File upload and download problems

[spellmaster]

To be honest were just about to leave BT because of this issue but before we do i wonder if anyone here can help.

Our site has a secure area where employees can upload files via a php upload form, they can also download via a hyperlink once the file is uploaded. This code has worked well since about 2009, but before christmas it all started to go wrong. 

Now when a user trys to upload the upload keeps restarting, as if the connection is being reset constantly. Fiiles that already exist on the site begin downloading but at a random stage during the download they go straight to 100% and a corrupt file is the result.

I believe this to be a server or other transport problem. To test my theory i have setup an identical site on another provider (streamline) and the script works fine there. If they are able to remove the server upload limit of 2MB then i will probably move all my business there or if not to another provider. 

Emails have gone back and forth plus contact in to BTcare but they insist the problem is fixed, but it just isn't.  

[buirnsideandy]

You may want to consider the difficulties I have been having with an upload fault. Basically the fault diagnostic process in BT seems to lack any logic or effective diagnostic capability. For a local loop Open Reach engineer to be sent three times to look at a fault that simply logging on to the router at the exchange would have shown was NOT a local copper line issue shows the staff have little engineering experience or logical fault finding skills. Fault finding is a process of elimination of causes and so far no one seems to understand that simple rule!

Attn Grant <name removed by moderator> or other senior customer care manager

Dear Grant

I would like to thank the helpdesk for their patience in listening to me and my tale of woe!

I have also tried to be patient with BT in an attempt to get my broadband fault fixed.

I have to report yet again that I still have a problem with my broadband.

I am a professional network engineer and my day to day work involves tracing and fixing network problems for NHS Highland.

I have said from the beginning that the fault is not on the local loop. So far the Open Reach engineer has been three times to test a perfect line.

It is wasting his time and mine and a simple check of the exchange router will confirm that the problem is not Line sync speed or noise.

I have taken my BT modem and this laptop to Invereness and tested the equipmment on a friends BT Business Broadband line. This proved the equipmment was OK.
The upload speed from Inverness was 375kbps.

I demonstrated to Alec the Open reach engineer that the speed test to the Plus Net (BT Owned) tester fails on upstream throughput.

 I can not upload any attachments to BT Web mail or ftp files to a web server. after an intial short burst of data the upload grinds to a halt and fails.

The BT Wholesale engineer tried a reset of the card because the B-RAS profile had dropped to 4M. Unfortunaely this is missing the point. He also said he rebuilt the circuit.

I assume he meant the PVC in the ATM cloud. If the PVC still goes via and ATM circuit that has limited sustained cell rate this may the the problem but is not my area of expertise.

I do know however that the fault is NOT the local loop circuit (sync speeds downstream and upstream are fine and noise margins OK)

I also know the fault is not the modem or my equipment.

I also know that I did not have a problem until I moved my broadband service from Talk Talk residential to BT Business Broadband.

I want to have this fault FIXED so please please do not arrange for another visit by Alec who has proved three times that the local copper line is not the problem.

I will be taking this case to Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman if this does not get resolved. I would rather you allow me to cancel my two year contract at no penalty cost.


Yours sincerely

Andrew Ince
Andrew Ince, I.Eng,MIET
Network Specialist

[Fiona]

Hi buirnsideandy,

I'm sorry to read about the problems you have experienced with your Business Broadband Connection.

Is this a copy of a letter you have sent to BT Business? If this is a complaint you would like to register with BT Business, you can find details of the complaints code on the BT PLC page. You could also use the complaints section of BT Business Contact Us.

Kind Regards

Fiona

BT Business Forum Moderator

[Fiona]

Hi spellmaster,

I am really sorry as I can't see any of your account information or details with the technical team I can't really comment on this issue. If you are able to private mail me your BT Business Account details and technical reference numbers I can look over the issue in more detail.

Kind Regards

Fiona

BT Business Forum Moderator

[Fiona]

Hi,

Buirnsideandy, have you raised this issue via the channel I suggested?

Spellmaster, if you are still having problems can you please send me the information I requested.

If I have not heard from you within the next couple of days I will assume this issue is now resolved and close the thread.

Kind Regards

Fiona
BT Business Forum Moderator

[Samlawson]

Hi buirnsideandy,

Sorry to drag up an old post, but did you ever resolve your issue? I'm having the same issue where any reasonably sized files that are being uploaded, or sent by email, are corrupting. The issue is down to the BT line and BT themselves seem to be scratching their heads trying to sort the issue. Meanwhile my company is losing money daily as they are unable to email simple quotes without them being received as corrupted files by the recipients, and my Director is going mad!

I'd appreciate any help anyone can give me with this. Thanks

Sam

[firionicable]

I got this same problem last week where it has been resolved without me doing anything about it. Just one day, it came back to normal and it runs perfectly well.

[timashton]

Hi,

I am having a very similar problem as described in the posts above. I have two broadband lines, one BT Total Business the other with a provider we'll call X. Our X broadband is perfect - we can upload (via FTP, etc) and download as much as we like. Our BT broadband downloads perfectly, but won't upload more than about 35kb of any file.

It makes no difference whether we use an FTP program, drag and drop in Windows to an FTP folder, or upload via a website's PHP script.

We've switched to a different router (that works fine on the X broadband connection), turned off firewalls, AV, internet security, tried different servers, etc. But nothing helps. The problem started in June this year - it happened over night. Every machine in the company has the same problem - both PCs and Macs, connected via LAN or WiFi. Connecting the same computers to the other broadand or via 3G dongles, etc means it works perfectly.

The only difference we can see is that X broadband is an ADSL1 connection and BT broadband is an ADSL2 connection. Could that make a difference? Why would the better, more advanced, faster and more expensive broadband suddenly stop allowing file uploads?

When speaking to BT business support their only suggestion was that since we were getting 17Mbps download speed perhaps that was just "too good" and "too fast" for uploads to work. Clearly didn't know what he was talking about and also I'm a bit worried that BT, the company offering 25 and 50 Mbps download speeds thinks that 17 Mbps is too fast!

Any help or suggestions would be most welcome.

Thank,

Tim

[DaveA]

Hi,

Just to clarify, it is possible for a line to receive too much signal.  Your speed will increase, but it will become unstable.

I'm not entirely sure about it in this case, but just so you know it wasn't complete nonsense.

Anyway your situation does seem quite odd.  If everything in your FTP program is the same then the one thing I can think of is that the host server is blocking uploads from your BT IP.

Does this only happen with one upload, or with any upload no matter the server?

Dave

[timashton]

Hi,

In terms of the speed issue - does that mean nobody with broadband speed greated than, say, 15Mbps can upload files anymore? A friend of mine has the 76Mbps BT service Infinity and uploads massive video files for us occassionally. I wonder if there is a way to limit the signal and see if that makes it better? However, it was working for 14 months quite happily.

It's uploading to any server (with two different hosting companies) and we have checked with both server companies and they have white listed our IP address to make sure that wasn't the problem.

Also, both server companies have confirmed that if our IP address was blocked, then we wouldn't be able to connect to the FTP server at all. We can connect to the server, upload files smaller than 25-50Kb (small images) and we can download whatever size we like.

Thanks for your help.