curious to see What the results are With the new modem. And since hit line states Are]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21232225 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:11:50 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21231900 cruller : Went to circuit city since it's 5 minutes from home and they happened to have a Motorola 2210 which is what I'm now using (until at least tomorrow). I'm sure that's what I had when I first started; the Netopia I mentioned earlier was from my Earthlink days.

Explained my situation to him so he knew I'd be returning the modem if it didn't work.

His opinion (for what it's worth) is that if the modem doesn't fix the problem, only the ATT service and the house wiring are left. He also uses Comcast high speed internet and said the local service is good. Plan B !!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21231900 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:22:02 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21231656 psx_defector : I think someone doesn't understand there is a block feature on this board, and some people choose to block the crazy away. It's been much better, I say. :)

Anyways, it's indeed strange that things just suddenly happened. Hence the insistence of removing the PC out of the equation. There are just a few things to do once you know your PC is good. What's ultimately strange is the fact that your line stats are hot, hot, hot. There shouldn't be any reason for you to be having any problem. This is something that would happen if you were dropping packet after packet, saturated the pipe with P2P traffic, or running an office out of your house.

There's bound to be some big gotcha here. Things don't go to shit without something changing.

Let's see what happens tomorrow with the modem by itself.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21231656 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:47:34 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21230392 cruller : not Uverse .. sorry, meant to include that in my last post.

and what mystifies me more than anything is that it didn't work ... worked fine for 8-9 months ... not working now. Stopped working on equipment / settings that didn't change.

fyi .. I also don't have any ATT buddies .. I take whoever answers the 800 number after my 15 minutes of waiting.. although a couple of the techs who have been here have been very helpful (a couple out of more than a dozen !!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21230392 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:01:19 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21230059 wayjac : Scottrade is important to you and using it shouldn't be as difficult as it's turning out to be.

I say give comcast a run at scottrade]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21230059 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:00:03 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229983 NormanS :

said by cruller

:

I've always suspected ATT and the 2wire but what is interesting is that you'd think other Scottrade users would be in the same boat..

I've exhausted all of the ideas that seemed like they would apply. Alas, to run the 'scottrade.exe' application requires registering an account, and I don't have any investments that qualify me for registering, so running their application appears to be out of the question, for me. I'd love to try it against my SpeedStream 4100.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229983 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:48:12 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229816 koma3504 : Acually It is not Crazy pointless Stuff let me point you to something you falied to read in this thread..

said by David

:

Thank you cruller

for posting that!

Another test you could do is pingplotter will allow you to ping certain ports as well. I use that for troubleshooting the "AT&T blocks this port" threads.

That is why Done my test and posted the Usefull information n And suggested thet the best way would be for the OP to do that On their line as that would be the best way to Do it.

And Ya know what What if the OP has Uverse will the Moto or different modem Still work????

As i understand it the 2wire gateway is the only device that will work with uverse But We have no idea if the user is on Uverse or not till the OP post such information.

Being a Att employee you should really Think before you post Seriously.

--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229816 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:15:23 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229775 psx_defector : Just a certain someone loves to give out crazy, pointless stuff. It's best just to ignore it. ;)

I doubt any other people have the same issue. Without the ability to test remotely, I can't say what it is that makes you different. Just drilling down to the simplest setup is probably the easiest, quickest way to find out what's doing what. If it's STILL affected, maybe breaking out Wireshark, PingPlotter, and other stuff might be in order.

Until then, it's really not necessary. Occam's Razor and all that.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229775 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:07:24 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229681 koma3504 : Do you have Uverse ???

Another thing is you may want to turn on the firewall also maybee something with the dmz is borked I would try it both ways.
And by looking at what i have posted above it it sure does seem like a Att worldnett Issue.

If you do have Uverse you will not be able to use anything but the 2wire.

If i had a way to use the ticker i would drag out my 2wire and see what happens.
--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229681 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:44:48 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229663 cruller : returned the MOT2100 for a credit when I got the 2wire.. I just replaced that 2wire with an identical model yesterday.

I'll probably ask my tech buddies that built the PC if they'll loan me one (option to buy if it works). They suggested the same thing yesterday.

I've always suspected ATT and the 2wire but what is interesting is that you'd think other Scottrade users would be in the same boat.. I suggested to Scottrade that they start building a knowledge base as users call in (or volunteer their info) so that they can tell customers - here's setting that work with a user similar to you. Doubt if that goes anywhere.

Didn't mind having my PC fixed / replaced as it was 3 1/2 years old and ready to become a backup. I put it off but as noted earlier, sound card had gone out which actually caused videos to freeze which I thought was related to quotes freezing.

Most anything I've done I consider a learning experience and not a waste of time..

don't fight over helping me .. I appreciate all info and can't judge who's right until everything is working ok. Thanks to all, regardless of how valuable the info turns out to be - at least you tried and are willing to share.

dunno if I'll get much more done today as trading stops in about 25 minutes.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229663 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:41:03 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229504 koma3504 : Auto quote this so the ATT employee can see it.

It is total fud i did not tell you to do anything repair wise to your computer I can read how it works fine AT the sshop. so this said by that user is totaly FUDD Don't waste your time "fixing" your PC He is just guessing he should acually look at the data that I posted So he would not look like a ass. As if i read correctly you have already had the 2wire replaced once is that correct???

trading.scottrade.com is what I used in my testing and it is a Att worldnett Ip as i posted above. All though You could use the Ip in a seperate test to see if it is infact maybee a DNS problem 12.41.118.170 you could further test that by changing your dns in the 2wire to 4.2.2.2 or open dns servers. This is not a Uverse 2wire is it???

In ping ploter to ping the port 443
you have to change a default setting. By clicking on edit and then options See pic.
--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229504 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:08:20 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229330 psx_defector : Grab your Motorola 2100, hook it up directly to the PC, and set it for bridge mode. Create the PPPoE connection in Windows and run the application through that.

