pompeyfan
Premium
join:2001-12-25
Australia
| Why would you need Akamai in your hosts file?
I reckon Steve Martin's host file service is great, and I understand that all Akamai entries are in the " not for everyone" section, but I am curious as to why anyone needs to have them there. I am yet to encounter a single Akamai ad to my knowledge, and I would be interested to know if anyone else has actually seen much from them in this respect, maybe they are a problem on sites I don't visit, but for me Akamai only benefit my connection, without whom I could not connect to Audio broadcasts, and even anti-virus updates I have noticed in the past.
I would be very interested in anyones comments on this.
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Pompey Rock, Saints suck |
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marti
Color outside the lines
Premium,MVM
join:2001-12-14
Houston, TX
clubs: | I have Akamai in my hosts file; that way it can never try to run anything thing. If you need it, remove it from your hosts file.
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SBCGlobal, EnterNet 1.5 PPPoE s/w, Win98SE, Linksys NIC |
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FoMoCo
466 C.I.D.
join:2001-01-10
Grand Rapids, MI | reply to pompeyfan
You might be surprised at how many akamai ads you have seen and didnt know it. |
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pompeyfan
Premium
join:2001-12-25
Australia
| reply to pompeyfan
I generally check properties of ads, and if they are from third party ad servers, I add them to hosts file. I have taken all akamai entries out of my hosts file, I was just curious as to whether other people see much in the way of Akamai advertising, I must just not visit sites they advertise on.
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Pompey Rock, Saints suck |
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jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-13
Scottsdale, AZ
 ·Speakeasy
| reply to pompeyfan
If you're concerned about not being able to use Hosts with the Not for Everybody in it due to not being able to d/l an update such as NAV, for instance, you can do as I do...use a batch file to toggle it off and on just for the time you need to make the download. The following is the batch file (.bat) that I have used. I don't recall who posted it, but it works like a charm for me. Copy and paste to make your own file, and then when you have a problem getting to a page and don't know which server is causing you the problem, use this file for the short time needed.
=============================
ECHO OFF
CD %SYSTEMROOT%\windows
CLS
GOTO :1
:1
IF EXIST HOSTS.DIS GOTO :2
IF EXIST HOSTS GOTO :3
IF NOT EXIST HOST GOTO :4
:2
REN HOSTS.DIS HOSTS
DEL HOSTS.BAK
ECHO *********************************
ECHO -
ECHO Hosts has been enabled!
ECHO -
ECHO *********************************
PAUSE
D:
GOTO :END
:3
COPY HOSTS HOSTS.BAK
REN HOSTS HOSTS.DIS
ECHO *********************************
ECHO backup called hosts.bak created!
ECHO -
ECHO HOSTS has been disabled!
ECHO *********************************
PAUSE
D:
GOTO :END
:4
ECHO *********************************
ECHO Sorry you don't seem
ECHO -
ECHO to have a Hosts file!
ECHO *********************************
PAUSE
D:
GOTO :END
:END
--
JKK Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature! |
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bangaroo
Premium
join:2000-08-13
edited
| reply to pompeyfan
I deleted all the Akamai references in Steve's host file because I found I couldn't access/navigate through Etrade's website.
If you go to Etrades main page
»us.etrade.com/e/t/home
and right click on, for example, Accounts, and
click on Properties, you will get
»https://a248.e.akamai.net/n/248/1777/akssr20020403
.i6.0/www.etrade.com/images/nav_home.gif.
a248.e.akamai.net is in Steve's host file.
I had to delete it from the hosts file so I could get to the Accounts.
The other reference I deleted from Steve's host file was rd.yahoo.com.
I found I couldn't access several yahoo links in the Finance and Games areas.
The rd probably means "redirect", but I don't see anything wrong with it.
I was being redirected from one Yahoo page to another Yahoo page.
I could be off base here, but I think akamai is some third party server which websites can use for different purposes.
Probably a lot of websites us the akamai servers to serve ads. Etrade must use akamai for other purposes.
[text was edited by author 2002-04-11 18:01:08]
Edited to fix the width. The content remained unchanged.
[text was edited by moderator] |
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FiOS Dan
Premium
join:2001-07-06
Redondo Beach, CA
 ·Verizon FIOS
·EarthLink
|  reply to jaykaykay
Looks Good But...
...I don't know anything about .bat files JKK. Can you provide a "25 words or less" on them or point me to an easy to understand "how to" guide?
--
"Well, my tail feathers may droop a little, and my waddle show, but I can still out crow anything in the barn yard." |
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Randy Bell
Premium
join:2002-02-24
Santa Clara, CA
| DSL Dan, batch files go way back to the early days of DOS (disk operating system), windows' predecessor. You don't need to know exactly how a batch file (.bat) works. Just copy and paste JKK's sample batch file using a text editor, and name the file "filename.bat" (without quotes). You can then run the program by typing "filename" (without quotes) from a Command Prompt within windows. (Substitute your own chosen filename). JKK's sample begins with "ECHO OFF" and ends with ":END".
