Originally posted to the Macintouch web site around 1/25/97. I've slightly edited (for length) some of the dialog to fit within the context of these pages. The original document can be read at www.macintouch.com/tcpcrashes.html. Reposted with permission.
Keep in mind that while the original discussion was over Netscape-related problems, these same issues easily apply to any type of internet usage, and can very potentially effect internet gaming.
From: Andy Peterson andy@vitalnet.com After working with the Macintosh since the 128K, I was chagrined when I discovered the general instability of my Power Macs (9500, 7500, upgraded Quadra 700, upgraded PowerBook 520c) when using internet applications via TCP/IP modem connections. Initially, I suspected something was wrong with my machines. I did the usual troubleshooting, including testing for extension conflicts, reinstalling system software, formatting hard drives, upgrading to newer system software, using the latest FreePPP and OT/PPP, trying many variations of Navigator's settings, upgrading to newer versions of internet applications, rebuilding the desktop, zapping the PRAM, installing Netscape Defrost, and even buying a new modem from a different manufacturer. But this was all to no avail. I continued to have mysterious freezes and Type 11 errors in Netscape. I finally (and for the first time in my eleven years as a Mac user - to this day I have my original 128K Mac in "operational" condition) called 1-800-SOS-APPLE for help. I spoke initially to a person that told me to deploy some of the standard Mac troubleshooting steps. As noted above, I had already tried the suggestions. She passed me on to a higher-up to discuss the situation, and with his comments I finally got somewhere. He stated that network connections over telephone lines are unreliable by nature due to problems outside the control of the user, including bad phone lines and ***incompatibilities between different hardware and software used by ISPs that results in corruption of TCP/IP packets***. He suggested I get my phone lines tested and contact my ISP to determine if problems exist. Now this was news to me and information apparently missed by every Macintosh magazine, web site, and newsgroup. I decided to check the ISP situation first, since getting your phone lines tested is a pain. Checking the web page of the local ISP I was using revealed that they were running a freeware UNIX (Linux) on 486 and Pentium PCs, and were using beta connectivity software. Information regarding their connection to the internet was not available (even by e-mails to support) so I can only imagine the bubble gum, paper clips, and duct tape used to form their connection to the information superhighway. So I tried another local service provider that uses an IBM flavored UNIX (AIX) on RISC based computers. There was an instant change! Freezes were practically eliminated, occurring with approximately 10% of the previous frequency. I was still not satisfied and was paranoid about local providers in my area, suspecting that other problems might exist higher up on the internet food chain. I decided to try a national provider (Earthlink) for a two week trial. This completely eliminated freezes and Type 11 errors. I have since switched to MacConnect, and have had no problems. Also interesting are the experiences of two people at the company I work for using Windows 95 with the two local providers I had previously used. They experienced freezes in Windows 95 (complete lockups requiring reboot of the OS, which isn't supposed to ever happen) while connected via modem to the internet. One of them recently switched based on my advice and the problem disappeared completely, indicating that these problems are indeed with the ISPs and internet technology in general. Perhaps someone with TCP/IP programming experience could provide a technical reason for these problems. One other problem that can cause instability in Navigator is using too many plug-ins or beta plug-ins. One of my fellow Mac users said that he was having problems with Navigator crashing constantly. I checked his setup to find twenty (!) alpha and beta plug-ins, many of which provided the same features (how many MIDI plug-ins do you need?). After I expressed my shock and disgust, he stated that he installed them from his MacAddict CD in one shot and forgot that they were there. Reducing the number of plug-ins to a standard set and using the final versions completely eliminated the instability problem. My conclusions: 1) TCP/IP over modem is less reliable than the average computer user would suspect. 2) The source of freezes and Type 11 errors encountered with Netscape Navigator are not in many cases apparently the result of problems with the user's computer, and thus are outside the direct control of the user, unless the user is able to switch providers. 3) The constant string of beta software from companies such as Netscape encourage the user to suspect software problems on their computer when problems may not actually exist. 4) Publicity surrounding problems with pre-1.1 versions of Open Transport in late 1995 and early 1996 led many users to believe the problems were associated with the Mac OS and OT, not the ISPs. 5) Users blame Netscape Navigator and call it "unstable" mainly because that is the application being used 90%+ of the time connected to the internet, especially if the e-mail and news clients in Navigator are used rather than other shareware or freeware solutions. When I had the problems, I encountered freezes in Navigator 2.0, 3.0, all the betas, Fetch, Newswatcher, Anarchie, AOL, Claris E-Mailer, Eudora, and others. 