Don't know what certain persons are telling you, as I've got that certain person blocked for my sanity, but from your responses, he's just running you in circles. Don't waste your time "fixing" your PC. If you did this at your tech's location, and it's working there, then the PC is probably not at fault. Your line stats are hot, very hot. Any problems you might have had in the past with the line are certainly not the issue now. This is a CPE issue. Something Scottrade is doing is not being liked by the 2wire. Eliminate the 2wire is the next step.

No reg cleaners, no pingplotter, no nothing. Don't even waste your time with it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229330 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:43:54 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229182 cruller : I downloaded pingplotter freeware ..

When entering "address to trace" should I just put in the IP addresses on port 443 that are shown as established when running the netstat command?

The display is different than your version ..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229182 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:21:42 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229033 cruller : haven't done that yet .. will try that now..

I must have jinxed myself .. started getting intermittent issues 2 minutes after last post that things were running ok. Ran ccleaner and rebooted PC to try again.. ran for about 12 minutes before hitting an error.. now more common.

I'm sure that is a clue.. as volume picks up, errors increase. Ran it by ATT once and they said probably not related. And once I get an error .. seems like they come more often and last longer.

another fyi .. talked to Comcast .. they can get broadband in my house this week (twice the speed of ATT) .. 30 day money back guarantee but would probably have to pay for a wire run up to my office.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21229033 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:57:11 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228831 koma3504 : Have you installed ping plotter to check the rsults on your line mapping it to port 443 on tha acual url that the ticker uses would be the best dignostics. In this situation.

To me it looks like a Att worldnett problem internally at one of there routers.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228831 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:21:13 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228798 cruller : Just to add a little more intrigue to all of this, I've been running Scottrade for over an hour and have not seen any of the little blips that have been a problem for the last few weeks.

Running with the new 2wire and old computer .. no changes to any settings since this morning when things were crappy. I did reboot the PC before starting around noonish.

This is typically the slowest hour of trading (lunch time in new york) and even slower today as Bernacke is speaking at one.

I vaguely remember when I first got the initial 2wire that they said to make sure it stayed on for a couple of weeks so it could get up to maximum speed (or something like that) - not sure if they were referring to the new DSL or the new 2wire. Dunno if leaving this 2wire up for over a day now has improved anything?

As you can see, I'm grasping at almost anything. As glad as i am that things seem to be working, I'm unsettled that they could start to fail at any time (or will they?)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228798 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:16:02 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228624 koma3504 : OK i found the option to specify Port in ping plotter and i get 100% failure.

Interesting thing is

trading.scottrade.com

Is a worldnett Att IP.

Tracing route to 12.41.118.170 over a maximum of 30 hops

3 13 ms 15 ms 13 ms bras30-l0.rcsntx.sbcglobal.net [75.11.245.198]
4 18 ms 11 ms 11 ms dist1-vlan120.rcsntx.sbcglobal.net [151.164.162.66]

5 11 ms 11 ms 11 ms bb1.10g5-0.rcsntx.sbcglobal.net [151.164.243.183]
6 12 ms 11 ms 11 ms 151.164.95.186
7 12 ms 12 ms 11 ms gar6.dlstx.ip.att.net [12.122.79.65]
8 33 ms 32 ms 33 ms tbr2.dlstx.ip.att.net [12.122.100.66]

9 70 ms 78 ms 108 ms cr2.dlstx.ip.att.net [12.122.18.253]
10 184 ms 188 ms 186 ms cr1.sl9mo.ip.att.net [12.122.3.222]
11 31 ms 31 ms 31 ms 12.122.130.5
12 * * * Request timed out.
13 * * * Request timed out.
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 * * * Request timed out.
16 * * * Request timed out.
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228624 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:41:44 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228361 cruller : yes I can put the 2wire in bridge mode ... read something somewhere along the line that it might help out.

considered that in the category of last resort based on all of the warnings and caveats in the description of the process. Won't rule it out yet, but I'm still of the opinion that running this shouldn't be as difficult as it's turning out to be.

Another piece of information I'll throw out there .. when I first went to ATT DSL, we had a bunch of problems on my home phone line ( ATT voice mail auto attendant not recognizing commands, static on the line, etc). In fact, one of the techs that was here fixing one of those problems had DSL experience and is the one that wired my home run while here to fix the other issue.. which he did.. which coincidentally fixed my problems - so maybe it wasn't the home run that solved things, it was that he fixed the last home phone issue.

Is it possible that problems with the home / residential service are disrupting the DSL?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228361 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:54:10 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228321 cruller : unfortunately, I tossed the Earthlink modem .. you know, when ma bell says you don't need it anymore, it hits the trash.

When I first started with ATT, they sent a different modem (I think it was a Netopia 2200) and I had the same problems I'm experiencing now.. they told me if I wanted to configure ports, I needed to swap that out for the 2wire. Problems continued until they did the "home run" rewire up to my office.

This is one reason I don't think it's the 2wire itself - problems with other ATT modems. Plus, why would the system have worked fine for several months before spinning back out of control?

I'm still leaning toward a wiring issue since that's what once solved my problem.

I do appreciate all your help and suggestions .. I'm sure this is one of those mysteries that techs love to troubleshoot.

Not sure what some of your terminology refers to but the CO is about 3000 feet from my house.

Thanks again .. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228321 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:45:38 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228241 psx_defector : WTF? Those stats are hotter than a Bangkok hooker. Is the Pronto right in your back yard? Even if you were running 100 computers running 100 torrents you still wouldn't be out of bandwidth. Might crash a 2wire, but that's a different issue.

Replace the 2wire with the Zyxel and whatever router you had before. Something isn't right here. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's something with the 2wire and Scottrade.

You will need to set it up for AT&T though. You shouldn't have to do anything to the modem, the router might need the new username and password. Let us know the model/type of the equipment, should be able to guide you in the right direction.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228241 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:30:39 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228211 cruller : No other computers on the network.

I was going to ask who assists with 3rd party modems .. I think I still have it downstairs but not sure.

I think this is what you're looking for .. it was all zeros before I reset it this morning .. still all 0.. this while Scottrade performance was really bad, then better.

