i've recently installed Debian 4 xfce on my current PC. Celeron something or other, it's my Linux training machine until I get a new computer for my birthday. Anyway, Internet is set up through eth1 (3com Tornado PCI) and I'm currently suspecting a default bandwidth choke with Ice Weasal or something else, as my downloading peaks around 6.3k/sec. Does anyone know how to get me into modifying the choke/throttle? i'd like to have the blazing speeds that the family pays for available to me :-/ . I hope to find help here.

There is no bandwidth/download limiting that I know of on a Debian install. Unless you've installed a firewall/traffic shaping program or played around with iptables.

Try Epiphany, Konqueror or some other browser. Fireweasel often has issues with it's configuration files. If you can isolate the problem to Iceweasel that may be the beginning of a solution.

I'm really new at Linux. can you help with a mini-how-to as far as installing new software? I'd like to try a new web-browser, but I'm not quite sure how to install it. I prefer if the instructions are for bash as this little how-to would generally apply to anything else I try. Like right now I'm not even sure how to install an instant messaging program. I have aol's linux version of aim dloaded, but I don't know how to install it succesfully. Thanks for the patience. If when I try a new browser and everything works without a bandwidth choke I feel the information from working on this will benefit more than just me. Thank you very much.

# aptitude keep-all
# aptitude install epiphany konqueror dillo gaim

Since you are using xfce, those packages will download a lot of gnome and kde background libraries, etc. Unless you are very limited in disk space, that should not be an issue. The first three are alternative web browsers. Gaim (Pidgin in Debian Testing and Unstable) is an alternative to AIM.

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading extended state information
Initializing package states... Done
Reading task descriptions... Done
Building tag database... Done
Couldn't find any package matching "epiphany". However, the following
packages contain "epiphany" in their description:
libmozjs0d
Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "konqueror"
Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "dillo"
Couldn't find any package whose name or description matched "gaim"
No packages will be installed, upgraded, or removed.
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.

is what i got after the second command.. argh! know what to do or investigate? i will say that when installing this OS it did not auto-detect the DHCP configuration, unlike Ubuntu. When the desktop was loaded I had to speak with a friend over AIM (on a different computer) to get the know how to be root (which i used for those commands you suggested) to load dhclient. Dhclient ehos at startup. I wish I could remember the full command he suggested for the echo, but it works as far as I have an IP address, it's just this damn choke, I'm not sure where it's from. Hope you still have the patience to help, thanks.

That should have been "# aptitude install epiphany-browser konqueror dillo gaim"

...but you evidently have bigger problems. If you're sure you're ready for Debian, as opposed to newbie friendly distros like Ubuntu, post your /etc/apt/sources.list file.

It also might help to know the general output of "# aptitude update"

i quit on deb for now, running fiesty fawn (ubuntu)... this is still a problem though (on deb)... did traceroute to see it wasn't just ice weasal, further investigation would be nice