6) Suggestions such as rebuilding the desktop, adjusting disk cache and virtual memory settings, zapping the PRAM, etc. are placebos, the equivalent of pressing the pedestrian crosswalk button at an intersection - they do not resolve the underlying problem (but actually may fix problems created by the Mac crashing such as disk corruption or PRAM corruption). 7) The endless supply of public beta software of all types has reeducated users to the point that they do not take beta warnings seriously and then blame Navigator or system software for problems created by some hacker that spent a few hours programming to release a public beta. 8) Don't blame your Mac. All computers with dialup connections are having similar problems. My recommendations: 1) Start with a clean Mac OS 7.5.5 installation and OT 1.1 or later. Make sure that corruption problems associated with previous crashing have been taken care of with the appropriate disk utilities and PRAM zappers. 2) Delete the cache folder and the "Global History" file in the Netscape Navigator preferences folder. This is done to remove any corruption caused by previous crashes. 3) Buy a modem from a reliable vendor, not a generic modem promising ISDN speeds for $89.95. 4) Sign up with a reputable local or national ISP. I have used Earthlink and MacConnect successfully but have heard good things about other ISPs. If problems persist, try another ISP. 5) Use OT/PPP, FreePPP, or equivalent for your dialup connection. 6) Set your Navigator preferences under "Network" and "Connections" to 4 connections maximum and a 32 KB buffer. Cache can be set at whatever you find reasonable, but should generally be set below 5 MB, as anything higher allows Navigator to cache thousands of small files that can slow Navigator down. 7) Only use the final versions of plug-ins, limit plug-ins to only those you need, and try to avoid duplicating plug-in features. When you install plug-ins, do so one at a time. Understand that beta software is buggy and should be avoided if you want OS stability. If you use beta software and your system is unstable, it's your fault! Using these tips, I have not had a single Type 11 error or freeze in more than 5 months with heavy use of internet applications.
To reiterate a point that Andy made above, I regularly trash the entire Cache folder and the Global History file. Whenever Netscape begins act "flakey" (reporting "out of memory", refusing to reload pages, etc), it's time to take trip to the Netscape Preferences folder. I've even made an alias of the Netscape Preferences folder and put it next to the Netscape application to save the trip into the system folder.
Here's an interesting follow-up to Andy's letter from an Internet Service Provider. While Jon goes into some of the details of what ISP use, the clencher is the "bottom line" paragraph (which I've bolded)...
From: jon@vcnet.com (Jon Rust) Subject: re: Andy Peterson's story A few comments on Andy's story: It's hard to really judge what changing providers had to do with the stability increase. First, national providers very often install their own software packages. Andy didn't specify what flavor of PPP he used at each new provider. This makes a HUGE difference. We all know too well that xxxPPP != yyyyPPP. Second, the type of OS the ISP is using for his web servers, dns servers, etc has nothing to do with your connection. What matters is the remote access server and the modem type (which Andy never filled us in on). The fact that ISP A is using NT on Pentia and ISP B is using AIX on RISC based systems means NOTHING unless we know what they are using them for. Furthermore, 95% of the ISPs out there use a dedicated remote access server (RAS) that has nothing to do with the platform(s) used in the rest of the business. Here are the options for ISPs: 1- NT or UNIX box running RAS software connected to stand alone modems. Not recommended. This could what Andy's first ISP was using, which caused a lot of problems. 2- Livingston Portmaster (or similar) connected to stand alone modems. Still not recommended. Stand alone modems are not designed for 24/7 use. Again, this may have been the combo that caused problems. 3- Livingston PM (or similar) and a rackmounted modem pool (like the USR MP/16). Very stable. Hundreds of ISPs around the country use this set-up. I've seen single connections last 3 weeks or more. 4- An all-in-one chassis, like the USR TC Netserver or Ascend Max. The best option. A fair number of local ISPs use this option, as do most of the big boys. Allows for super clean connection through all digital lines. Also allows for the upcoming 56k technology. Each of the last 3 options is a stand alone system. I could be running Atari 800's; no one from the outside would ever know. They are self-sufficient. Which one of the 4 they choose is what's going to determine the stability of your modem's conneciton. Besides the telco playing tricks, NOTHING else comes into play. Finally, even the best equipment is not all that expensive. I know of plenty of small ISPs (less than 1000 customers) that have digital equipment (option 4). The bottom line is that choosing an ISP isn't as easy as saying "local sucks, go national." Ask what type of equipment your prospective ISP uses. Ask them what their phone lines plug into, and what that equipment plugs into. Ask who their backbone provider is (if they say Sprint, run like hell). I'm not saying there aren't advantages to national (most obviously the number of dial-up locations), but locals also have lots of advantages (personalized service, someone you can actually talk to instead of a phone tree, better tech support, etc). And of course, there are plenty of rotten apples from both camps that are attempting to spoil the whole barrel. Jon Rust Jon Rust http://www.vcnet.com/ VCNet For info, call us or email to 805.383.3500 info@vcnet.com PGP Fingerprint = 58 55 6C 46 4C 2B 7E 65 BB 35 AB 02 E1 27 73 7B