Broadband Link – Detailed DSL Statistics
Collected for 1:31:45

ATM Since Reset Current 24-Hour Interval Current 15-Minute Interval Time Since
Last Event
Cell Header Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Cell Delineation: 0 0 0 0:00:00

DSL
Link Retrains: 0 0 0 0:00:00
DSL Training Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Training Timeouts: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Framing Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Signal Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Power Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Loss of Margin Failures: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Cumulative Seconds w/Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Cumulative Sec. w/Severe Errors: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Corrected Blocks: 0 0 0 0:00:00
Uncorrectable Blocks: 0 0 0 0:00:00
DSL Unavailable Seconds: 0 0 0 0:00:00

ALSO posting Broadband Link statistics

DSL Down Up
Current Rate: 6016 kbs 768 kbs
Max Rate: 11516 kbs 1132 kbs
Current Connection:
Current Noise Margin: 17.0 dB 18.0 dB
Current Attenuation: 15.8 dB 8.5 dB
Current Output Power: 7.5 dBm 11.9 dBm

ATM Cells Errors %
Transmit: 109282 0 0
Receive: 992720 0 0

IP Bytes Packets Errors %
Transmit: 3853313 40429 0 0
Receive: 46000338 50213 0 0 ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228211 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:22:23 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228181 cruller : Stealth is unchecked (the ATT phone guys were really surprised that GRC would should stealth but that box was unchecked). I did check it once to make sure it was working and everything came back stealth - so it works.

I thought I had posted earlier but in case I didn't, while on the phone with ATT they had me check the UDP strict control as you mentioned and at the same time, unchecked CP/UDP port scan detection. PC worked better but still failed.

As a matter of fact, I tried that again this morning, and it made no difference at all .. performance was bad. Now, in the last half hour things have been fairly good. But, the bottom line is that it's undependable, and could fail at the worst possible time for me. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228181 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:16:46 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228147 psx_defector : 1) Post your line stats.

2) Do you have other computers on the network than this one?

3) Did you try your Earthlink modem/router setup?

Either 1 or 2 is going to be the issue. 3 is just doing something for good measure.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228147 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:10:20 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228126 StillLearn : Can you adjust your router/modem 2wire combo to just pass things to the computer without routing? I don't know what it would take to put that into a bridge mode.

Make sure your OS updates are up to date first.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21228126 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:06:58 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21227826 koma3504 : Ok not sure if you have checked this or not.

But in this picture is the Https checked etc..

Do you have stealth checked and strict udp session control??
you could try unchecking those 2 see what happens.
»www.thinkbroadband.com/images/re···all3.jpg

--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21227826 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:03:58 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21227325 cruller : Yesterday I took the new PC back to the techs that built it .. not sure what their network setup is (T1 at least) and definitely a more robust firewall than anything I run at home.

Plugged it in, fired up ScottradeElite and it ran fine, no problems - no intermittent delays. Watched the specific points of failure I always see at home and never saw a drop. I did this late in the trading day when volume is typically the highest (more data).

So the PC is fine and I assume the virus software / PC Windows firewall (ON with exceptions for Scottrade) are all ok. I asked them if I could run GRC port scan and they said sure - but it wont show anything.. they were right - port 443 wasn't open according to the results.

The guys there think there is an issue with AT&T.. some failure on the line. We had a record amount of rainfall a few weeks ago which could have messed with the line to my house (underground). The problem started before the rain but is substantially worse since then.

I feel I've eliminated everything except ATT's service and the wiring in my house.

Not sure how I can get them out to work on that if their remote tests and few stops here indicate no problems.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21227325 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:40:23 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21227309 cruller : been there .. done that .. nothing open - shows stealth]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21227309 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:27:00 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21224185 NormanS :

said by cruller

:

All the configuring I've been doing on the 2wire has been correct. Had an ATT tech step me thru configuring the new modem - identical to 2wire instuctions. Tested the new modem - old PC with the ATT guy in exception mode and then DMZ mode .. did GRC port scan after each - port 443 either closed or stealth.

Indeed. You ran 'netstat' while you were running 'scottrade.exe'. You reported that 'netstat' found no service listening on port 443. The short explanation:

There is no service listening on port 443, so GRC ShieldsUP! will not find port 443 open.

If you want the long, boring technical details, I can post them. The point is this: Nothing is listening on port 443, so you don't need port 443 open. That is all there is to it. Start looking somewhere else.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21224185 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:10:49 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21223764 koma3504 :

said by cruller

:

Windows PC Firewall on

The ATT tech was really baffled why the GRC never showed an open port - especially in DMZplus with no PC wirewall.

Try disabaling the Windows firewall and see if GRC reports any open ports.
--
† Koma †
If YOu Don't Think It's Possable!! It's Acually A Reality!!The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Alan Kay!!
Ya Don't Know The signal Till Ya Ride It!!
Voice Break's There's Trouble!!!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21223764 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:59:32 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21223639 psx_defector : Ignore the garbage about ports opened or anything else about this. It was a red herring, and will always be a red herring.

So you replaced it with a hopefully clean PC, no extraneous garbage that would suck the bandwidth up. Although getting another 2wire was not really what I would have done, I prefer to use different CPE entirely, it does eliminate CPE being an issue. Although with all the DMZ stuff you have done, and reset back up on the new 2wire, it might still be some crazy setup issue.

Post your line stats. It's in the 2wire interface, under broadband/details. You don't have any additional PCs on the circuit right? Sounds like you might have saturated your network connection. If Earthlink will no longer service your location, it's probably because your loop is too long for Covad to service. Although if you were upgraded to Elite, you probably are RT fed. I assume you still have your Zyxel/Netopia modem from Earthlink. Perhaps swapping that out just in case there is some kind of strange 2wire issue.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21223639 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:36:34 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21223318 cruller : Just to update anyone still out there what's been going on here..

Took my PC to the local techs to be fully scanned for any problems (turns out my sound card was on the fritz - replaced it). No malware / no virus issues found. Had them remove some startup services and get me leaner .. to avoid any possible conflicts on 443 or with Scottrade.

