Earthlink discontinued their Usenet service for legacy customers in April 2025. So I activated an account with ForteInc.
While these servers don't seem to have the problem of not being able to find an article body they recently were able to find a header for like Giganews, they do disconnect for no good reason.
In trying to figure out what is going on I have begun using tcpdump to monitor the TCP connection used to talk with the NNTP server. The first failure was interesting.
The data from tcp dump shows a stream of maximum length (1440) packets arriving and being acknowledged. Then a two minute gap before the server initiates a disconnect. Possibly due to TCP timeout. Why?
15:16:42.998495 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.37834: Flags [.], seq 153855979:153857419, ack 26962, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1475403762 ecr 3367913894], length 1440
15:16:42.998569 IP 192.168.1.34.37834 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [.], ack 153857419, win 12276, options [nop,nop,TS val 3367914207 ecr 1475403762,nop,nop,sack 1 {153879019:153890539}], length 0
15:18:40.790509 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.43302: Flags [F.], seq 1, ack 1, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 806064348 ecr 3367738087], length 0
If it hadn't received that last acknowledge then it would have resent the data packet. But that didn't happen. Just no data and then the TCP connection is shut down.
Reaching out to the Forte tech support didn't help. So I created this page to document my problems.
This time the server didn't disconnect, it just stopped sending data.
05:03:10.066402 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.54598: Flags [.], seq 183122863:183124303, ack 32330, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 2309503919 ecr 717373572], length 1440 05:03:10.066424 IP 192.168.1.34.54598 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [.], ack 183124303, win 7727, options [nop,nop,TS val 717373878 ecr 2309503909], length 0 05:08:10.067898 IP 192.168.1.34.54598 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [P.], seq 32330:32336, ack 183124303, win 7727, options [nop,nop,TS val 717673880 ecr 2309503909], length 6 05:08:10.068610 IP 192.168.1.34.54598 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [F.], seq 32336, ack 183124303, win 7727, options [nop,nop,TS val 717673881 ecr 2309503909], length 0 05:08:10.146095 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.54598: Flags [R], seq 517971578, win 0, length 0 05:08:10.147957 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.54598: Flags [R], seq 517971578, win 0, length 0
After 5 minutes the client timed out and sent the NNTP quit command.
Here is one that happened while using the XHDR command to get individual message Subject lines
06:35:13.648332 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37534:37568, ack 146767, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382489 ecr 3525843715], length 34
06:35:13.733014 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [P.], seq 146767:146794, ack 37568, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 3525843801 ecr 3323382489], length 27
06:35:13.773653 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], ack 146794, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382615 ecr 3525843801], length 0
06:35:13.773964 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [P.], seq 146794:146898, ack 37568, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 3525843842 ecr 3323382489], length 104
06:35:13.773992 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], ack 146898, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382615 ecr 3525843842], length 0
06:35:13.774079 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [P.], seq 146898:146901, ack 37568, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 3525843842 ecr 3323382489], length 3
06:35:13.774088 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], ack 146901, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382615 ecr 3525843842], length 0
06:35:13.774488 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37568:37602, ack 146901, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382615 ecr 3525843842], length 34
06:35:13.960211 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [P.], seq 146901:146928, ack 37602, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 3525843955 ecr 3323382615], length 27
06:35:14.001645 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], ack 146928, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382843 ecr 3525843955], length 0
06:35:14.046863 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [P.], seq 146928:147032, ack 37602, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 3525843996 ecr 3323382615], length 104
06:35:14.046891 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], ack 147032, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382888 ecr 3525843996], length 0
06:35:14.046990 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [P.], seq 147032:147035, ack 37602, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 3525843996 ecr 3323382615], length 3
06:35:14.047001 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382888 ecr 3525843996], length 0
06:35:14.047287 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37602:37636, ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323382888 ecr 3525843996], length 34
06:35:14.682648 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37602:37636, ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323383524 ecr 3525843996], length 34
06:35:15.706655 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37602:37636, ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323384548 ecr 3525843996], length 34
06:35:17.754676 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37602:37636, ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323386596 ecr 3525843996], length 34
06:35:21.915658 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37602:37636, ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323390757 ecr 3525843996], length 34
06:35:30.106663 IP 192.168.1.34.48848 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [P.], seq 37602:37636, ack 147035, win 795, options [nop,nop,TS val 3323398948 ecr 3525843996], length 34
06:35:30.229320 IP 85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.48848: Flags [R], seq 3074176911, win 0, length 0
The server sends the expected response, three lines of text, until it doesn't. The final XHDR request gets repeated several times as TCP attempts to deliver the message. No ACK so it eventually gives up.
