Author Topic: Update "connection error" after disconnecting  (Read 6359 times)

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Offline MikeBCda

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Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« on: November 17, 2006, 06:43:21 PM »
By background, I'm on dialup, auto-install def updates and notify-only for program upgrades.  Current I have, which I believe are up to date, are avast build .892 with defs 0649-0. And my update settings (dialup only) have worked fine for years.

On rare occasions, including this morning, I'm seeing the red update-connection-error box pop up long (several minutes) after disconnecting.

Is this maybe a case of avast is reading modem status incorrectly (possibly the modem itself is at fault?).  Or could it possibly be tied into the relatively recent drop in priority for the updating service, so that maybe the update check isn't happening till well after the modem-status check?  Could bumping priority back up (which I think can be done in the INI) help?

Thanks and best
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2006, 07:31:36 PM »
As a dial-up user, it is very infrequently that I see this and it is usually associated with a dropped connection. When this happened it didn't pop-up for a short period of time but not several minutes.

If the alert is directly related to a dropped connection or you disconnecting, if you check the avast Log Viewer Warnings, Errors or Info you may see that even though the connection is dropped if the update checks are in progress, avast will continue to cycle through the servers listed within the servers.def file.

Since there are 80 servers listed it will try each in turn and find that it can't connect to the server and tries the next one in sequence, there will also be a pause to confirm it can't connect, so this could take some time before it eventyally reaches the bottom and pops-up the update error.

I don't think that it isn't recognising modem status, I don't think that having checked for a connection (that was present) it starts the update but it doesn't recognise the connection is down as I don't think it checks. This however, is speculation on my part, having established a connection exists, it doesn't check again.
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Offline alanrf

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2006, 08:27:09 PM »
Sorry to get on my old soapbox again but this is the monthly Windows Update week.

As I have posted before - when there are Microsoft updates to be downloaded and Microsoft is throttling the access to their update servers (as they are this week) it seems that - for some users - the Windows Update function gets in the way of the avast update being able to complete its checks.

So you would only see this problem once a month. 

If you want to check it out you could set the Automatic Updates service to manual and see if the "red flag" goes away.  IF you do then please do not forget to set the service back to automatic after you test.     

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2006, 08:55:14 PM »
As I have posted before - when there are Microsoft updates to be downloaded and Microsoft is throttling the access to their update servers (as they are this week) it seems that - for some users - the Windows Update function gets in the way of the avast update being able to complete its checks.
Milke, like Alan said... this happened before  :'(

In theory, avast checks if there is an available connection each 40 seconds. If there isn't, wait more 40 seconds to check. Checking does not take more than one second and, of course, does not use the Internet band. If there is a connection, check for an update. If there is not any new file to download, wait 4 hours to start checking again. If there is an available update, start it and install it. Again, wait 4 hours to check the next time.
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2006, 09:14:37 PM »
As I have posted before - when there are Microsoft updates to be downloaded and Microsoft is throttling the access to their update servers (as they are this week) it seems that - for some users - the Windows Update function gets in the way of the avast update being able to complete its checks.

I think the operative comment here is 'long after disconnecting.'
Quote from: MikeBCda
On rare occasions, including this morning, I'm seeing the red update-connection-error box pop up long (several minutes) after disconnecting.

So it isn't happening like the other occasions when people are still on-line and getting the problem with updates. I think that Mike is questioning or concerned why it is several minutes after disconnection that the pop-up occurs.
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Offline alanrf

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2006, 09:25:10 PM »
See:

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=23554.msg194130#msg194130

I noted in this post that it was 6 minutes before the system was freed up enough to allow avast to post the red error warning.

By the way - the user of that system has now put in a permanent 2 minute delay to the start of the Automatic Update service - and has never seen the avast warning again.

Offline DavidR

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2006, 09:52:47 PM »
Yep, read that, and you were connected whilst this was going on.

The update delay doesn't work with dial-up connections for some reason or other, least wise it never has for me.

I think this particular instance is an anomaly that is dial-up specific as you were getting the hang-up and I assume whilst still connected. Yet even after Mike disconnected avast kept trying to get the updates. I have seen the same thing in my error logs as it just keeps cycling through the servers.def list of servers even though you are no longer connected.

Yes, Windows Update could have had a hand in why avast didn't update whilst Mike was connected and or Mike wasn't on-line for long enough to establish a connection with the download server.
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Offline MikeBCda

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2006, 07:22:04 PM »
Since there are 80 servers listed it will try each in turn and find that it can't connect to the server and tries the next one in sequence, there will also be a pause to confirm it can't connect, so this could take some time before it eventyally reaches the bottom and pops-up the update error.
Out of curiosity, any idea how long it would typically take if it had to go through all 80 and only hit a "good" connection on the very last one?  Admittedly that's extremely unlikely, probably the main reason there are so many servers in the list.
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2006, 09:22:52 PM »
There will be a delay (unknown duration) before trying the next server. So it could be quite a long time, even if there were only a five second delay before deciding to try another server that would be 400 seconds, 6 minutes 40 seconds.
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Offline Lisandro

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #9 on: November 18, 2006, 11:21:35 PM »
There will be a delay (unknown duration) before trying the next server. So it could be quite a long time, even if there were only a five second delay before deciding to try another server that would be 400 seconds, 6 minutes 40 seconds.
Something is telling me that the values here http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=1647.msg10264#msg10264
[InetWD] section of avast4.ini file could be related to this
Sleep=40000 (40 seconds)
UseRAS=1 (dial-up)
RASWaitSeconds=15

Or even section [Version30] http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=1647.msg10260#msg10260
Which remains a mistery to me...  :'(
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Offline DavidR

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2006, 11:45:01 PM »
Mmmm, I think the RASWaitSeconds is similar to (A)DSL AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds to delay the auto updatecheck, I wonder (I will add this set to 120 and see if it effects the auto update check delay) ?
So I don't think this is the same as an unresponsive server connection.

Interestingly only the UseRAS=1 is in my [InetWD] section of avast4.ini, the defaults I guess not being added as usual.

Now if you don't understand the [Version30] section, what chance us mortals ;D
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Offline Lisandro

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Re: Update "connection error" after disconnecting
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2006, 01:23:52 AM »
What chance us mortals ;D
Well... I wish Igor is listing to us and come here to take us out from the darkness...  :-*
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