What on earth were the chances of that happening?

I just created a web page that...

[dmorison]

CRASHES my cable modem whenever I try and view it.

[rocknbil]

Whoah! the modem, not just the browser? Something funky going on there, AV up to date?

If it were just the browser,

On a Macintosh using nested tables with certain CSS elements, 90% probability in IE, 99% probability in Moz browsers.

On Windows IE, 20% probability, Moz 10% probability.

But that's just browser! Do tell . . .

[moishe]

<snip>

I work for a fairly large cable company and if a webpage can crash a modem I would like to see it.

Thanks
Moishe

[edited by: lawman at 9:55 pm (utc) on Feb. 7, 2006]
[edit reason] No Requests For Sticky Mail Please [/edit]

[dmorison]

Unfortunately it's a private "admin" type page behind a login (using HTTP authentication); and because of what it contains I can't save and publish the HTML anywhere else.

Very bizarre though! Both my Linux box (where I do all my main development in FireFox) and my Windows box (for testing sites in IE etc.) both cause exactly the same effect - the moment I view this page the cable modem reboots. Blinkenlights all round.

FWIW it's a c.1950's Motorola Surfboard SB4100. Each time it crashes (which I can do on demand); the following is recorded in the log (read from bottom to top)

060207194105 7-Information H501.2 HFC: Shutting Downstream Down
060207194105 2-Alert T507.0 Received Async Error Range Failed
060207194105 3-Critical R4.0 Received Response to Broadcast Maintenance Request, but no Unicast Maint
060207194105 3-Critical H501.8 HFC: T4 Timer Expired

RX/TX Power and SNR levels are all within normal operating range.

[moishe]

I think we have phased out all of our Surfboards, but I'll ask one of the oldtimers to look at that log info and see if they recognize anything.

[bose]

Apparently, it is responding to a binary data stream that it (falsely) thinks/percieves to be a command sequence.

Whatever bit-stream it is getting seems to be causing an async error that is subsequently hosing down your downlink.

How old is the firmware on that modem?

[moishe]

Thats similiar to what I am hearing here, modem thinks it is getting a firmware update which fails to materialize causing the modem to reboot.

[dmorison]

Must be getting on for 5 years; never been replaced - i'm not sure if they can send firmware updates "down the line" or not.

Software Version: SB4100-0.4.9.4-SCM02-NOSH
Hardware Version: 0
MIB Version: II
GUI Version: 1.0
VxWorks Version: 5.3

[moishe]

it is a docsis compliant modem and as such should be able to have firmware updates sent to it

[bose]

i'm not sure if they can send firmware updates "down the line" or not.

Probably, but doing that could be risky. The last thing you want that modem to do is to crash/recycle while in the middle of getting new firmware "down the line."

The safer route, imho, would be to download the firmware on your computer, telnet into the modem locally, and then upgrade the firmware. just a thought...

[Iguana]

I was once doing a demo and editing my Visual Basic programs (real seat of the pants stuff). I somehow managed to kill the entire network for that floor. Had to send the clients off for a coffee

We got the £22 million contract in the end though

[moishe]

You are probably right Bose, but at least where I work, 150,000 modems have their firmware updates forced to them in this manner.
The thought of the average cable internet customer trying to do their own firmware updates truly sends chills down my spine:)