Very very weird internet problem

UPDATE IT WORKS!!! I did one last desperate thing, something that I 'knew' wouldn't work ..put the network card into another PCi slot.... Nowhappened??[/B] Does anyone have any clue why this happened??

Q) IS IT POSSIBLE FOR MY ISP TO BLOCK (UNINTENTIONALLY) INTERNET ACCESS TO LINUX ???

The connection: Lan Or cable based connection, with static ip.
you know I have to put a dns server , gateway, my ipaddress.

The problem: Ftp in linux works, but browsing (http) won't work with any browser. The weirdest part is that sometimes it works, i.e sometimes suddenly a page would open , otherwise it is always stuck on 'sending request in' in Opera . Tried multiple browsers.
Irc always works as well. Internet is as normal as ever in windows

Distribution: kubuntu; kubuntu live cd; puppy live cd; and past completely functioning customized puppy live cd. - So my settigns shouldn't be the problem..

So basically I am all completely lost. Just have to tell my ISP what to fix.

Diagnostics:

can ping to dns and gateway just fine.

1. "telnet gateway 80" - stuck , no messages.
"telnet gateway 25" - gives some connected message.
2. "wget google.co.in"

http://www.google.co.in/ (try: 2) => `index.html' Connecting to www.google.co.in[66.102.7.99]:80... connected. HTTP request sent, awaiting response... - STUCK HERE

Also: wget google.com

Connecting to www.google.co.in[66.102.7.99]:80... connected. Resolving www.google.co.in[66.102.7.99 - GETS STUCK HERE FOR A MINUTE OR TWO, but works afterwards

3. My Isp has a site on 172.16.3.55 - I get the same problem with this i.e it gets stuck on "sending request" - This points me that its something in the network, not exactly an internet problem .
4. Ask me anything!!

ISP: they are very very dumb, cold have easily done something stupid to block http to linux.

System:
Single PC, ethernet card, no router, firewall. No proxy ( atleast I haven't setup any).
Again I am getting the same problem with different linux live cds, so it cannot be some config problem or linux problem, unless ofcourse I am doing something horrendously stupid. man that would suck soo bad.

Does linux handles something in http differently than windows??

Help plz

sounds like a DNS problem, use another computer (running any os (as long has the internet works)) and get them to ping google

it should give something like this:

C:\Documents and Settings\ian.MSI>ping www.google.co.uk

Pinging www.l.google.com [216.239.59.147] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 216.239.59.147: bytes=32 time=52ms TTL=241
Reply from 216.239.59.147: bytes=32 time=52ms TTL=241
Reply from 216.239.59.147: bytes=32 time=69ms TTL=241
Reply from 216.239.59.147: bytes=32 time=52ms TTL=241

Ping statistics for 216.239.59.147:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 52ms, Maximum = 69ms, Average = 56ms

(Sorry for my use of wimblowz)

Then on your Linux pc (the one with internet problems), try using http://216.239.59.147 , If google (uk) loads, then you have a DNS problem (you need to set name hosts)

Q) IS IT POSSIBLE FOR MY ISP TO BLOCK (UNINTENTIONALLY) INTERNET ACCESS TO LINUX ???

You bet. I have seen such stoopid human tricks as an ISP fiddling around with MAC address screening and unintentionally blocking a range of MAC addresses or thinking they are using the correct MAC address (it was your addr) to do TFTP boot to a network printer.

Remember:
The "I" in "ISP" can be a number of things including ignorant.
Their are still a number of wannabees that started an ISP around the time of the dot com bomb and now they have become tired of tending to their network access parameters. Worse yet, an ISP (as in a big one) hiring wannabees that have no real-world practicle experience. The Human Resources agencies have yet to come into the early 1990's and will hire anyone that they perceive as being a "smart guy or gal" or out of despair.

Bell$outh blocks lots of protocols used by Linux systems, such as rsync and smtp. When I went to visit my folks in the South, doing an emerge --sync not only didn't work but would cause the connection to the modem (we were on a router) to be dropped until the modem was restarted. I guess they think that everybody runs Windows and that rsync is only used to make a mirror, and hosting a site is STRICTLY VERBOTEN according to their TOS. They want you to add an extra 1 or 2 in front of your bill each month for the privilege of doing so so they enforce that with gusto! They don't realize that other people use the protocol for other things that are not even close to being against the TOS, so I consider that company a POS.

yes they can, but i think your problem is as someone else said with dns.
my isp blocks some protocols when i try wget, i can't get anything, btw i e-mailed their as*** and i still didn't get an answer.

