Single website inaccessable through broadband / ethernet

1

I'm having difficulty accessing a single website on either of my two desktop computers, connected to the router using wired ethernet

However it will work from my mobile phone connected across wi-fi !!

The website is http://www.backtotheoldskool.co.uk and is up and running, and I've checked with the administrator - my IP is not blocked. Pinging the website gives no response; tracert the same.

My internet service provider is adamant nothing is wrong with the router, and took me through a factory reset, which at the very least gave me a new IP. But still nothing.

I've checked for malware/spyware and viruses, and even reinstalled my OS from scratch. Not a thing is making a difference

As my internet provider refuses any fault, considering my phone on wi-fi still works, I have been forced to troubleshoot, and came across this tool:  NB. I'm using Windows XP SP3

tcproute.exe - http://www.elifulkerson.com/projects/tcproute.php

The results from that are intriguing. This time I get a response:

 10        31 ms        customerhosting.co.uk [217.160.230.255]:80      Synchronize, Acknowledgment (port open)

So, I went ahead and done some packet monitoring on my machine. There actually seems to be ping responses, coming back from the remote host!

7   4.581191000   192.168.1.3     192.168.1.1             DNS   83  Standard query 0x506c  A backtotheoldskool.co.uk
8   4.582400000   192.168.1.1     192.168.1.3             DNS   99  Standard query response 0x506c  A 217.160.230.255
9   4.584188000   192.168.1.3     backtotheoldskool.co.uk ICMP  74  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=29696/116, ttl=128 (reply in 10)
10  4.613295000   backtotheoldskool.co.uk 192.168.1.3     ICMP  74  Echo (ping) reply    id=0x0200, seq=29696/116, ttl=54 (request in 9)
11  9.975578000   192.168.1.3     backtotheoldskool.co.uk ICMP  74  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=29952/117, ttl=128 (no response found!)
12  10.004569000  backtotheoldskool.co.uk 192.168.1.3     ICMP  74  Echo (ping) reply    id=0x0200, seq=29952/117, ttl=54 (request in 11)
27  15.475712000  192.168.1.3     backtotheoldskool.co.uk ICMP  74  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=30208/118, ttl=128 (reply in 28)
28  15.504834000  backtotheoldskool.co.uk 192.168.1.3     ICMP  74  Echo (ping) reply    id=0x0200, seq=30208/118, ttl=54 (request in 27)
29  20.975814000  192.168.1.3     backtotheoldskool.co.uk ICMP  74  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=30464/119, ttl=128 (reply in 30)
30  21.004243000  backtotheoldskool.co.uk 192.168.1.3     ICMP  74  Echo (ping) reply    id=0x0200, seq=30464/119, ttl=54 (request in 29)

But at the command prompt, I only see no response

Pinging backtotheoldskool.co.uk [217.160.230.255] with 32 bytes of data:

Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Ping statistics for 217.160.230.255:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

Please help me because I am completely confused and don't know which way to turn now. What could be the cause of this??

.

As requested, here is the full output of tracert 
C:\...\tcproute>tracert backtotheoldskool.co.uk

Tracing route to backtotheoldskool.co.uk [217.160.230.255]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1    <1 ms    <1 ms    <1 ms  192.168.1.1
  2    13 ms    13 ms    13 ms  79-65-76-1.host.pobb.as13285.net [79.65.76.1]
  3    13 ms    13 ms    13 ms  host-78-151-238-49.as13285.net [78.151.238.49]
  4    13 ms    13 ms    13 ms  host-78-151-238-60.as13285.net [78.151.238.60]
  5    14 ms    14 ms    14 ms  host-78-144-13-157.as13285.net [78.144.13.157]
  6    16 ms    15 ms    14 ms  linx.bb-d.ba.slo.gb.oneandone.net [195.66.236.98]
  7    23 ms    22 ms    32 ms  ae-3.bb-d.bv.crb.fr.oneandone.net [212.227.120.28]
  8    29 ms    29 ms    29 ms  ae-8-0.bb-a.bap.rhr.de.oneandone.net [212.227.120.42]
  9    29 ms    29 ms    28 ms  ae-1.gw-dista-a.bap.rhr.de.oneandone.net [212.227.121.171]
 10    29 ms    28 ms    29 ms  vl-1991.gw-ps17.bap.rhr.de.oneandone.net [217.160.127.84]
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.

   ...    

 29     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 30     *        *        *     Request timed out.

Trace complete.

.

Extra– Here are some of the packets logged for the tracert output above, corresponding to nodes 1, 10, and then timeout responses 11–30. Similarily to the ping test, there are ICMP echo reply packets coming back, but are simply not being recognised??

