Slow to access websites, but not always....

[jollyjack]

Kubuntu 13.04, Chromium browser, Google search engine. Most things as they came out of the box.

Sometimes, I can access a website almost immediately, but other times, it hangs and hangs. The "rotating arrow" in the tab label is usually rotating counter-clockwise, but not always.After a while, I cancel the request and re-try, sometimes several times. It didn't use to be like this.

I assumed it was just network problems (I live in the country, with old telephone wires) but while I was waiting for this site to load, I tried it on my wife's laptop, beside me. Instantaneous!

Same ADSL line, same router. The only difference is, she's running Vista, I'm running Kubuntu (13.04, but the problem dates back to 12.04, I think). It could just be a coincidence, of course.

The only changes I've made to communications is (A) Disable IPV6 by editing /etc/sysctl.conf, and (B) change DNS lookup, by editing /etc/nsswitch.conf to "hosts: files dns". (These changes were suggested in a couple of websites I found)

If anyone can help me with this problem, I'll be very grateful

Thanks

[Shabakthanai]

I am having the same problem using Firefox and Rekonq, so it must related to the Kubuntu 13.04 build. I posted a similar incident just today; I did not realize your post existed. In any effect, I don't believe it is a problem with any of the browsers, now. It must be a bug and development created.

Kubuntu 13.04, Chromium browser, Google search engine. Most things as they came out of the box.

Sometimes, I can access a website almost immediately, but other times, it hangs and hangs. The "rotating arrow" in the tab label is usually rotating counter-clockwise, but not always.After a while, I cancel the request and re-try, sometimes several times. It didn't use to be like this.

I assumed it was just network problems (I live in the country, with old telephone wires) but while I was waiting for this site to load, I tried it on my wife's laptop, beside me. Instantaneous!

Same ADSL line, same router. The only difference is, she's running Vista, I'm running Kubuntu (13.04, but the problem dates back to 12.04, I think). It could just be a coincidence, of course.

The only changes I've made to communications is (A) Disable IPV6 by editing /etc/sysctl.conf, and (B) change DNS lookup, by editing /etc/nsswitch.conf to "hosts: files dns". (These changes were suggested in a couple of websites I found)

If anyone can help me with this problem, I'll be very grateful

Thanks

[GreyGeek]

It sounds like your wireless is repeatedly resetting it self. This can happen with the ath9k mod and with some other wireless mods and/or with certain kernels because the world regulatory domain was not set when the wireless was configured.

In between calls it runs OK, but if you happen to be browsing when cfg8021 makes a domain name request then your connection appears to hang. You can check your syslog and see if the following kernel msg appears.

kernel: [52563.951383] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 NetworkManager[1128]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: completed -> disconnected
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 kernel: [52564.017221] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 kernel: [52564.017224] cfg

I verified this on my laptop by using
iwconfig wlan0
in a console window repeatedly and watching the connection rate change from 1 Mb/s to some other value between that and 54 Mb/s.

IF it does you can change an option in the file: /etc/modprobe.d/ath9k.conf (or what ever your wireless config file is named):

#options ath9k nohwcrypt=1
#options ath9k blink=1
#options ath9k btcoex_enable=1
#options ath9k_hw force_new_ani=1
[B]options cfg80211 ieee80211_regdom=US[/B]
#options cfg80211 cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz=0

and if a file for your wireless doesn't exist in that directory then create it and add that line.
Then restart the network:

sudo stop networking
sudo start networking

or, reboot.

[SteveRiley]

Interesting find, Jerry. I'll admit I've not investigated that particular aspect. Does setting that module option permanently stop the regulatory domain checking?

[GreyGeek]

Interesting find, Jerry. I'll admit I've not investigated that particular aspect. Does setting that module option permanently stop the regulatory domain checking?

It did for me, Steve!

I wasn't having much trouble, or at least the intermittent slow downs were tolerable and I was lazy enough to ignore them. When I decided to upgrade to the 3.8 kernel is when the real problems started. It was most noticeable when I was watching a video and I first thought it was a flash problem but soon ruled that out. Then I looked at Chromium as the cause, but when Firefox exhibited the same slowdowns and busy wheels I decided it was at the router level. Then I realized that I forgot to pay Windstream last month and thought that maybe the throttled me in revenge, but speed tests at various sites showed the same pattern: 12Mb/s at some sites and 1.8 Mb/s at others, randomly.