before DHCLIENT is run
----------------------
seanyo@debian:~$ ps ax
PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
1 ? Ss 0:03 init [2]
2 ? S 0:00 [migration/0]
3 ? SN 0:00 [ksoftirqd/0]
4 ? S< 0:00 [events/0]
5 ? S< 0:00 [khelper]
6 ? S< 0:00 [kthread]
9 ? S< 0:00 [kblockd/0]
10 ? S< 0:00 [kacpid]
66 ? S< 0:00 [kseriod]
100 ? S 0:00 [pdflush]
101 ? S 0:00 [pdflush]
102 ? S< 0:00 [kswapd0]
103 ? S< 0:00 [aio/0]
566 ? S< 0:00 [khubd]
864 ? S< 0:00 [kjournald]
1041 ? S<s 0:00 udevd --daemon
1332 ? S< 0:00 [kpsmoused]
1607 ? S< 0:00 [kmirrord]
1847 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/portmap
2073 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/syslogd
2079 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/klogd -x
2097 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/hpiod
2100 ? S 0:00 python /usr/sbin/hpssd
2186 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/acpid -c /etc/acpi/events -s /var/run/acpid 2204 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/cupsd
2212 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-daemon --system
2224 ? Ss 0:00 avahi-daemon: running [debian.local]
2225 ? Ss 0:00 avahi-daemon: chroot helper
2272 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/exim4 -bd -q30m
2289 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/inetd
2320 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/gdm
2324 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/gdm
2329 tty7 Ss+ 0:05 /usr/bin/X :0 -dpi 96 -audit 0 -auth /var/lib/gdm/:0. 2332 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/rpc.statd
2347 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/anacron -s
2354 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/atd
2361 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/cron
2391 tty1 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2392 tty2 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty2
2393 tty3 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty3
2394 tty4 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty4
2395 tty5 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty5
2396 tty6 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty6
2414 ? Ss 0:02 x-session-manager
2451 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/bin/ssh-agent /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-s 2454 ? S 0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-session x-session-ma 2455 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-daemon --fork --print-pid 4 --print-add 2470 ? Ss 0:01 xfce-mcs-manager
2472 ? S 0:00 xfwm4
2474 ? S 0:01 xfce4-panel
2476 ? S 0:00 Thunar --daemon
2478 ? S 0:00 /usr/lib/gamin/gam_server
2480 ? Sl 0:13 xfdesktop
2482 ? S 0:00 /usr/lib/xfce4/panel-plugins/xfce4-menu-plugin socket 2490 ? Sl 0:16 /usr/lib/iceweasel/firefox-bin -a firefox
2497 ? S 0:00 /usr/lib/libgconf2-4/gconfd-2 11
2515 ? S 0:01 xfce4-terminal
2516 ? S 0:00 gnome-pty-helper
2517 pts/0 Ss 0:00 bash
2536 pts/0 R+ 0:00 ps ax
-------------------
After DHCLIENT is ran
-------------------
debian:~# as af
Assembler messages:
Can't open af for reading: No such file or directory
debian:~# ps ax
PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
1 ? Ss 0:03 init [2]
2 ? S 0:00 [migration/0]
3 ? SN 0:00 [ksoftirqd/0]
4 ? S< 0:00 [events/0]
5 ? S< 0:00 [khelper]
6 ? S< 0:00 [kthread]
9 ? S< 0:00 [kblockd/0]
10 ? S< 0:00 [kacpid]
66 ? S< 0:00 [kseriod]
100 ? S 0:00 [pdflush]
101 ? S 0:00 [pdflush]
102 ? S< 0:00 [kswapd0]
103 ? S< 0:00 [aio/0]
566 ? S< 0:00 [khubd]
864 ? S< 0:00 [kjournald]
1041 ? S<s 0:00 udevd --daemon
1332 ? S< 0:00 [kpsmoused]
1607 ? S< 0:00 [kmirrord]
1847 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/portmap
2073 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/syslogd
2079 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/klogd -x
2097 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/hpiod
2100 ? S 0:00 python /usr/sbin/hpssd
2186 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/acpid -c /etc/acpi/events -s /var/run/acpid 2204 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/cupsd
2212 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-daemon --system
2224 ? Ss 0:00 avahi-daemon: running [debian.local]
2225 ? Ss 0:00 avahi-daemon: chroot helper
2272 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/exim4 -bd -q30m
2289 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/inetd
2320 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/gdm
2324 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/gdm
2329 tty7 Rs+ 0:13 /usr/bin/X :0 -dpi 96 -audit 0 -auth /var/lib/gdm/:0. 2332 ? Ss 0:00 /sbin/rpc.statd
2347 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/anacron -s
2354 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/atd
2361 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/sbin/cron
2391 tty1 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty1
2392 tty2 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty2
2393 tty3 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty3
2394 tty4 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty4
2395 tty5 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty5
2396 tty6 Ss+ 0:00 /sbin/getty 38400 tty6
2414 ? Ss 0:02 x-session-manager
2451 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/bin/ssh-agent /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-s 2454 ? S 0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-launch --exit-with-session x-session-ma 2455 ? Ss 0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-daemon --fork --print-pid 4 --print-add 2470 ? Ss 0:01 xfce-mcs-manager
2472 ? R 0:01 xfwm4
2474 ? S 0:03 xfce4-panel
2476 ? S 0:00 Thunar --daemon
2478 ? S 0:00 /usr/lib/gamin/gam_server
2480 ? Sl 0:13 xfdesktop
2482 ? S 0:00 /usr/lib/xfce4/panel-plugins/xfce4-menu-plugin socket 2490 ? Sl 0:16 /usr/lib/iceweasel/firefox-bin -a firefox
2497 ? S 0:00 /usr/lib/libgconf2-4/gconfd-2 11
2515 ? R 0:04 xfce4-terminal
2516 ? S 0:00 gnome-pty-helper
2517 pts/0 Ss+ 0:00 bash
2542 pts/1 Ss 0:00 bash
2560 pts/1 S 0:00 su -
2561 pts/1 S 0:00 -su
2586 ? Ss 0:00 dhclient
2589 pts/1 R+ 0:00 ps ax
----------------
DHCLIENT results
----------------
debian:~# dhclient
Internet Systems Consortium DHCP Client V3.0.4
Copyright 2004-2006 Internet Systems Consortium.
All rights reserved.
For info, please visit http://www.isc.org/sw/dhcp/

Listening on LPF/eth1/00:08:c7:77:00:94
Sending on LPF/eth1/00:08:c7:77:00:94
Listening on LPF/eth0/00:04:75:7d:86:88
Sending on LPF/eth0/00:04:75:7d:86:88
Sending on Socket/fallback
DHCPDISCOVER on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 5
DHCPDISCOVER on eth1 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 5
DHCPOFFER from 192.168.1.1
DHCPREQUEST on eth0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67
DHCPACK from 192.168.1.1
chown: failed to get attributes of `/etc/resolv.conf': No such file or directorychmod: failed to get attributes of `/etc/resolv.conf': No such file or directorybound to 192.168.1.100 -- renewal in 37693 seconds.
-----------------

Please note that during installation I have to select "Do not configure network at this time." Also note that there is no internet until I run DHCLIENT as root. I do not know how to rememdy the 6k/dload rate problem yet and I have switched back to Debian because I'm on the Networking book in the All-in-one-Desk-Reference Linux for Dummies book. I doubt that they'll have a remedy for such a specific problem. Your help is appreciated and I hope the process list will set off a quick response. I'll be investigating slowly but I'm sure someone knows the answer.

In the meantime I'll be applying all available patches from Debian.org, I hope my computer will magically work afterwards, undoubtedly the fix should be wrapped up in the next release, because it's so painful to have this bandwidth capped.