Since moving to BitTorrent and new DL site, DP_BASE crashes (Page 1 of 2)

Make sure you're using the current version of DriverPacks BASE.
http://driverpacks.net/applications/latest

The download links within DriverPacks BASE were disabled intentionally.  This was posted on the front page news.
http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic.php?id=4850

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DPs_BASE 10.06 Should (and does for me and mr_smartepants) report the local versions and server versions and will offer to update to any latest version available. However if you click "update Selected" you should very quickly get an error message that the download is unavailable (a popup for each pack selected).

If that is not your expereince then you either have a corrupted BASE install or an issue with your machines config... I am guessing a courrupt BASE install.

Hint: Don't click Update Selected - it won't work (at least not until we start getting more than 800 a month in donations, and we have never gotten more than 800 a year in donations... soooo never)

We are working on a two tiered solution:
Tier one Torrents and manual downloads - free
Tier two CDN and automated downloads as has been in the past - donation required.

We simply can not afford to offer CDN to everyone anymore... the ROI for our sponsors is almost nonexistent and we get no donations. Sorry. Everybody wants something for nothing and nobody appreciates what we do and have offered in the past. I must include you in this group here... Not one kind word in your posts, No offer to help, no donation, only a gripe. You wish to complain that the services that we have slaved over for over 8 years and have always provided for free and that you have been using for months has an issue, and don't even say thanks for all our hard work... or mention how much work we saved you. Well I for one am now extreeeeeemely motivated to get right to work on that. 

There is a Beta of BASE out... but feedback from the testing team has been almost non existent, ususally this means it is working fine, but with no feedback there is no release. (people usually only take time to write if there is a problem - hey, weren't we just talking about that...)

The beta version still checks for updates ... all versions do so... but the new version simply opens an IE window to the download page when update selected is pressed and then waits for the file to finish downloading then MD5 checks it. This has more error checking and fail checking code needed now that torrents have been added. because people do silly stuff... like clicking on the download selected button when they already know that downloads have been discontinued...

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The timeout for a failed network connections is and has been for some time written in the code.
http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic.php?id=3998
The related posts testing and feedback are in the hidden testing team forum.
 

You FAILED to mention the affected machine had no internet connecton in your first post and di not include your BASE version in the title... (sorry my fault entirely) Please see: "Read BEFORE you post" linked in my signature and was linked in the rules you agreed to when you signed up. AKA Rule #0.

Sorry i have only been doing computer related stuff since 1968...
i didn't realize that i had finally found somone with more experience than me... I must aplogize since I personally have only been into computers for a little over 40 years and started with machine language and assembler, and have only recently gotten my BCS um... 30 years ago.

I'll do a few tests on an isolated machine and report back... I have not retested this since the CDN delivery was cut... I will do so now.
Thanks for letting us know. (finaly with enough details to duplicate the issue)

Based on the fact that you cannot properly detail and issue I don't need you on the testing team (beta access).
IE
Ommission of KEY details,
failure to read directions,
displaying a lack of respect,
continuing to fail to show appreciation for our project.
In other words yeah you appear to me to be a complete noob.
please see the definition of noob in our rules http://forum.driverpacks.net/misc.php?action=rules "Posting Guidelines"

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Agian... it was not until you mentioned that fact that the machine you run BASE on does not have internet access that you provided any useful info (third post) and whch version of BASE you were useing (second post).

I get LOTS of feedback when there is an issue...
No feedback means no issues. I said that.
It does not mean the couple of hundred boys deploying to thousands of machines are lazy or not testing. They simply only report if something goes wrong.

However useing BASE on a machine with no internet would put you in a VERY small percentage of our 100+ active member tester group.

Now that i can "reproduce your issue" (something i expect that i would be able to do after your first post. "Read BEFORE you post" item #6). I will test, identify and address the issue.

I'll let you know how it shakes out.

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Hi,

The only RAID controller I've seen recently was on a Dell Dimension 5200 but off the top of my head I think that was an Intel controller which worked fine when I slipstreamed the latest drivers - provided I *also* included the most RAID Monitoring utility as well. When I didn't do that, the POST screen sometimes reported an error with one of the disks when configured to stripe.

I'm guessing a similar principle applies with the NVidia RAID controller; drivers alone should suffice.

I have a batch file here which allows you to do stuff like query the WMI for specific versions of software and drivers, and you could probably use that to build up a combination check script, e.g. if controller driver=* and vendor=* then install this app after installing the drivers. I'm testing it today on IBM systems (14 different models, laptop and desktop) to remove the existing fingerprint software completely so I can test out a completely different fingerprint solution.

Incidentally, I thought I'd seen your handle somewhere... Your multi-OEM addon is the testes canes! To be perfectly honest I've only looked at it, but that's a class effort.

Hi OverFlow,

Got to say, in my experience over 90% of my clients don't have direct connections to the internet and 50% of those who go through layered firewalls and proxy servers by enforced policy, have all manner of issues with unmanaged Windows Updates and apps like Windows Live Messenger (check the Microsoft forums, I've posted a workaround for people having difficulty installing Windows Live Messenger under these circumstances). These issues can be compounded on machines that aren't joined to the domain, e.g. visitors' laptops.