I checked ksyslog for router errors and noticed the CDRA world domain line was repeating itself in sync with my slowdowns. I looked at the "Param" requirements for the various ath9k modules and dependencies and noticed this:

modinfo cfg80211
filename: /lib/modules/3.8.0-23-generic/kernel/net/wireless/cfg80211.ko
description: wireless configuration support
license: GPL
author: Johannes Berg
srcversion: 8633812892D8ADD6480983B
depends:
intree: Y
vermagic: 3.8.0-23-generic SMP mod_unload modversions
parm: ieee80211_regdom:IEEE 802.11 regulatory domain code (charp)
parm: cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghzisable 40MHz support in the 2.4GHz band (bool)

I knew what to do after I saw that. I removed that hash from in front of the line which was preloaded in the ath9k.conf and saved it. Then I shut down and went to bed. When I booted up this morning I had my lightening fast browser speed back and there have been no episodes of hanging or "buffering". I am assuming that "stop networking" and "start networking" would do the same, but I could be wrong. It may require a reboot.

[SteveRiley]

I wonder if that's another goofy Atheros thing. The Intel wireless NICs in my laptops don't do that. A single call to CRDA and a single regulatory update only one time after each boot, early in the process.

[GreyGeek]

I wonder if that's another goofy Atheros thing.

I think you are right. The last three laptops I purchased were Acers and all of them had the Atheros wifi chip. I had to set the cfg80211 parm on my previous laptop but When I installed Kubuntu 12.04 on this laptop the ath9k driver worked reasonably well and I forgot to set the world domain. The problems started when I upgraded my kernel to the 3.8 series, but booting the 3.5 kernel didn't help so I went back to the 3.8 kernel and began investigating deeper. I had forgotten about setting the world domain. As I related, I opened a console and ran "iwconfig wlan0" repeatedly as quickly as I could. I could see the rate changing almost every time I ran the command. That cried out for a check of the syslogs and there was the CRDA msgs, repeating every time the cfg80211 mod tried to set the world domain name. The fix was easy. I've been running this system now for 18 hours and haven't had a single CDRA reset, nor connection hang. My connection is now lightening fast.

[Shabakthanai]

If you are still willing to help me, as I read through all the following comments including the conversation with Steve, I realized how hopelessly lost I am when it comes to networking. The only way I will solve this problem is if you are willing to spoon feed me with the process. It surely appears by the included descriptions that this is my problem. You guys are so smart, talking back and forth and clearly understanding eachother. I guess this is where I probably should start, if you are still willing to help me. How do I locate the log file that I can check against your check on your laptop? Does it make a difference that my problem is on a Desktop PC? Do I use the same code in my request for the log-file? Believe me, I understand if you want to give up on me; it is sometimes like talking to a rock when helping me. Thanks friends. I love this stuff so much, it is too bad I didn't have another electron in my brain when it was made. By the way, I have a Dlink router; I don't use my laptop very much, mostly when I am fixing problems with the Desktop. Nonetheless, I have a wireless modem, printer and laptop.

It sounds like your wireless is repeatedly resetting it self. This can happen with the ath9k mod and with some other wireless mods and/or with certain kernels because the world regulatory domain was not set when the wireless was configured.

In between calls it runs OK, but if you happen to be browsing when cfg8021 makes a domain name request then your connection appears to hang. You can check your syslog and see if the following kernel msg appears.

kernel: [52563.951383] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 NetworkManager[1128]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: completed -> disconnected
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 kernel: [52564.017221] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 kernel: [52564.017224] cfg

I verified this on my laptop by using
iwconfig wlan0
in a console window repeatedly and watching the connection rate change from 1 Mb/s to some other value between that and 54 Mb/s.

IF it does you can change an option in the file: /etc/modprobe.d/ath9k.conf (or what ever your wireless config file is named):

#options ath9k nohwcrypt=1
#options ath9k blink=1
#options ath9k btcoex_enable=1
#options ath9k_hw force_new_ani=1
[B]options cfg80211 ieee80211_regdom=US[/B]
#options cfg80211 cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz=0

and if a file for your wireless doesn't exist in that directory then create it and add that line.
Then restart the network:

or, reboot.