That's it!! To switch your hosts file on and off, just run the batch file. |
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Conejo
join:2002-03-13
Austin, TX | reply to pompeyfan
Re: Why would you need Akamai in your hosts file?
I found I was having so many problems with entries in the 'not for everyone' section that I just deleted the whole section. That said, I use Proxo with the zx-list, so I'm probably doubly covered. |
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FiOS Dan
Premium
join:2001-07-06
Redondo Beach, CA | reply to Randy Bell
Re: Looks Good But...
Thanks Randy Bell. |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
| reply to pompeyfan
Re: Why would you need Akamai in your hosts file?
Many "big" companies use Akamai to co-host their websites. They replicate websites in various locations around the country so that users get routed to the "closer" version of the site. For example, I believe cnn.com uses Akamai... If I visit their site, instead of being routed to Atlanta GA (this is an example, I don't know where cnn is hosted) along with everyone else in the world who's visiting cnn.com, I get re-routed to a cnn.com site that's co-hosted in Chicago IL.
Think about how overloaded cnn and other websites get right after a major news event occurs...
Here's a list of Akamai customers: »www.akamai.com/en/html/about/customers.html
--
-= Mindspring MaxDSL via Covad 1536/384 TeleSurfer Pro =- |
|
Time Out
@myrtle-beach.sc
| Even Microsoft used Akamai!!!
Be aware that Akamai is a Linux based type server infrastructure making it very reliable. So reliable that even Microsoft has used it in the past even though their NAME does not show up in the customer list that Hall posted.
The last time they used Akamai was an overload period they had around Christmas to download XL and other hot items.
Most people never knew or cared that it was happening...EXCEPT those who had host files and other filters set up and they had a h-ll of a time figuring out what they too could not get the updates etc.
I am only posting this here so those that read it will understand that Akamai is in the big picture of the Internet and to really do it justice this should also be posted here.
Akamai is not a fly-by-night Company. I will not bore you with their history. Every Major or up and coming Player is associated with them one way or the other.
Lets just hope AOL or M$ does not end up owning them!!!!
Partners
»www.akamai.com/en/html/partners/···ers.html
Alliance Members
»www.akamai.com/en/html/partners/···nce.html
Consulting Partners
»www.akamai.com/en/html/partners/···ing.html
Solution Providers
»www.akamai.com/en/html/partners/···ons.html
Technology Partners
»www.akamai.com/en/html/partners/···ogy.html |
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Wildcatboy
Premium,Mod
join:2000-10-30
Toronto, ON
Host:
Security Product V..
Security
| reply to pompeyfan
Re: Why would you need Akamai in your hosts file?
COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT lol.  That's a batch file I wrote a long time ago. I can't believe it's still around. It works well. As Randy mentioned all you have to do is to copy and paste it in Notepad and then save it as Hosts.bat. You can keep it on your desktop if you wish and all you have to do is click on it.
As for Akamai, There are good things about it and there are bad things about it. Akamai has a wide range of servers all around the world and they basically serve images, files, etc... on their servers all around the world. Their logic is that millions of people from around the world access sites like Yahoo and if Yahoo serves their pages from one location then people from China may end up loading the image or the file slower than people in New York for example. So what Akamai does is that it determines where you are and serves you the image or file from the closest server to you. That was the good part of it.
The bad part of it is that Akamai can actually with accuracy determine where you are and who you are because they constantly collect the data and keep extensive databases that are used to profile users and serve them advertising, etc... and those profiles are what people are trying to avoid. They are also behind a lot of ads that you see, directly or indirectly.
Most of those sites in the Hosts file will cause you no inconvenience but a handful of them do. The best way to deal with it is to find those handful based on your browsing habits and disable them and keep the rest to avoid the bad side effects.
You can disable any entry by simply putting a # in front of it. So for example
#127.0.0.1 rd.yahoo.com
will keep the entry in your Hosts file but it will not work.
--
You can catch the Devil, but you can't hold him long. |
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bjf123
We Want... A Shrubbery
Premium
join:2000-02-11
Cincinnati, OH
clubs:
·Cincinnati Bell
| said by Wildcatboy:
COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT, COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT lol. That's a batch file I wrote a long time ago. I can't believe it's still around. It works well. As Randy mentioned all you have to do is to copy and paste it in Notepad and then save it as Hosts.bat.
I've been meaning to write a batch file (yes, I've been around since the days of DOS!) to do this, but never got around to it, so I did a Copy and Paste, too. I just had to make one change. The D: lines didn't work for me as that's my Zip drive. Change them to C:, and away we go!
Whenever I wanted to check airfares or hotels at Travelocity.com, I would need to rename my hosts file, since they use Akamai's servers for a lot of their site. This makes it much easier!