Actually, last week was the very first time in 4 years that I went to a corporate site where direct access to the internet was a given.

Corporate customers of mine want to save hundreds of man hours on build management and could use this project IF they can be assured it will work "out of the box" on their network. Right now, based on the information you've provided, that kind of environment isn't considered so what to you seems to be a non-issue is in fact a monumental ball-ache for people like me who'd evangelise this package to those who'd throw money at you.

To give you an idea of the opportunity you're passing up - this year four small companies I know who are too small to go for an enterprise build management facility, went out and bought new PCs just because Windows needed to be reinstalled on an old machine and the downtime to them to wait for me to take it away, restore it to a usable state and ship it back, cost more than the new computer. I still got the work but they needed a working PC within 4 hours and I physically cannot get to them and complete the rebuild in that short a time.

I could rattle off some recovery disks for them, or put in corporate imaging, but it's not as if these guys aren't technically savvy. They simply don't have the time to mess about.

Of course, there is one other issue with the corporate environment - BitTorrent is blocked at just about every customer I've ever been to. I know small businesses with less than 10 people who use managed business broadband connections provided through a local service subsidised by the state, and even that has a block on BitTorrent.

My only query is due to the fact that in THIS configuration on THIS network, the app worked fine in December and doesn't work in January, despite NOTHING changing - no new software installs, no software updates, no relevant changes to the firewall policy, no change to the proxy server...

You ask me not to explain the bleeding obvious, then you ask REPEATEDLY for information that I've already given you. OK....

"what version of DriverPacks BASE"

Pasted verbatim from the "download latest" page as it currently reads:

Release date    Application    Version   
Jun 15, 2010    DriverPacks BASE    10.06    download

I've already stated that on this thread it several times over, I am using 10.06, downloaded from this link. I even gave you the exact date I downloaded it from that link.
The software here does indeed tell me it is 10.06 so presumably the information on the download page is correct.

If I am not using the latest version then it's hardly my fault; the "latest" link would have to be out of date for me to be using an old release.

"(I have to Guess that this particular machine will resolve DriverPacks.net - that info was ALSO not provided)"

DNS resolves fine to the sites even if I don't auth to the proxy server or firewall. To actually browse the sites I need to client auth to the firewall or go through the proxy server. When I get the chance, I'll look into that further but based on your comment that might be a good place for me to start.

Bit more information:

The network in question has ~20 PCs connected to an AD network on a gigabit backbone, with two DNS servers. GPO settings for the proxy server (ISA) and with the firewall configured to block BitTorrent but allow other web traffic. Traffic through the proxy servers is heavily filtered on the basis that this is a security cleared organization and beholden to meet strict content and change restrictions due to the nature of the client base.

This is how I can be pretty sure, if we're obliged by our customers to adopt that policy, they are following similar policies internally so my issues would be their issues.

The machine in question is off the domain (I don't want the GPOs to lock it down) so I browse the internet via basic authentication in Internet Explorer; if I have to use PROXYCFG or client auth to the firewall I can (in theory) but in practice I am not supposed to do it by virtue of the fact this machine is off the domain and not AV-protected. Hence, I download the updates from elsewhere, and then copy them over to the PC in question.

That policy might sound odd to you, but it is almost STANDARD in the industries I work with the most. Some of those clients have Change Control that's so intensive that they will be using XP for at least five more years and still have Windows NT4 kicking about.

And they have to maintain STRICT build standards. Since the apps are all QA'd to the Nth degree the main headache for them moving forward, is going to be the ever-changing availability of the exact same hardware to go with their standard build. Because every time they have to load a new set of drivers, THAT is a month of change control. What they really want is a universal install image, with a preset bundle of drivers that will DEFINITELY work, regardless of the hardware, that has a specfic set of Windows Updates, doesn't update automatically, has specific applications, and is then locked down so it cannot be modified except by explicit, authorized means.

That is the opportunity I'm talking about. If Driver packs can be validated ONCE then these industries and clients will save themselves THOUSANDS of hours of expensive change control. They would probably be willing to pay for it.

I did not ask you to reprovide the same info... just to fill in the gaps. My dismay was cause by the fact that i had to wait till your third post and the fifth post of the thread (four days later) for the info we request in your first post. That ship sailed.

Now five days later i have sufficient info to help you.

DriverPacks BASE copies proxy info from IE... If IE can get to the net then so should DriverPacks BASE. It will use the proxy data copied from IE.
Per your policy this would not be allowed but Should work... Please test to make sure IE can get to DriverPacks.net if so then BASE should ge able to get its list of updates (and presumably not hang).

I have clients with proxy, and my personal setup uses ISA server, this is a known working configuration.