ISPs can block pretty much what they want. This includes IPs, MACs, protocols, or services. Some seem to block SMTP to cut down on the spambots as an example. If your ISP is blocking ports I suggest you find another. Not sure where in the world you are but there are many viable options in Western Canada

TCP/IP traffic is tagged with a port number which identifies the application. There's nothing there that identifies the operating system. Web sites on the other hand can make our life difficult by using Microsoft Active-X. Don't forgot the lion's share of web servers run Apache and Linux.

Dunno about the rest of you but here is Oz, ISP's blocking Linux doesnt exist. (I know this for a fact, I work for one of the largest here!) Infact, most of the ISP's here USE LINUX (or some form of UNIX) to administer internet connections anyway!
If your internet doesnt work with Linux, it is most likely going to be your settings - or your hardware.
I know that where I work, because the Linux community is so small in Oz, we cannot offer support for Internet connections using Linux. Plus, with the various flavours of Liux out there, and one not being the same as the next, it makes it extremeley hard to support. The only support we can offer is: "Here is your username. Here is your password. For Dial up, here is the dial up phone number. If you need Proxies, they are this. DNS server addresses are as follows. You work out the rest" Anything more is going to be seen as holding the customer's hand to walk them through thier issue. People need to start using thier OWN brains at some stage, and start to think about things for themselves.

I am not an apologist for the ISP's out there. I am simply offering a point of view which should be shared. Besdies, its open discussion, right?!

There are perfectly valid reasons for blocking some protocols. SMTP for example is blocked from external access by most business with their own mail servers. The reason is to block spammers from using the servers to hide their identities. The default for firewalls is to block all incoming traffic unless specifically opened. That would of course include inbound rsync which the ISP may not be using. Wholesale opening of ports makes things like Trojans possible.

Bell$outh blocks lots of protocols used by Linux systems,

Well I'm in Atlanta, on EarthLink which runs over BellSouth lines here. As a new EL customer last summer could not get a factory loaded Xandros system to access new account. Tech support was a joke. Had to get an XP system, activate acct then add the Xandros system which then worked OK but not great.

Now with 2 Linux 1 XP units on home LAN through Zoom X5 DSL router/modem if I just have XP up I don't have service interrupts but as I try to do most browsing/web activity with Linux I have rather frequent PPPoE server connectivity failures. Router reboot usually fixes but is a pain and tech support just wants me to use EL home LAN program with their hardware which is only Windows compatible.

I've learned quite a bit about networking from user->ISP->WWW and I'm not getting into tech details here. Just another sad story of a Linux guy who cannot EVER go completely Windows free..... ....

In CA both SBC, now AT&T, and Comcast require Windows to run the application that registers your modem with the CO/POP. SBC also uses ActiveX on the site the for user account management. They both told me I had to buy Windows and use IE to use the Internet. This is criminally stupid. Only having Linux I never managed to get SBC DSL to work. I fooled Comcast with wine and IE for registration before deleting IE from my system. Firefox forever. Can't speak to the blocking of Linux IP traffic but can definitely testify to stupidity regarding Linux and for that matter, the Internet in general.

I don't recall there being any mention of problems with the POP, DSLAM(If on DSL) or even Redbacks. I know when I was working for an ISP, we had a customer who was configured correctly except the Redback had a configuration issue that caused intermittent problems with the customers connection.

There is also the possibility of interferance from outside sources such as Light poles, alarms, satellite dishes, and even the cabling inside the house. And, yes, I have dealt with people who had issues with their connection going down when the street light turned on.


Lastly, reset all your hardware and connect your CPE back to your Linux box one at a time, it may resolve the situation, or, if they have done maint. on your circut it is entirely possible that it may have caused your problem. Since you have cable, see if they can give you the IP address for your modem, and look in the log to see if there is anything that does not look right.

I would definately check with your ISP and have them run some diagnostics, at least then you'd have some piece of mind!