Bought a new PC from them .. have not loaded anything extra on it except ScottradeElite.

Got a replacement 2wire 2701HG-B from ATT

Got configuration instructions from 2wire.

Bottom line - still where I was last week.

All the configuring I've been doing on the 2wire has been correct. Had an ATT tech step me thru configuring the new modem - identical to 2wire instuctions. Tested the new modem - old PC with the ATT guy in exception mode and then DMZ mode .. did GRC port scan after each - port 443 either closed or stealth.

Did every combo I could think of..
old pc / old modem
old pc / new modem
new pc / new modem

each combo had exception noted for 443/Scottrade or were in DMZ plus. In addition, tests were run with Windows PC Firewall on, on with exceptions, or no PC Firewall.

Did all testing without a virus scanner running.

I feel I've eliminated any PC and modem issues which leaves the ATT line or the house wiring (Or Scottrade?). The ATT tech was really baffled why the GRC never showed an open port - especially in DMZplus with no PC wirewall.

I think the only suggestion left from you guys is Wireshark.

Will see if I can do that but wonder if that is inconclusive what you'd recommend .. bring in a new DSL service or pay ATT to check / rewire the line to my office?

Things don't happen in a vaccuum as someone pointed out, but this fits all definition of a vaccuum .. sucks at one end and blows at the other.
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21223318 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:41:35 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21205267 NormanS :

said by cruller

:

first .. an answer to your question.. ScottradeElite runs a program called Scottrader.exe on my PC.

I configured the modem with exceptions for HTTPS and Scottrader; after testing, I reconfigured the 2wire for DMZplus (allow all traffic). I ran the netstat command before opening Elite and then again after Elite was running.

In all four cases (Before/After for each 2wire config) I never saw anything LISTENING on port 443; in addition, running the GRC scan for 443 showed stealth.

As rolande

points out; nothing listening on port 443 means there will be no inbound traffic to port 443. It was a "shot in the dark" on my part, because that might have been a scenario. But, if the Scottrader.exe application is not expecting unsolicited, inbound traffic, there is no need to have an "open port" on your computer. You only need to open ports for unsolicited inbound connections. My MTA (port 25) and BitTorrent client (port 18769) are examples of applications for which I need to allow Internet access.

Since Scottrader.exe is not listening, there is something else going on than a blocked port.
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21205267 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:07:42 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21204973 rolande : If you are running an AV/Phishing scanner on your PC that is scrubbing web content, you will notice that all your connections will hit a local IP and port. Usually, though, they use a loopback address like 127.0.0.1 and not a routable address like 192.168.1.x for the local communication.

So the point here is that the application is not listening on port 443 at all. So there is no inbound traffic to port 443. The app is trying to communicate TO port 443 on the remote server at Scottrade. So the fact that they have made a big todo about making sure port 443 is open is just retarded. You wouldn't be able to get to any secure sites requiring SSL if port 443 was not open outbound from your PC.

Honestly, if I were you, I would download Wireshark and use it to run a live packet capture of this application. That is the only way you are going to get to the bottom of the strange behavior. You will probably need some assistance to interpret the debug output. If you can get a known "good" trace in one capture file and another "bad" trace when the application acts up, then a comparison can be done to identify the issue or at least the root symptom.

I would bet on some sort of TCP retransmission and/or response delay from Scottrade's server.
--
Scott, CCIE #14618 Routing & Switching
Too bad those that know it all can't do it all.
»www.thewaystation.com/techref/tech.shtml
»blog.thewaystation.com/]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21204973 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:20:19 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21203618 cruller : Thanks for sharing the Netstat info .. I have logs that I could post if you'd like to see them, but in a nutshell, here's what I saw:

first .. an answer to your question.. ScottradeElite runs a program called Scottrader.exe on my PC.

I configured the modem with exceptions for HTTPS and Scottrader; after testing, I reconfigured the 2wire for DMZplus (allow all traffic). I ran the netstat command before opening Elite and then again after Elite was running.

In all four cases (Before/After for each 2wire config) I never saw anything LISTENING on port 443; in addition, running the GRC scan for 443 showed stealth.

I always saw scottrader.exe as ESTABLISHED .. the differences being in DMZplus it was on 76.208.nn.nn:1040 and with the exceptions only configure the ESTABLISHED scottrader 443 connection was on 192.168.1.nn:1064.

This doesn't really tell me anything but hopefully you can spot an issue?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21203618 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:44:08 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21199455 NormanS :

said by cruller

:

Monday night, talked with Scottrade tech support for a while.. they don't budge off the "port 443 must be open" mantra. When pressed for an answer, they said the GRC sheilds up port scan should tell me if the port is open.

Does Scottrade require that you run an application on your computer? If so, could be that their application opens port 443 when it is running.

Your 'netstat -an' should show their process listening on port 443 when the Scottrade app is running, otherwise nothing listening on port 443.

Your GRC test results would show:

Port 443= 'closed', when the Scottrade app is not running.
Port 443= 'open', when the Scottrade app is running.
Port 443= 'stealth', when something is blocking port 443.

If Scottrade is not dependent upon an application running, and listening for Internet connections, the issue of port 443 being blocked is moot.

Addendum:

Checked out the Scottrade site. Scottrade Elite is something downloaded, but one needs a Scottrade account with at least $25,000 value to qualify; would that I were so rich.

Anyway, first step is to fire up their application, then open a command prompt, and type 'netstat -an', and look at the result. Should be something like this:

Active Connections   Proto  Local Address          Foreign Address        State  TCP    0.0.0.0:25             0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:80             0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:135            0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:443            0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:445            0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:1026           0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:18769          0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    0.0.0.0:41952          0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    192.168.102.34:139     0.0.0.0:0              LISTENING  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   24.164.121.64:60035    ESTABLISHED  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   67.172.180.228:1961    ESTABLISHED  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   71.161.225.227:50111   ESTABLISHED  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   80.251.112.43:4723     ESTABLISHED  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   85.243.190.218:56504   CLOSE_WAIT  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   85.243.190.218:58822   ESTABLISHED  TCP    192.168.102.34:18769   85.243.190.218:59956   TIME_WAIT  UDP    0.0.0.0:445            *:*  UDP    0.0.0.0:1025           *:*  UDP    0.0.0.0:18769          *:*  UDP    192.168.102.34:137     *:*  UDP    192.168.102.34:138     *:*

This list was edited; I have some other local services for the LAN, and a BitTorrent transfer with more connections than shown. I wanted to shorten it for the comfort of the readers.