[SteveRiley]

When Jerry wrote "check your syslog," he's referring to the system log file that every Linux computer creates. On Debian-derived operating systems, which the various *buntus are, this file is /var/log/syslog.

A quick way to perform the check Jerry suggests is like this:

grep -i "regulatory domain" /var/log/syslog

grep searches through files. -i means to ignore differences between upper and lower case -- this is always my habit to do. "regulatory domain" is the phrase we're looking for. /var/log/syslog is the file we're searching.

When I try it, here's what I see:

steve@t520:~$ [B]grep -i "regulatory domain" /var/log/syslog[/B]
May 31 09:41:30 t520 kernel: [    2.553893] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 31 09:41:30 t520 kernel: [    2.734553] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 31 11:07:10 t520 kernel: [    2.745359] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 31 11:07:10 t520 kernel: [    2.990989] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 31 11:14:13 t520 kernel: [    2.658738] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 31 11:14:13 t520 kernel: [    2.914974] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 31 11:22:37 t520 kernel: [    2.567032] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 31 11:22:37 t520 kernel: [    2.760451] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 31 16:39:55 t520 kernel: [    2.865591] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 31 16:39:55 t520 kernel: [    3.022584] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
Jun  1 19:52:34 t520 kernel: [    2.708468] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
Jun  1 19:52:34 t520 kernel: [    2.919776] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:

Mine is normal behavior: one call and one update per system boot. (The reason you see several on the 31st is because I was doing some kernel testing.)

Jerry noted that on his computer, the cfg80211 module was repeatedly performing the call/update routine. Why? We don't exactly know. Our experience with Atheros wi-fi is that it can be troublesome -- previously, we've discovered workarounds that allow Atheros-equipped laptops to properly suspend and resume.

Here, it appears that the Atheros driver might be forgetting the regulatory domain, and forces cfg80211 to keep rediscovering it. By manually setting the domain with that module option, the driver behaves properly.

But before you try implementing a solution, you should first check to see if you have this particular problem. Run the grep command I supplied above. Reply here with the output, and let's take a look.

[SteveRiley]

Uh, wait...is this your big honking desktop we're talking about, which presumably doesn't have wi-fi? Or a laptop with wi-fi?

[Shabakthanai]

Steven here. I opened Syslog looking for comparable wording as in your post. Syslog is huge and there are three files in my computer with the syslog designation, syslog, syslog.1, and syslog.2.gz. I copied the first two to odt files, and can send them to you, but there is a huge amount of data. The syslog.1 odt contained portions which were in 'red', but did not save that way. I am curious, when 'red' words appear in a log file, is that where a problem exists? If you were to look for a problem in the system files, would you look for red print and start there for your evaluation. I couldn't find any kernel numbers or network numbers that were the same, so I suppose they change for each computer; I also looked for 'CRDA' to zero in on anything similar. I looked for 'iwconfig wlan0' and could not find it. I found a line that said to enable the IOMMU in the BIOS, but could not find the entry in the BIOS. Another place in the log, it said that the IOMMUv2 functionality not available on this machine. There was a window that appeared that said someone was attempting to make changes and gave me choices. I chose to retain the original log. Am I screwing things up?

It sounds like your wireless is repeatedly resetting it self. This can happen with the ath9k mod and with some other wireless mods and/or with certain kernels because the world regulatory domain was not set when the wireless was configured.

In between calls it runs OK, but if you happen to be browsing when cfg8021 makes a domain name request then your connection appears to hang. You can check your syslog and see if the following kernel msg appears.

kernel: [52563.951383] cfg80211: Calling CRDA to update world regulatory domain
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 NetworkManager[1128]: <info> (wlan0): supplicant interface state: completed -> disconnected
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 kernel: [52564.017221] cfg80211: World regulatory domain updated:
May 30 23:07:09 jerry-Aspire-V3-771 kernel: [52564.017224] cfg

I verified this on my laptop by using
iwconfig wlan0
in a console window repeatedly and watching the connection rate change from 1 Mb/s to some other value between that and 54 Mb/s.

IF it does you can change an option in the file: /etc/modprobe.d/ath9k.conf (or what ever your wireless config file is named):

#options ath9k nohwcrypt=1
#options ath9k blink=1
#options ath9k btcoex_enable=1
#options ath9k_hw force_new_ani=1
[B]options cfg80211 ieee80211_regdom=US[/B]
#options cfg80211 cfg80211_disable_40mhz_24ghz=0

and if a file for your wireless doesn't exist in that directory then create it and add that line.
Then restart the network:

or, reboot.

