'Linksys WRK54G' router, having trouble connecting to Usenet servers, Error 10051:109

Hi,
I'm running 'Linksys WRK54G' & I'm have trouble connecting to some usenet servers. The servers which require a username/password are connecting fine, but am getting an error on the servers which do not require username/password which says:

[15:53:23] Level: ERROR MODULE=InterSocket, MSG=Error: Connection Failed, Host: *****.*****.com Error Code: 10051:1099
[15:53:23] Level: ERROR MODULE=NNTPServerWorker, MSG=Failed to contact Server: *****.*****.com - Will retry eventually

I've used these usenet servers & usenet reader NewsBin Pro (nbpro.exe) on my PC before hooking up the router, and they worked fine. All servers are using port 119 & I've added my newsreader to 'Port Range Forward' list and some of servers connected(the ones that require login) and others I'm getting this error

What could the problem be? Thanks for any help

Also none of the servers were connecting until I opened the port 119 on my router; added nbpro.exe to 'Port Range Forward' via linksys. Wonder why I am still getting this error on some of the servers? If additional info is needed Ill post, sorry I am totally stumped, thanks again

I recommend SABnzbd

I get the impression you're talking about the free/test servers, maybe they are just down?

10051

http://support.ipswitch.com/kb/WSK-19980714-EM17.htm

"Connection attempted to an unreachable network". It could be the router returning that ICMP message though.

You don't need to port forward for Usenet to work. You simply need to set the router to permit outbound connections on port 119. None of my routers required me to change anything. Usenet is all connections from your PC to the server so, that's why port forwarding shouldn't be needed. It's no different then a web browser, just a different port.

I agree with the comment that the servers may simply not be there any more.

Don't forget to check and make sure the crappy windows software firewall is not running, kind of pointless when you have a hardware firewall with your router. It is strange that you would need to enable port forwarding to 119 as the router should allow you to establish outgoing connections with out the need to open any ports or change configuration. As a test you can always put the local LAN IP of your
pc in the DMZ - this will put your PC and only your PC outside the firewall letting all traffic go through- that is one way to test if you can connect or not. If you are able to connect while your PC is in the DMZ then the problem is the firewall configuration. You also want to make sure your Linksys firmware is up to date also for good measure...hope this helps

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Don't forget to check and make sure the crappy windows software firewall is not running, kind of pointless when you have a hardware firewall with your router.

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This is actually the key. Many software firewalls and V scanners seem to be trying to actively thwart Usenet downloads. They treat Usenet like email and it's not been like email for years now.

It makes no sense that a server would only connect after port-forwarding was done. Port-forwarding only affects (first-time) inbound connections.

I've never quite understood why the default setting for most anti-virus software is to scan all usenet traffic. That can be a show-stopper right there, on anything less than a super-computer. Even it it's for the benefit of the people downloading those 100KB Blu-Ray movies with the .exe extension - the AV could at least wait until the file completes before scanning it.

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Even it it's for the benefit of the people downloading those 100KB Blu-Ray movies with the .exe extension - the AV could at least wait until the file completes before scanning it.

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Haha. Dude emailed me the other day complaining about corrupt downloads. I asked him what he was downloading. He emailed me a file back that was a single small RAR file. Inside the rar was an EXE file. Wonder how many times he ran it?

Compressed headers and realtime email scanning don't work. I've seen cases where the firewall crashes the PC because it leaks memory while trying to parse the compressed headers. Then you have to explain to the user that, no the software can't crash your PC but, the firewall can. Sometimes they run out of internal RAM, the PC stays alive but all net access stops. Have to explain that too.