Now, which of those ports looks open from the Internet depends partly on my D-Link DIR-655 router, and how I configure it, and partly on the configuration of the Windows XP firewall. Although I have not tested with port 443 forwarded, I do not anticipate that AT&T is blocking it.

--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21199455 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:17:53 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21199140 cruller : thanks for the info .. won't argue with anything you said but it's just really strange that it did work with Earthlink, problems started on day1 with AT&T which were finally resolved with a "home run" wiring job. Trying to figure out what that "thing" is that happened in August to go back to a steady application (home run is still functional and was tested again by ATT).. everyother failure / success I've had on this can be attributed to a specific change - not this one (yet).

as an fyi .. I have run with task manager open.. have never found anything running that steals CPU or memory from authorized jobs. I'm sure there's a better way to check.

tried your instructions .. got to the point of disabling services in configuration manager but was denied access while disabling - I was signed on as the admin. So that's another issue.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21199140 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:16:12 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21198188 psx_defector : Forget this crazy chase of port 443, firewalls, uninstall this and install that, speed issues, and "Oh, it works with Earthlink, AT&T must be doing something, I'm switching back." A pipe is a pipe is a pipe, and Earthlink rides AT&T's rbacks for a lot of their DSL product.

»support.microsoft.com/kb/310353

Do this, try it then. If it's still acting up, try another PC, doing a clean boot. If it's still acting up, then get rid of the 2wire and replace it with another kind of router. If it's STILL acting up, then it's something either inherent with AT&T's DSL or Scottrade. But my bet is on something with Scottrade.

Things don't happen in a vacuum, so probably something is not playing nice on your PC.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21198188 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:24:30 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197763 cruller : thanks guys.. that is what I am seeing .. 1036, 1460, etc.. varies from test to test.

incidentally, the configuration that seemed to be working yesterday afternoon (strict UDP, don't block TXP/UDP scans) is not working very well today ..

one other thing which I can believe when I talked to Scottrade yesterday is that if everyone was calling in with a similar problem, they'd be in deep doo. It's just me !!

I'm also starting to look at alternative DSL suppliers .. I never had these problems with Earthlink on a slower line and will gladly sacrifice speed for consistency. I called E-link last week and they said they no longer can provide DSL to my location - thought it was strange since I had used them almost 2 years until last November. Before switching, I may ask ATT to drop my speed in case that is the issue.

Bottom line is it all worked from late last year until mid August .. can't figure out what's different. Extremely frustrating.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197763 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:11:13 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197686 rolande :

said by StillLearn

:

With netstat -n , for a common HTTPS connection, I would expect the Foreign Address to indicate port 446,

That would be port 443. The client should use a source port in the range of 1024 to 65535.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197686 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:56:18 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197589 StillLearn : With netstat -n , for a common HTTPS connection, I would expect the Foreign Address to indicate port 443, and expect the Local Address to be using some higher-numbered response port selected by your computer. That is the case where the far end is the server, and your computer is the client.

edited for typo]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197589 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:38:00 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197188 cruller : Here's what went on the last couple days ..

Monday night, talked with Scottrade tech support for a while.. they don't budge off the "port 443 must be open" mantra. When pressed for an answer, they said the GRC sheilds up port scan should tell me if the port is open.

Monday night, to remove any questions on the PC side, I removed my avast virus software and replaced it (and PC Firewall) with MacAfee, available free from Scottrade. Using the MacAfee firewall and virus scan now.

On Tuesday, I reset the 2wire and reconfigured it each possible way available.. rebooting the PC as well before running scottrade. The results were the same regardless of running the 2701HG-B at factory defaults, allowing exceptions for Scottrade, or in DMZplus mode. (the results meaning continued interrupted data flow).

Talked to ATT support .. allowed them to change settings in the 2wire. I had it set for Scottrade exceptions, he added "strict UDP session control" and stopped detection for "TCP/UDP port scans".

The performance got substantially better for the 45 minutes I talked to him but I was still having intermittent drops/delays - no where near what is usual. When I ran the GRC port test, it showed Stealth, which he said was strange because he saw Stealth mode was not set on the 2wire. He also said it was strange that changing the UDP setting would improve things since it's not a UDP application. I asked him if it wasn't strange that the application runs the same way regardless of modem settings ... bottom line, they are sending me a new 2wire.

The other thing I thought was stange and ran by him with no comment back was that when I ran the NETSTAT -N command, I would have thought that the port shown on my local system would have matched the 443 port showing on the foreign address (from Scottrade)? It never did... anybody familiar enough with NETSTAT to say if that meant the configuration wasn't working in the modem/gateway?

Thanks to anyone still following along ..!!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21197188 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:00:05 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21185286 cruller : These last two replies (Norman and Dennis) seem to answer part of my question.. I have an IT background in application programming / design but have not been an infrastructure / network guy so I'm kind of interpreting here. But it sounds like the fact that my PC is not running HTTP SSL service, a port scan will not report it's associated port as open.

I put the 2wire in DMZplus AND turned of my Windows Firewall (yeah, that's dumb) then ran a variety of port scans with virtually all NOT OPEN results.

GRC shieldsup = closed
hackerwatch.org = closed but unsecure (not being blocked)
yougetsignal.com = closed
hq42.net = closed
t1shopper = isn't responding
canyouseeme.org = COULDNT SEE YOUR SERVICE, refused
auditmypc = not open

the MSFT test I mentioned earlier showed 443 open.

so my conclusion is that the port is open (passing data) but these tests are designed to check for much more than that, beyond what is needed to tell Scottrade it's open.

