It happened for about 4 days in February, and it's happening again, but every now and then, host bbcmedia.fcod.llnwd.net fails to download files with get_iplayer. The handshake happens OK, but then waits until the timeout period and the operation fails with no data on the socket. This is very different, apparently, than geocode issues and simply seems to be the server failing. If that is true, no one should be currently able to download flashvhigh mode progs, as I think they are all on that server. BTW, all other modes, on different servers, are working.

Is that the case?

Here is the debug output:
FLVStreamer v1.9
(c) 2009 Andrej Stepanchuk, Howard Chu, The Flvstreamer Team; license: GPL
DEBUG: Protocol : RTMP
DEBUG: Hostname : bbcmedia.fcod.llnwd.net
DEBUG: Port : 1935
DEBUG: Playpath : mp4:iplayerstream/secure_auth/1500kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471915398.mp4
DEBUG: tcUrl : rtmp://bbcmedia.fcod.llnwd.net:1935/a8984/e3?as=adobe-hmac-sha256&av=1&te=connect&mp=iplayerstream/secure_auth/400kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471917223.mp4,iplayerstream/secure_auth/800kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471918867.mp4,iplayerstream/secure_auth/1500kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471915398.mp4,iplayerstream/secure_auth/480kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471918455.mp4&et=1432141731&fmta-token=5cfbf20d5a5f7ac77ec802aa0ca65e72f19a9467d01d1fbe183b4e58acebcfb3
DEBUG: swfUrl : http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/iplayer/revisio..._3_emp.swf
DEBUG: app : a8984/e3?as=adobe-hmac-sha256&av=1&te=connect&mp=iplayerstream/secure_auth/400kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471917223.mp4,iplayerstream/secure_auth/800kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471918867.mp4,iplayerstream/secure_auth/1500kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471915398.mp4,iplayerstream/secure_auth/480kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471918455.mp4&et=1432141731&fmta-token=5cfbf20d5a5f7ac77ec802aa0ca65e72f19a9467d01d1fbe183b4e58acebcfb3
DEBUG: flashVer : LNX 10,0,22,87
DEBUG: live : no
DEBUG: timeout : 60 sec
DEBUG: Setting buffer time to: 36000000ms
Connecting ...
DEBUG: Connect, ... connected, handshaking
DEBUG: HandShake: Type Answer : 03
DEBUG: HandShake: Server Uptime : 1729240751
DEBUG: HandShake: FMS Version : 4.0.3.1
DEBUG: Connect, handshaked
DEBUG: Invoking connect
INFO: Connected...
DEBUG: HandleServerBW: server BW = 2500000
DEBUG: HandleClientBW: client BW = 2500000 2
DEBUG: HandleChangeChunkSize, received: chunk size change to 4096
DEBUG: HandlePacket, received: invoke 242 bytes
DEBUG: Property: <Name: fmsVer, STRING: FMS/4,0,3,4044>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: capabilities, NUMBER: 255.00>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: mode, NUMBER: 1.00>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: level, STRING: status>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: code, STRING: NetConnection.Connect.Success>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: description, STRING: Connection succeeded.>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: objectEncoding, NUMBER: 0.00>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: data, OBJECT>
DEBUG: Property: <Name: version, STRING: 4,0,3,4044>
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, server invoking <_result>
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, received result for method call <connect>
DEBUG: sending ctrl. type: 0x0003
DEBUG: Invoking createStream
DEBUG: HandlePacket, received: invoke 21 bytes
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, server invoking <onBWDone>
DEBUG: Invoking _checkbw
DEBUG: HandlePacket, received: invoke 29 bytes
DEBUG: Property: NULL
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, server invoking <_result>
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, received result for method call <createStream>
DEBUG: SendPlay, seekTime=0.00, dLength=0, sending play: mp4:iplayerstream/secure_auth/1500kbps/modav/bUnknown-7188c83c-e86c-44a4-b32e-ef6a224f9bc2_b05s9fn7_1429471915398.mp4
DEBUG: Invoking play
DEBUG: sending ctrl. type: 0x0003
DEBUG: HandlePacket, received: invoke 16419 bytes
DEBUG: Property: NULL
DEBUG: HandleInvoke, server invoking <_onbwcheck>
DEBUG: Invoking _result
DEBUG: FillBuffer, recv returned -1. GetSockError(): 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable)
ERROR: ReadPacket, failed to read RTMP packet header
DEBUG: Closing connection.

Quote:Quote:DEBUG: Hostname : bbcmedia.fcod.llnwd.net

That looks to be using the Limelight CDN. My downloads from Limelight CDN also stopped working a few days ago so I think there has been some changes there or something has broken at the limelight end. It could be something to do with geoblocking. I have a VPS in the UK and downloads to there (from Akamai) are working perfectly.

Just so. I don't think it's geoblocking because I can connect to iplayertokfs.fplive.net which uses "level 3" rather than limelight and it works fine. That corresponds to --modes flashhd. Flashlow also works, using a different server. I think the idea that something is broken at the limelight end is the best hypothesis. It would make no sense to geoblock that whilst leaving Flash HD enabled, which is a better copy.

I'm an engineer and find that incredible, though. What could be broken that can't be fixed in a week? No one has noticed? lol Maybe we're the only ones using flashhigh. I mean, why wasn't there a hew and cry here?

Looking back it seems some had this same problem in February for a while. Aunty's engineers have become completely unresponsive. The new, mobile optimized, iPlayer page often skips entire series. Like Dr Who... I reported it. They weren't even able to confirm the bug. How freakin' hard is it to go to the iPlayer page and look at drama and see that it's not there any more? It skips single programs in factual series all the time. Yeah, I know about the new delay in posting, but I mean it just *never* shows up on the chronological order page. They've taken away the "this programme doesn't play" button, like they don't even care to know. Maybe there's no way for someone to say, "Hey, your limelight server is off in the weeds" anymore.

Well, at least 1 other has been affected:

https://github.com/get-iplayer/get_iplayer/issues/154

I admit to not understanding how which CDN is chosen. ***REDACTED - see Forum Rules*** When I'm inside the UK flashvhigh1 always works. Interestingly, I can get a browser to work through the proxy but I'm unsure of which mode and CDN it uses.

I suspect some kind of DNS sniffing is involved hence the proliferation of these "Smart DNS" services. Anyway, starting to get off topic.. sorry.

Talk of circumventing the BBC's geo-blocking is not allowed here. See the Forum Rules. Feel free to start another conversation without reference to geo-blocking circumvention.

This topic is now closed.