3   0.002849000     192.168.1.3     217.160.230.255       ICMP  106  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=4864/19, ttl=1 (no response found!)
4   0.003347000     192.168.1.1     192.168.1.3           ICMP  134  Time-to-live exceeded (Time to live exceeded in transit)
   ...
101 9.490449000     192.168.1.3     217.160.230.255       ICMP  106  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=12288/48, ttl=10 (no response found!)
102 9.519555000     217.160.127.84  192.168.1.3           ICMP  70   Time-to-live exceeded (Time to live exceeded in transit)

107 10.494826000    192.168.1.3     217.160.230.255       ICMP  106  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=12544/49, ttl=11 (reply in 108)
108 10.523657000    217.160.230.255 192.168.1.3           ICMP  106  Echo (ping) reply    id=0x0200, seq=12544/49, ttl=54 (request in 107)
   ... continues; 3x echo request/reply pairs for each timeout
413 266.922366000   192.168.1.3     217.160.230.255       ICMP  106  Echo (ping) request  id=0x0200, seq=27136/106, ttl=30 (reply in 414)
414 266.951980000   217.160.230.255 192.168.1.3           ICMP  106  Echo (ping) reply    id=0x0200, seq=27136/106, ttl=54 (request in 413)

Ornette

Posted 2016-05-27T07:38:44.973

Reputation: 11

Are you running any adblockers/browser plugins on your computer that may be causing this issue (perhaps something on the hosts file)? – happy_soil – 2016-05-27T10:18:58.210

No... I've gone all through that, I do use Avast, however - this is happening across two different machines, even on a reinstalled plain operating system. – Ornette – 2016-05-27T13:17:01.297

What is device 192.168.1.3? – DavidPostill – 2016-05-27T13:22:21.200

What is the output from tracert 217.160.230.255? Please [edit] and add the results to your question. – DavidPostill – 2016-05-27T13:23:51.423

David - device 192.168.1.3 is my primary computer, 192.168.1.1 would then be my broadband router. – Ornette – 2016-05-27T13:55:13.793

On Unix, Linux, and OS X systems, traceroute sends UDP datagrams to high-numbered ports with an increasing TTL value. On Microsoft Windows systems, tracert sends ICMP echo requests, instead. Tcproute sends TCP packets to port 80 on the destination system, increasing the TTL value by one with each packet sent. Since it is using TCP rather than ICMP echo requests, you see different results than with tracert, though that doesn't explain why you see "request timed out" with tracert

– moonpoint – 2016-05-27T15:42:10.663

Well, this is the thing. According to my packet monitoring, I am getting ICMP echo reply packets back from the remote host 217.160.230.255. But my computer(s) are not recognising them. – Ornette – 2016-05-27T22:01:28.527

I've just added some of the packets logged for the tracert test - see for yourself. There must be a protocol level issue going on here?? – Ornette – 2016-05-27T23:01:15.117

This question is generating traffic to that web site for sure. – Fuhrmanator – 2016-05-28T01:22:28.927

It's a shot in the dark, but virtual hosted sites share the same IP. Look at drawbacks of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_web_hosting_service

– Fuhrmanator – 2016-05-28T01:40:35.470

Well feel free to join up to discuss old skool hardcore, jungle and drum & bass! ;) – Ornette – 2016-05-28T11:58:44.830

I'll have a look at the link though, thanks – Ornette – 2016-05-28T11:59:22.207

Fuhrmanator - I've had a look at the link but there's nothing there to suggest why I can't access http://www.backtotheoldskool.co.uk . Any other ideas whats going on?

– Ornette – 2016-05-31T16:46:28.250

DavidPostill - you requested the tracert, any clues as to what's happening?? – Ornette – 2016-05-31T16:47:50.663

Answers

0

OK, I've established this is a fault with the Windows TCP/IP stack

Rather than a single website, numerous sites all located at the shared 1 & 1 Internet hosting service at 217.160.230.255 are inaccessable for me.

Windows 95, 98 and onwards through to XP & Server 2003 are all unable to communicate with hosts with IP addresses of the format x.x.x.255 >> http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/281579

This is down to the stack assuming it is a broadcast address, dropping all TCP packets although still allowing outgoing ICMP echo requests (although oddly, the tcproute utility used above managed to circumvent this somehow?)

Some more technical detail on this can be found here: Microsoft Windows TCP/IP Stack Behaviour - mavetju.org and here: IP adress problem .255 - Technet

There is no solution for me other than to use a proxy service, or get a new computer (Windows Vista and onwards are not affected)

Ornette

Posted 2016-05-27T07:38:44.973

Reputation: 11

Asked: 2016-05-27T07:38:44.973

Viewed: 132 times

Active: 2016-06-02T19:44:15.407