In answer to a few other posts .. I have done speed tests on DSLreports and usually get around 4.8 .. which should be ok for the amount of data I'm streaming. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, AT&T has physically tested / scoped the line and found no problems affecting throughput /bandwidth. The only test showing poor performance in the java based test from NJ.. coincidentally, the ScottradeElite application is java based.

Reading the logs I posted on Friday confirm that the 2wire is not blocking 443.

Scottrade's specs may not be real specific (may only have hardware requirements) if they are on their website, but here is some info from an email they sent to me:

You will need to open Port 443 on all firewalls and routers. You will also want to set an exception for the quote feed IP address, 12.144.145.155. In addition, Scottrader.exe must also be added as a trusted application on any privacy service that you may have. You must have the latest version of any virus scan or proxy/firewall.

Since the problems seem to be worse at the market open and the last hour of trading, I'm adjusting my trading schedule accordingly. It was good to hear that other services have run into similar problems.

I still think it's a Scottrade issue - the fact that it has worked and I've not changed a thing, now it doesn't as volume picks up. I'm disappointed that they're answer is port 443 but as most have pointed out - It probably wouldn't be working at all if that was the real issue. And, they don't give the user a way to prove it's open, tells me it probably is "smoke up the bum" as one of you pointed out.

I'm hoping to go to their local office to see how it performs at their site, even though their connections are probably a lot more sophisticated than what I use. If they have the same issue I do, questions are answered.

I'm still going to try some of your other suggestions as time permits. Thanks again for playing the game - I really appreciate it !! Will post back as I find out more.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21185286 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:34:31 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21184370 NormanS :

said by cruller

:

I've been wondering, too, why DMZ setting doesn't produce a port443 open result on the scanning tests.

If you have NAT in effect, only the NAT device will log port 443 probes. If you put the DMZ in effect, as well as NAT, then the destination device in the DMZ setting will log the probes. Assumes you have logging in effect on any firewalls in effect.

Basically, a port 443 probe from a remote site can never report a port as "open" unless it hits a running service listening on that port. I have an MTA running, which is listening on both port 25 and port 110 for incoming connections. My router only has a "pinhole" for port 25, though, so GRC ShieldsUP! only reports port 25 as open; it thinks port 110 is "stealth", even with a running process holding port 110 open. If I were to open a "pinhole" to a port with no service running, it would report either "closed" (if there was no firewall blocking probes), or "stealthed" (if there was a firewall blocking probes).

You should not need port 443 open to inbound connections. Port 443, as a destination, should not be blocked by the 2701HG-B, unless you have created a rule of some kind, and got the parameter wrong (in case you were trying to open port 443 through rules in the router).
--
Norman
~Oh Lord, why have you come
~To Konnyu, with the Lion and the Drum]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21184370 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:18:27 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21182038 Dennis :

said by cruller

:

I think I've run the test with my Windows Firewall turned off, the 2wire in DMZ mode, and still not obtained a 443 open. I'll test that again later to be sure of the result.

Thanks again for the feedback and ideas .. will keep you posted on progress (or lack of !!)

So I'm confused here....even if you put the router in DMZ mode, and port 443 is open to the world....why would a remote port scan show it open if your not actively running a web server? That's why these tests seem to hokey to me sometimes, because what good are they if your not running a service on that port to reply back?

Honestly, I think this whole port 443 thing is somebody blowing smoke up your bum and wasting your time...but if it's interesting to you and your learning great. I just don't think it's going to solve the core issue here of latency/dropped packets.
--
My Blog. Because I desperately need the acknowledgement of others.

Visit the Judd Family website to see my kids!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21182038 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:04:44 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21181496 cruller : I appreciate all of the ideas I'm getting here .. as I noted earlier, I have company in town from overseas and won't be able to try some of these things until later Sunday or possibly Monday.

I've been wondering, too, why DMZ setting doesn't produce a port443 open result on the scanning tests. I've wondered if the 2701HG-B may have a problem and there is some kind of a glitch that the settings are correct but not functioning? I think I've run the test with my Windows Firewall turned off, the 2wire in DMZ mode, and still not obtained a 443 open. I'll test that again later to be sure of the result.

Thanks again for the feedback and ideas .. will keep you posted on progress (or lack of !!)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21181496 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:33:34 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21178290 rolande :

said by Dennis

:

But if that's the case then wouldn't DMZ have worked?

One would think that would be the case. Do they list the application requirements somewhere on their website? A sniffer trace is always one of the best tools you can use to isolate the fault domain. Even better is having a known good capture to compare to a capture that is experiencing the problem. Get a copy of Wireshark installed and execute a packet capture while you are hitting the Scottrade application. If you would like me to debug it for you, you can send me a copy of the capture privately and I can help you out. Just send a PM if you are interested.
--
Scott, CCIE #14618 Routing & Switching
Too bad those that know it all can't do it all.
»www.thewaystation.com/techref/tech.shtml
»blog.thewaystation.com/]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21178290 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:21:56 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177689 efflandt : Have you speed tested your connection with the link at the top of this forum? Download should test around 5 Mbps (~85% of sync).

I don't normally notice any lag with streaming quotes from thinkorswim.com, but they are only 11-13 ms away in Chicago. They use port 443 with 7002 as alternate (or can be switched to try 7002 1st). But I don't have time to watch it much except at noon or a day off.

The only ports I forward on my 2701HG-B are www and ssh to my Linux box and a port that I think helps my laptop use its ipsec VPN.

If you want to try thinkDesktop to see if you have a general issue, you can try it free for 30 days with PaperMoney, although, quotes and charts have a normal public delay until the account is funded. If you do not fund the account in 30 days it simply expires (free trial can be extended if you call them).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177689 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 11:39:40 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177503 StillLearn :

said by cruller

:

I have had a problem running ScottradeElite, a stock trading platform, since switching to AT&T Elite almost a year ago. The problem is that streaming stock quotes will occasionally stop / start for one or two seconds, up to 10 or even 30 seconds. I never had the problem for the two years I used Earthlink and switched to ATT only to increase my speed from 1500kbps to 6000kpbs. Sometimes the missing data is never processed; other times it comes rushing through as a burst and catches up to real time.