Let me know if you can get to DriverPacks.net from IE on the machine in question. This will identify the specific issue with the machine and / or the BASE issue with your proxy. A better statement is, help me to know more precisely how i go about duplicating the issue.

more info:
On proxy support topics.
http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic. … 225#p17225
http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic. … 224#p17224
http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic.php?id=2585

On syntax for manualy adding proxy values
http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic.php?id=2332
----snip
>>new command line switch by request  /proxy

>>Usage /proxy:"LocalProxy:Port"[,"Username","Password"]
>>examples
>>DPs_BASE.exe /proxy:"192.168.1.1:8080"
>>DPs_BASE.exe /proxy:"LocalProxy:8080","administrator","password"
----snip

So it is possable to let BASE access through a proxy even if IE (and other net apps) is disallowed.
Again your situation is not new or unique and has been integrated from the begining (2003), Bug reported, addressed, tested, debugged and retested by many people for many years. Our main user base is the IT professional. You are not the only one of our hundreds of millions of users who secures a network.

That is why details are important... I must ask myself "what is unique to your setup that thousands of other users in your same situation are not affected by?"

I'll play with a scenario where DNS resolves but Proxy fails... and see where i land, with a little luck I can duplicate your 6 minute freeze. Once i can duplicate the problem then i can fix the problem... since i am 98% done with the next release I would like to included it, and credit you for reporting it. If i can duplicate /find it of course. [thinking out loud] What results on your network take BASE into a 6 minute routine to finnaly fail? Failure usually takes around ten seconds. For a while i had a Cancel / Abort button on that page... perhaps i should put it back for edge cases like this....

Thanks for your persistence in this matter.

PS No it doesn't sound odd... For corp. security it's quite common. Most of our team works in similar environments around the world. I am used to much higher security levels. Two of my previous employers were required to meet Fed Gov level security. I have seen setups that you would not even belive me if i described them to you... Even one setup that had the engineers from cisco call us in to show them how to access it... All of their back doors were failing and they were totally locked out... and they were local to the equiptment (in the room with it).

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No apologies neccessary! Mr_smartepants is correct you and I are cut from the same mold LOL. It's nice debating with myself ROFL.

Still fishing for a compliment or a Thank You for all our hard work though .

Jeff

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This is kinda off topic but the tittle of the topic got me thinking...would it be cool if the base could look if the .torrent extension in the registry what program is associated and automatically launched the torrent client with the cmdline to add the .torrent file and begin dl?

Example it would see if .torrent extension is installed and what is used to open it here in the registry

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.torrent\OpenWithProgids]
"uTorrent"=""

It sees its installed and uTorrent is the program, so it looks in the registry for uTorrent key for the cmdline

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\uTorrent\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files (x86)\\uTorrent\\uTorrent.exe\" \"%1\""

Then the BASE downloads the <dp>.torrent and opens utorrent with a path to the .torrent file

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\uTorrent\uTorrent.exe" "<path_to_file>\<dp_torrent>.torrent"

uTorrent launches and the dp.torrent is added (and wouldn't it be gr8 if there were switches to add a save path that would save it in the \DriverPacks folder )

Edit: aparently there IS a way to specify a save path http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=53988

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\uTorrent\uTorrent.exe" /DIRECTORY "<path_to_folder>\DriverPacks" "<path_to_file>\<dp_torrent>.torrent"

But it may not be practical, may differ for every torrent client out there

Last edited by ricktendo64 (2011-01-28 06:37:09)

My Windows 7 integration instructional videos

Wow... Man i went fishing and pulled in a whale!

Thank you for thanking us! countless peeps have put in countless hours .

Wow that is a great idea Rick!  You know us, we are kinda lax on semi OT convo.

However one of the reasons we disabled direct downloads is to attract advertisers and sponsors - donation is not even keeping the servers up and is never going to be anywhere near the $800 a month we would have to pay for a CDN, if one was not donated to us. We have been lucky enough to find generous companies like MaxCDN to step up BUT in order to attract that kind of sponsorship in an ongoing basis our page hits need to go up... yah it's nice seeing a stat like 250k downloads a month for us... but sponsors want to see how many times their banner gets seen and just as importantly what the conversion rate is. So... At least for the short term we need users to visit the pages to get the files. As we always say "help us to help you".

We are considering a multi tier solution. direct downloads for donors and manual for free... but have not set anything in stone yet.  If we go this route, and we probably will, then your idea is the best one i have heard yet!

You da Man!

Thanks for all you do here for us and for the community at large!

@Pants  wouldn't the client still seed even if the folder were redirected???

You guys are my heros!

Jeff

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AFAIK, yes.
When I manually DL the DP torrents, I usually directly let them be placed into the respective sub-dir of the DP folder - disregarding the default save path that I have set in µtorrent.
It still gets seeded until I manually delete it out of the program's list.

So I would say, even with a path given via command line that should work just fine (at least for µtorrent, but that's probably the most common client around from what I've gathered. Not as blown-up as Azureus have become and it's even available portable - for instance as part of LiberKey).

Anyway, I like the idea, too, Rick!

Coming up next - useful links:
• If you like this project, please support it with your donation!      • Grab your HW info (HWIDs) here!     
• If you are a newbie, be sure to check out the DriverPacks tutorial!     • Here's how to create your own DP!

ooooh pretty quote pyramids!

@TSaddon YES RSS feed is also an excellent idea.

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