--
Golf is a relatively simple game, played by reasonably intelligent people, stupidly. |
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Wildcatboy
Premium,Mod
join:2000-10-30
Toronto, ON
Host:
Security Product V..
Security
| said by bjf123:
The D: lines didn't work for me as that's my Zip drive. Change them to C:, and away we go!
Actually you can remove them all together. There's no need for the drive name. I wrote that batch for my own computer and my DOS opens in D:\TMP and my Batch file was located in D:. When I posted that file I modified it to work for everyone and I changed the path to %SYSTEMROOT%\windows and I forgot to remove the D:
Get rid of them all and the file will still run with no problem. By the way users of NT and W2K family of OS should change the path to CD %SYSTEMROOT%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC and they may have to start each line with an @ but then again it may work without an @ as well.
--
You can catch the Devil, but you can't hold him long. |
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Sentinel
Premium
join:2001-02-07
Florida
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·CCLHosting
| reply to pompeyfan
It's just personal preference. I keep the akamai entries in my HOSTS file. Although they do have some legitimate uses they are also an AD company. I have found Akamai ads. Do they use cookies? Do they use web bugs? Do they track you? I think they do just like any other ad company. When I find a web site I want to see I use the batch file provided above to turn my hosts on and off temporarily.
It is personal preference. That is why Steve labels them "not for everyone". But they are for me and I hope he leaves them in there.
--
AL |
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Hall
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
| reply to Wildcatboy
said by Wildcatboy:
So what Akamai does is that it determines where you are and serves you the image or file from the closest server to you.
Any idea how they actually do this ?? About all they have to go on is your IP address... What happens with a national ISP ?? My IPs are assigned to Earthlink and/or Mindspring. They're either registered in Atlanta or Pasadena. Would Akamai route me to a server in LA or Atlanta because of this, whereas a server in Chicago is "closer" to me (closer as in network hops, not just geographically) ??
--
-= Mindspring MaxDSL via Covad 1536/384 TeleSurfer Pro =- |
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Sentinel
Premium
join:2001-02-07
Florida | I would guess that what they do is quite the opposite. They check the servers they are in control of and route you to the one that is the least busy. Just a guess.
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AL |
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tup
Premium
join:2001-01-15
Port Elgin, ON
| I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Ray Marron's "Hostess" program to allow you to enable or disable your Hosts file as well as edit it. If you are having problems getting to any site, it only takes a second to disable the Hosts file to see if that's the problem. |
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Time Out
@myrtle-beach.sc
| reply to Time Out
Re: Even Microsoft used Akamai!!!
Akamai Technologies is a leased service provider to businesses. I think some of you are looking for some sinister conspiracy plot here.
This is how the did it for McAfee
»www.networkmagazine.com/article/···718S0003
Business challenge: The Web site of an anti-virus provider must be available during a large-scale virus event, but during a severe outbreak, hundreds of thousands of unique visitors could theoretically access a set of centralized servers and overwhelm them, locking up resources in a manner similar to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. McAfee.com sought to scale to floods of traffic without paying for full-time capacity or compromising security.
Solution: Akamai Technologies' "FreeFlow content delivery service" bridged the distance between central servers and global customers with thousands of geographically distributed servers that cache content locally,
This is their Technology
___________________________________________________________
Technology and innovation
Core technology
Akamai's core technologies include a globally distributed network platform, our unique content routing algorithms, and open specifications for dynamic content assembly.
Network operations
Akamai's Network Operations Command Center (NOCC) proactively monitors and troubleshoots all servers in the global Akamai network.
Edge Side Includes (ESI)
Akamai supports Edge Side Includes (ESI), an open specification for assembly and delivery of highly dynamic Web content at the Internet's edge.
»www.akamai.com/en/html/about/tec···ion.html
___________________________________________________________
And this is how you can be a part of it.
___________________________________________________________
Akamai Accelerated Network Program
Reduce transit bandwidth and improve performance by becoming an Akamai Accelerated Network.
How the program works
Akamai servers are located at the edges of the Internet and deliver all media types, including HTML, graphics, and downloadable files. With Akamai serving this rich content from servers located geographically close to end-users, Akamaized Web sites load in a flash -- up to 10 times faster. Network providers who want to offer this kind of performance simply agree to co-locate Akamai servers in their facilities, at no cost.
A typical configuration
A typical configuration is three servers, and larger configurations are available based on traffic. An ethernet switch is used to provide interserver communications, as well as a 100 Mbps connection to the network. The rack-mounted servers are extremely easy to install and are typically functioning within hours with absolutely no changes to a provider's network topology or configuration.
How you benefit
By placing servers inside your network, Akamai enables you to:
Deliver peak performance for maximum competitive advantage
Reduce transit bandwidth expense
Increase subscriber satisfaction
Leverage customized network-monitoring tools
Take advantage of full technical and marketing support, with 24/7 network care
»www.akamai.com/en/html/network/a···ram.html |
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