The "ERROR: blah blah Access Denied" Message

bum · 20 Dec 2007 at 00:28

Hi folks,

Recently I have noticed that I'm starting to receive messages like these when I am browsing normal everyday websites:

ERROR
The requested URL could not be retrieved

While trying to retrieve the URL: http://www.angleb.net/

The following error was encountered:

Access Denied.
Access control configuration prevents your request from being allowed at this time. Please contact your service provider if you feel this is incorrect.

Your cache administrator is root.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Generated Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:21:08 GMT by localhost (squid/2.6.STABLE6)

I am with Pipex 8MB broadband (with them for 5 years) and I run my own home network setup via a router. I run very simple setup, with 10.0.0.1 - 10.0.0.225 DHCP. I run on Window's own firewall, Kaspersky Anti-Virus. I've only noticed this error message when I was attempting to pay a visit to my friend's photo album, then this other site I tried to visit who's an artist I really like. I've send the same url to my mate, who is also on Pipex and runs on his own network too, but he could access the site. I am completely clueless at the moment, or maybe I am just brain dead and fails to see simple error. I've tried to reset my whole router to factory default, thinking maybe it's 1 or 2 settings I should've not touched but no avail. It is starting to get on my nervs now. Please please enlighten me you network experts

tolien · 20 Dec 2007 at 01:06

Someone somewhere between you and the site is running Squid (caching web proxy), and it doesn't like you.

Impossible to tell where the server is though, because its hostname's been left at 'localhost'. Probably Pipex.

bum · 20 Dec 2007 at 01:30

Is there anyway I could configure it? Kick it/beat it? From the sound of it it's stricting me from doing stuff to the...world wide web!

tolien · 20 Dec 2007 at 11:11

You don't even know where it is, so no.

Dangerous Dave · 20 Dec 2007 at 11:32

Do a traceroute at a dos prompt to the web address, where it stops should be the ip address of the proxy server blocking you. Then do a ip lookup on one of the many free web pages and it will tell you the owner of the IP the chances are its at Pipex.

tolien · 20 Dec 2007 at 11:49

Assuming the proxy even shows up in a traceroute.

bum · 20 Dec 2007 at 12:09

Actually my next question might be weird...stupid even or unanswerable. So please bear with me on this one: any idea why such proxy service is in place? What I meant is that, is it something usual due to something such as security reasons to put such striction in place, such as internet security concerns? Or it's just something that would happen to 1 randomly. The only reason I am asking this "could-be-completely-dumb" question is that a friend of mine who's living down my street literally also have Pipex as his ISP and he doesn't have such problem.

Thank you all for your help

tolien · 20 Dec 2007 at 12:29

It depends where it is.
Most ISPs don't run transparent proxies any more, and those that did (or do) usually do it to reduce the amount of transit bandwidth they use (which has become less of an issue) or to reduce the latency in loading a site.

Dangerous Dave · 20 Dec 2007 at 15:15

bun said:
Actually my next question might be weird...stupid even or unanswerable. So please bear with me on this one: any idea why such proxy service is in place? What I meant is that, is it something usual due to something such as security reasons to put such striction in place, such as internet security concerns? Or it's just something that would happen to 1 randomly. The only reason I am asking this "could-be-completely-dumb" question is that a friend of mine who's living down my street literally also have Pipex as his ISP and he doesn't have such problem.

Thank you all for your help

From wikipedia "a proxy server is a server which services the requests of its clients by forwarding requests to other servers. A client connects to the proxy server, requesting some service, such as a file, connection, web page, or other resource, available from a different server" however ISP use them as most cache the most viewed pages meaning they don't need to use additional bandwidth outwith the ISP network to say get a popular BBC news article.

It could be your account profile at Pipex has an issue which is blocking you from accessing one of there proxy servers but you friends profile is fine. However it could be a few things.

A couple of things to check are can you ping the site from the dos prompt, if not do a traceroute and see where it stops.