Firefox3 not finding PN home page

[#1]

Hi folks,
I am revisiting the problem of Firefox3 initial access to web on switch-on. A little bit of delving reveals that if connection is not fond (it sometimes, but rarely, does connect), I go to Network Monitor where Ethernet is set to use DHCP. If I unclick and then reclick it on, the activity twiddler does its little thing and Bingo! connection is then possible. It would seem that whatever the system needs is rediscovered by this action. Why would it not remember it after shut-down? I read of this action in a book somewhere but it did not suggest that it would not be a permanent cure.
colintivy 

[#2]

It sounds like DHCP is not working, so needs a nudge to get an address.
Try typing `ps -ef | grep dhcp` into a terminal, you should get a response;

chilly@chilly-ubuntu:~$ ps -ef | grep dhcp
root      5868  5160  0 14:36 ?        00:00:00 /sbin/dhclient -d -sf /usr/lib/NetworkManager/nm-dhcp-client.action -pf /var/run/dhclient-eth0.pid -lf /var/run/dhclient-eth0.lease -cf /var/run/nm-dhclient-eth0.conf eth0
chilly    6004  5979  0 14:37 pts/0    00:00:00 grep dhcp
chilly@chilly-ubuntu:~$ 

Which shows DHCP is running.
Post back with the response if possible.
Another solution is you set a static IP address.

[#3]

Hi Chillypenguin,
You will be getting fed up with my elementary postings but thanks anyway.
I have not tried your suggestion as yet because it is, at the moment, all up and working (hence I can type this). The next time I run it up and it does not work I will oblige. I have tried a static address ie 182.168.1,1 (the originals listed were all 212.159.etc.,)  which do you recommend for the Plus.net home page? Incidentally how do I get any code that I might select to be shown as a quote in a reply?
Humbe colintivy 🙂

[#4]

Hi Chillypenguin,
Re. my last spotted two typing mistakes.... Static  address should have been 192. and I am still humble!
colintivy  🙂

[#5]

Most graphic terminals should allow you to highlight text with the left mouse button, then right click should give a menu with a `copy` option.
As for the code tags;
[code].....[/code]
How do you connected? is it via a router, if so wired/wireless and which model.

[#6]

What does the contents of /etc/networking/interfaces say?
Mine is Wireless, with a static address and no dhcp;
A wired setup would be slightly simpler.

Quote

auto lo iface lo inet loopback iface ath0 inet static address 192.168.0.5 netmask 255.255.255.0 gateway 192.168.0.1 wireless-essid ZZZZZZZ wireless-key ZZZZZZZZ wireless-rate 54M auto ath0

BTW If you have Ubuntu, there is an option to take screenshots and save them as .png files
{Actually this is a Gnome feature - the command is:-

gnome-screenshot --interactive

[#7]

/etc/network/interfaces 

[#8]

Sorry 

[#9]

Hi Chillypenguin/Axisofevil,
Sorry for delay in responding, other work has taken precedence...getting DHCP working by resetting Network Settings usually does the trick but after booting up later, it seems to have forgotten them. Tried Static IP that I thought I knew, did not work either.. I have tried to list them when  DHCP is OK  (as confirmed by grep), using Axis command /etc/network/interfaces I get "access denied" and "command not recognised" when preceded by sudo. My PN paperwork seems to be out of date with Primary/Secodary/Tertiary IPs all starting with 212 and no netmask and gateway IPs given. Can you list them for me please ? Somewhere I found a display of these but cannot remember how.
I am using wired connection to Voyager 210 with Ubuntu8.04 fully updated, if that helps.
Bewildered,
colintivy

[#10]

Your gateway is the local address of your router - probably something like 192.168.0.1
Your netmask will be 255.255.255.0 [All your local addresses only differ in the last octet]
For your DNS addresses, most if not all of PlusNet do begin 212...
I have
212.159.13.49
212.159.13.50
212.159.6.10
I think there are some others too.
For your /etc/network/interfaces file, either open it read-only in a text editor or
Command line:-

cat /etc/network/interfaces

will display the contents for you.