[kubicle]

Syslog is huge and there are three files in my computer with the syslog designation, syslog, syslog.1, and syslog.2.gz. I copied the first two to odt files, and can send them to you, but there is a huge amount of data.

That's why Steve recommended running 'grep -i "regulatory domain" /var/log/syslog' which will only print lines that include "regulatory domain".

And the additional "syslogs" are just older logs, logrotate periodically recycles (rotates and compresses) logfiles so logfiles don't grow infinitely.

[GreyGeek]

Uh, wait...is this your big honking desktop we're talking about, which presumably doesn't have wi-fi? Or a laptop with wi-fi?

Steve, it's been my experience that when the wifi connection throws a CDRA problem it affects the eth ports and the network manager. I've noticed that on occasions the internet connection hangs without showing a busy wheel and eventually the page times out and browsing any page is impossible. The NetworkManager shows nothing wrong, indicating that all is hunky-dory. It shows the IP address as active but the second indication that all is not well is the network activity graph which is flatlined. Opening a console and pinging 8.8.8.8 gives no returns. Unchecking the "Enable Networking" and rechecking it re-initializes the connections and normal behavior is restored.

[SteveRiley]

Steven here. I opened Syslog looking for comparable wording as in your post.

Hi, Steven. Can I ask you to take a step back from your whirlwind of activity and consider your approach for a moment? This is not what I asked you to do. I'm aware that syslog can be large at times. That's why provided the specific grep command, which has the computer do the searching for you. The command prints to the console window only those lines in the file that contain the searched-for string -- here, that's "regulatory domain." I need to see the number of times per day this occurs to determine whether you have the same symptoms as Jerry, which will then guide our next steps.

The syslog.1 odt contained portions which were in 'red', but did not save that way. I am curious, when 'red' words appear in a log file, is that where a problem exists? If you were to look for a problem in the system files, would you look for red print and start there for your evaluation.

Wait. How, exactly, did you get the contents into the ODT file? Your mention of red text makes me curious, because Kubuntu automatically color-highlights the output of grep. Red indicates a match of the searched-for string. Did you run the grep command, and then copy-paste the output into an ODT file? I'd rather that you just copy-paste the output here on the forum.

I couldn't find any kernel numbers or network numbers that were the same, so I suppose they change for each computer; I also looked for 'CRDA' to zero in on anything similar. I looked for 'iwconfig wlan0' and could not find it. I found a line that said to enable the IOMMU in the BIOS, but could not find the entry in the BIOS. Another place in the log, it said that the IOMMUv2 functionality not available on this machine.

None of these are relevant to the specific troubleshooting step I've asked you to take. At this point in the process, all we need to know is the specific number of lines containing "regulatory domain." In your perusal of syslog you've found a number of things that you apparently don't understand. While it's useful to ask questions, it's not useful to begin performing any kind of repair attempt based on what you think you might need to do. Case in point:

There was a window that appeared that said someone was attempting to make changes and gave me choices. I chose to retain the original log.

The first time I read this, I couldn't possibly imagine what would cause such a window to pop up. Then it finally dawned on me: I suspect you opened the actual file /var/log/syslog in your word processor. While that window was open, some process on the system added information to the file. Your word processor received a file change notice, and offered to display the new, changed file or continue to display the (now out-of-date) version of the file on the screen. Did you, in fact, open the actual file this way?

Am I screwing things up?

Not here, yet. But sometimes I think you dive into attempts to fix things without fully understanding what you're doing, and something else breaks as a result. As a general suggestion, the best way for us to help you when you run into trouble is to describe the problem succinctly, then perform exactly the steps we ask and nothing more. There are reasons why we provide the specific guidance we do. If you don't understand our request or want to know the reasons behind it, that's fine -- just ask. But please don't deviate from the suggestion, because that just makes it all the more difficult for everyone.

[SteveRiley]

Steve, it's been my experience that when the wifi connection throws a CDRA problem it affects the eth ports and the network manager.

I can believe that. But on a machine that has no wi-fi NIC, cfg80211 shouldn't even get loaded by the kernel.