Scottrade tech support says the problem is because port 443 is not open.

Whatever ports needed to be able to pass data must be passing data. Otherwise it would not be working most of the time.

I suggest that their servers, may get backed up at times. I expect that a lot of people have been following quotes more than they were during average times. If this tends to happen less at 11:30 EDT than it does at 3 or 4 PM EDT, then that would support the idea that there are just a lot of people getting data. I see some similar delays with a different quote provider at times.

What I would do, because it's what I tend to do ;-), is to set up Ping Plotter Standard to ping their server every 5 seconds. Now the actual server probably doesn't return pings, but I wonder if whatever router nearest them that returns the needed packets will show an increased latency at times that correspond to your pauses. That would just indicate that the path was busier than average.

netstat in a command window could help you find the IP of the server that your quote application is connected to. Come to think of it, it also tells you what port is involved at your end.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177503 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:54:25 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177436 StillLearn :

said by rolande

:

So, Scottrade is attempting to initiate a connection inbound to your PC on port 443?

That seems, to me, to be a very unlikely occurrence.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177436 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:35:03 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177392 Dennis :

said by rolande

:

So, Scottrade is attempting to initiate a connection inbound to your PC on port 443? If so, you would need to have a firewall rule that allows the Sottrade network inbound to your workstation on port 443. If you are NATing your IP address through your router, you will have to make sure you configure a static NAT rule inbound for port 443 to map it to port 443 on your workstation.

But if that's the case then wouldn't DMZ have worked?
--
My Blog. Because I desperately need the acknowledgement of others.

Visit the Judd Family website to see my kids!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21177392 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 10:21:51 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21175896 rolande : So, Scottrade is attempting to initiate a connection inbound to your PC on port 443? If so, you would need to have a firewall rule that allows the Sottrade network inbound to your workstation on port 443. If you are NATing your IP address through your router, you will have to make sure you configure a static NAT rule inbound for port 443 to map it to port 443 on your workstation.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21175896 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:02:44 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21175556 Gus K :

said by cruller

:

thanks for the info...

=== from Microsoft:

For Windows Product Activation to succeed, configure firewalls or other devices that are between the client and the Internet to allow traffic to pass over ports 80, and 443.

You can use Microsoft Internet Explorer or other Internet browsers to test connectivity through these ports.

To test whether port 80 is open: 1. Open Internet Explorer.Type »www.microsoft.com:80 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
2. Type »www.microsoft.com:80 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
To test whether port 443 is open: 1. Open Internet Explorer.Type »https://www.microsoft.com:443 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
2. Type »https://www.microsoft.com:443 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
If you can access the Microsoft Web site each time, ports 80 and 443 are accessible.

If your browser displays an error message such as "connection timed out," the corresponding port may be blocked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well I went both MS sites and the CIA and they loaded normally. While there I went to Shield's Up and tested both ports 80 and 443.

80
Stealth http
World Wide Web HTTP

443
Stealth https
http protocol over TLS/SSL]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21175556 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:05:50 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173839 wayjac : The 4.79.142.206 is the GRC ip address
The 208.64.252.230 is the T1 port scan ip address

The Session Matches User Pinhole means you made a rule for this port

The Unknown inbound session stopped means it was dropped

The thing is you don't need to make a rule for port 443 it will passthru because the session was started from your browser.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173839 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:39:43 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173780 cruller : now I'm getting somewhere !!! I am going to have to rerun the tests to double check the results for each specific test.

Based on the time stamps right before my post, I ran 5 tests, one for each web site (I had posted one result before).. unfortunately, I have to be leaving in about 5 minutes for an appointment. I can at least see that one of the settings seems to be letting data thru 443.

I hate to stop now but .. thanks for getting me this far.. may not be able to post again until Sunday due to weekend plans (daughter arriving from overseas).. thanks for all your help so far. If you have any comments on the log below - they'd be greatly appreciated.

INF 2008-09-26T14:51:30-04:00 fw,fwmon: src=4.79.142.206 dst=0.0.0.0 ipprot=6 sport=61748 dport=443 Session Matches User Pinhole, Packet Passed

INF 2008-09-26T14:53:14-04:00 fw,fwmon: src=208.64.252.230 dst=0.0.0.0 ipprot=6 sport=41499 dport=443 Session Matches User Pinhole, Packet Passed

INF 2008-09-26T14:55:28-04:00 fw,fwmon: src=208.64.252.230 dst=76.242.xx.xx ipprot=6 sport=41606 dport=443 Unknown inbound session stopped

INF 2008-09-26T14:56:02-04:00 fw,fwmon: src=4.79.142.206 dst=76.242.xx.xx ipprot=6 sport=62150 dport=443 Unknown inbound session stopped

INF 2008-09-26T14:59:11-04:00 fw,fwmon: src=4.79.142.206 dst=76.242.xx.xx ipprot=6 sport=62418 dport=443 Unknown inbound session stopped ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173780 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:27:43 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173716 wayjac : Here's the link:
192.168.1.254/xslt?PAGE=J17

Use the menu Edit "find on this page" command search for 443]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173716 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:16:19 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173698 cruller : not sure where to find that log.. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173698 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:12:07 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173674 wayjac : Have you looked at the 2wire mdc event log?
It may show the port scans you did.... they may not show up when using DMZplus

Here's the event log messages generated by the two port scans I posted:
fw,fwmon: src=208.64.252.230 dst=99.10.109. ipprot=6
sport=40888 dport=443 Local Session, Packet Passed

fw,fwmon: src=4.79.142.206 dst=99.10.109. ipprot=6
sport=60309 dport=443 Local Session, Packet Passed]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173674 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:08:42 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173624 cruller : thanks for taking the time to show me your results .. here's what I got..

in DMZplus mode:
GRC - shows as stealth
t1shopper - isn't responding

with exceptions for HTTPS and Scottrader.exe
GRC - shows as stealth
t1shopper - isn't responding

with defaults set
GRC - closed
t1shopper - isn't responding

on the advance settings screen for the 2wire I do not have stealth mode enabled..
under the inbound and outbound control everything is checked to be allowed except for NetBIOS

I was once talking to a tech at Scottrade who directed be to the GRC site and when I told him it said 443 was closed but I was still streaming quotes, he said that's weird.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173624 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:02:20 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173490 wayjac : Here's a scan result of port 443 from the site I linked and grc
Both scans were done from a computer behind a 2701HG-B the DMZplus is not used.