[#11]

Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for that. I did not know about the cat bit. In my simple way I thought that the interfaces would show me the settings discovered by DHCP when working which would be helpful. Of course it merely tells be that it is auto! Strangely it seems that the amnesia of DHCP is routine and is nearly always overcome by resetting as I said earlier. I will try to use a Static set of addresses again, I used yours but to no avail earler hence my query. The 212 addresses are as shown on my literature, so it is not out of date.
My old laptop suffered from a failure to shut-down when told to on the screen. This is due to the BIOS not having ACPI which has to be forced in the appropriate set of commands as discovered on the Ubuntu forums. This has been done and is successful but it does give rise to display of some text indicating a few complaints before it shuts down. Could this practice have some bearing in the present situation?
colintivy  😕

[#12]

The start-up / shut-down of processes and daemons in Ubuntu is complex.
Shut down should send a signal to all installed daemons to shut down "gracefully".
If they don't, they will be forcibly shut down after a few seconds - with an error message.
I wouldn't try to fix this situation - it isn't likely to cause problems.
Does your power-fix include any shutdown or kill commands?

[#13]

Hi Jeremy,
The power shut-down was finally cleared by editing a line in the default grub menu....defoptions=quiet splash acpi=force. The resultant text following shut-down action, which is not visible, for long, natters on about daemons and some no reply being received. I mentioned all this because it is the only non typical change that had been introduced to my system which just conceivably could have interfered with the automatic loading the IPs etc., on rebooting.
I do find that resetting the DHCP is a generally reliable cure to the "Page Load error" that Firefox produces on start-up. When I was using my old Win98SE machine on PN, regularly the first time I set IE6 off it always flagged up "Try again" which when selected did just that and connected properly. This is, in a way, somewhat like what I get now. I have not pursued the use of Static addresses again yet. Notably the initial PN instructions seem to assume that DHCP is the right way to go and does not give the proper alternative addresses.
colintuvy 

[#14]

I'm a bit confused - DHCP would be running on your router...
Whilst Plusnet will use their DHCP to allocate an external address for your router, for connections between PN and your router, this is of no consequence to you.
Your router can/will run it's own DHCP to allocate local NAT local addresses (such as 192.168.9.xxx)
It sounds like your connection is not made on startup?
I assume that Firefox is not an autostart process?
Instead of running Firefox on startup, try running

ping www.bbc.co.uk

{CTRL-C to stop it running).

[#15]

Quote from: axisofevil

I'm a bit confused - DHCP would be running on your router... Whilst Plusnet will use their DHCP to allocate an external address for your router, for connections between PN and your router, this is of no consequence to you. Your router can/will run it's own DHCP to allocate local NAT local addresses (such as 192.168.9.xxx) It sounds like your connection is not made on startup? I assume that Firefox is not an autostart process? Instead of running Firefox on startup, try running ping www.bbc.co.uk {CTRL-C to stop it running).

Hi Jeremy,
Sorry if my verbosity has confused you. No, Firefox is set off using the Ikon on the system tray. I will try to ping bbc sometime. Today I saw that a batch of updates was here so, before I tried to get on line with Firefox, I let the Update Manager get on with it and it did just that and the updates were all downloaded and installed. I then fired up Firefox and it connected straight away and I am here now! Suprise suprise!!
My usual drill is to try Firefox which generally brings up a "Page load error" at the bottom pane plus an "Address not found" page. I then shut off Firefox, go to Network Settings which shows that my Wired Connection is set to dhcp. If I then unclick the tick and reclick it, the activity twiddler does its thing and the "Changing Interface configuration" pane appears. Once this has gone I then reselect Firefox and Bingo! we are on. All this time all the lights on the router show on as they should. Now I understand that this drill would be necessary if I had changed anythig but I had not. This is why I think that something is getting deleted when, perhaps I power off. Ideas?
colintivy
cp:green Quote tag fixed. mod:end