In this one the server fades before sending the final line (".") in response to an XHDR command.
06:59:08.015499 IP 192.168.1.34.42954 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [P.], seq 9531:9563, ack 21541199, win 3554, options [nop,nop,TS val 1082389340 ecr 1064415053], length 32 06:59:08.097625 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.42954: Flags [P.], seq 21541199:21541226, ack 9563, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1064415142 ecr 1082389340], length 27 06:59:08.138654 IP 192.168.1.34.42954 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [.], ack 21541226, win 3554, options [nop,nop,TS val 1082389464 ecr 1064415142], length 0 06:59:08.141475 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.42954: Flags [P.], seq 21541226:21541304, ack 9563, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1064415184 ecr 1082389340], length 78 06:59:08.141516 IP 192.168.1.34.42954 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [.], ack 21541304, win 3554, options [nop,nop,TS val 1082389466 ecr 1064415184], length 0 (Client sends NNTP QUIT command) 07:04:08.142678 IP 192.168.1.34.42954 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [P.], seq 9563:9569, ack 21541304, win 3554, options [nop,nop,TS val 1082689467 ecr 1064415184], length 6 07:04:08.143166 IP 192.168.1.34.42954 > 85.12.62.245.119: Flags [F.], seq 9569, ack 21541304, win 3554, options [nop,nop,TS val 1082689468 ecr 1064415184], length 0 07:04:08.223854 IP 85.12.62.245.119 > 192.168.1.34.42954: Flags [R], seq 2404188717, win 0, length 0
This time the server sent an unexpected ACK. To what I have no idea. It was in the middle of streaming a message body. Then instead of the next batch of data, it send an ACK.
04:28:36.537124 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 51, id 53509, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1492)
85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.35120: Flags [.], cksum 0xfdaf (correct), seq 125022105:125023545, ack 44845, win 57, options [nop,nop,TS val 3454302519 ecr 2524101256], length 1440
04:28:36.538233 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 64, id 51306, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 64)
192.168.1.34.35120 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], cksum 0x55f1 (incorrect -> 0x54f5), ack 125000505, win 12352, options [nop,nop,TS val 2524101728 ecr 3454302518,nop,nop,sack 1 {125001945:125023545}], length 0
04:28:36.949790 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 51, id 53510, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 64)
85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.35120: Flags [.], cksum 0x2e50 (correct), ack 44845, win 57, options [nop,nop,TS val 3454302868 ecr 2524101578,nop,nop,sack 1 {44830:44845}], length 0
27 May. Having been a while since I added something, not that this hasn't been a continual problem, here is something new. This time it died in the middle of a file from alt.binaries.sounds.mp3.dr_demento, message #853946 to be exact. As usual, after the last acknknowledge, nothing. Then after a few minutes the client times out.
03:41:45.875939 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 51, id 30853, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1492)
85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.54838: Flags [.], cksum 0x9963 (correct), seq 7493315:7494755, ack 144, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1524228851 ecr 2271613662], length 1440
03:41:45.880838 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 51, id 30854, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1492)
85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.54838: Flags [.], cksum 0x36e0 (correct), seq 7494755:7496195, ack 144, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1524228851 ecr 2271613662], length 1440
03:41:45.880869 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 64, id 18437, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 52)
192.168.1.34.54838 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], cksum 0x55e5 (incorrect -> 0xfe25), ack 7496195, win 5662, options [nop,nop,TS val 2271613970 ecr 1524228851], length 0
03:41:45.885060 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 51, id 30855, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1492)
85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.54838: Flags [.], cksum 0x1619 (correct), seq 7496195:7497635, ack 144, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1524228860 ecr 2271613671], length 1440
03:41:45.889955 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 51, id 30856, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1492)
85.12.62.232.119 > 192.168.1.34.54838: Flags [.], cksum 0x202c (correct), seq 7497635:7499075, ack 144, win 227, options [nop,nop,TS val 1524228860 ecr 2271613671], length 1440
03:41:45.889987 IP (tos 0x0, ttl 64, id 18438, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 52)
192.168.1.34.54838 > 85.12.62.232.119: Flags [.], cksum 0x55e5 (incorrect -> 0xf2d3), ack 7499075, win 5662, options [nop,nop,TS val 2271613979 ecr 1524228860], length 0