[att=1]
[att=2]

]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173490 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:42:50 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173348 cruller : I tried to scan 443 using this site .. the result was:

76.242.51.47 isn't responding on port 443 (https)

can you interpret?

my 2wire is now set to DMZplus .. all applications allowed.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173348 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:20:12 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173182 wayjac :

said by cruller

:

Basically, I'd like to be able to have a test that proves port 443 is open and/or have some help making sure the firewall in the 2Wire is not hosing up the data stream.

Here's a link to a port scan web site:
www.t1shopper.com/tools/

The 2wire listens to 443 but it does not block it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173182 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:52:23 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173020 David : Thank you cruller

for posting that!

Another test you could do is pingplotter will allow you to ping certain ports as well. I use that for troubleshooting the "AT&T blocks this port" threads. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21173020 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:23:48 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172950 cruller : thanks for the info .. I had assumed that, too about the 443 working for other secure sites. In addition, found this (text below)at microsoft so I feel the port is open but am confused as to why the port scans seem to contradict that .. which leaves me at Scottrade's mercy. Will followup on the trace idea.

=== from Microsoft:

For Windows Product Activation to succeed, configure firewalls or other devices that are between the client and the Internet to allow traffic to pass over ports 80, and 443.

You can use Microsoft Internet Explorer or other Internet browsers to test connectivity through these ports.

To test whether port 80 is open: 1. Open Internet Explorer.Type »www.microsoft.com:80 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
2. Type »www.microsoft.com:80 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
To test whether port 443 is open: 1. Open Internet Explorer.Type »https://www.microsoft.com:443 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
2. Type »https://www.microsoft.com:443 in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.
If you can access the Microsoft Web site each time, ports 80 and 443 are accessible.

If your browser displays an error message such as "connection timed out," the corresponding port may be blocked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172950 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:13:15 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172929 cruller : thanks for the info ... didn't know about the 2wire forum.. a quick glance didn't find anything I haven't tried yet but will keep looking.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172929 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:09:15 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172880 Dennis : wait....TCP port 443 or UDP port 443...either way it doesn't matter. Port 443 is https, so if you can go to any https site (such as a bank or the CIA) then port 443 is 100% open.

On top of that AT&T does not block that port for obvious reasons, or throttle it, or in any way "mungle" the data. I think a traceroute to the scrottrade server in question would be more enlightening.
--
My Blog. Because I desperately need the acknowledgement of others.

Visit the Judd Family website to see my kids!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172880 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:01:28 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172515 Gus K : You have gone over this a number of times I assume:

»www.portforward.com/english/rout···ault.htm

Maybe this forum might be of help:

»2Wire

And in Windows firewall you have made an exception I assume.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21172515 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:58:59 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21171888 cruller : I have tried:
yougetsignal (closed)
shieldsup (closed)
HQ42.net (open)
hackerwatch.org (not blocked)
auditmypc (closed)

the mixed results make me wonder which is working. Not being an expert, I'm not sure what to believe - have also been told (true or not) that having the 2Wire negates any of these tests?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21171888 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:10:54 EDT Re: open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21171861 d_l : You could try the Gibson Research ShieldsUp test: »www.grc.com/default.htm Go to the site and then pick the ShieldsUp link (I can't provide a direct link to the test). Then enter 443 in the entry box and select the "User Specified Custom Port Probe" button.

You should then see the open, closed, or stealth status results for that port.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21171861 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:04:44 EDT open port 443 / ScottradeElite problem http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21171800 cruller : I have had a problem running ScottradeElite, a stock trading platform, since switching to AT&T Elite almost a year ago. The problem is that streaming stock quotes will occasionally stop / start for one or two seconds, up to 10 or even 30 seconds. I never had the problem for the two years I used Earthlink and switched to ATT only to increase my speed from 1500kbps to 6000kpbs. Sometimes the missing data is never processed; other times it comes rushing through as a burst and catches up to real time.

Scottrade tech support says the problem is because port 443 is not open. I think I followed all of the instructions for the 2Wire 2701HG-B Gateway I was supplied but don't know of a proven way to test if the port is open.. any suggestions? I have tried making exceptions on the 2701 and I've also run it in DMZplus mode. Ideally, I'd like to turn the firewall totally off and rely on my PC firewall (currently the Microsoft Firewall, which I know is not the best). I have even run with the PC firewall off and the Microsoft Security Center saying I have no firewall - but still run into the problem and still cannot see a test where 443 is open so that I can prove it's a Scottrade issue.

After a few months of this, I had the house rewired for a "home run" so the DSL is run into my office, bypassing the rest of the phone outlets in the house. This seemed to fix the problem up until the middle of August. The problem has returned, and the only pattern I can see is that it seems to get worse if the volume of data increases. It is still an intermittent problem of a second or two every few minutes when the volume of data is reduced.

AT&T has tested my lines, coming to the house and in my office and it seems to be clean and all AT&T Elite bandwidth is available.

I have been running all these years on the same Dell PC, Pentium 4, 2.80ghz, 1.5GB of ram, using XP. I am about a half mile from the CO. I don't seem to have an issue with any other application, including streaming video.

Basically, I'd like to be able to have a test that proves port 443 is open and/or have some help making sure the firewall in the 2Wire is not hosing up the data stream. Scottrade also suggests making an exception for the quote feed IP address .. would like to make sure I've got that correct.

Thanks.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,21171800 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 09:53:55 EDT