Open University - "First Class" Server Problem

[AndyG]

Hi

I'll start off by saying that I don't think this is an IDNet problem but I'd appreciate any feedback from anyone else using this OU system.

My wife uses a piece of software called First Class (provided by the OU) to access mail and information in connection to a course she's doing.  This software connects to a server called oufcnt1.open.ac.uk.  About half of the times she tries to log-on to this system, she gets panel that says there is no server of that name on the network - then she gets grumpy .  If open a command line window and do a nslookup the server resolves OK so I don't think it is a DNS problem.  Pingplotter traces to the server look good but the server itself does not return pings.  I can only assume that the server too busy to respond some of the times she tries to log-on.

I'm wondering if anyone else here who uses this OU facility can let me know if they have similar problems with this system/server. If others don't experience this problem, I need to look further for a solution. Any feedback will be appreciated. 

Andy

[TimJ]

Andy,

I have been doing an OU course this year.

I know that the OU sent me a disc with their "Fist class" software on it. I think I installed it then decided that I did not need it and uninstalled it. Cenrtainly I have not used it, I just goto www.open.ac.uk from IE and login with my username and password.

I thought that this gives full access, certainly I can access "First class" email, discussion groups, TMA results and course documentation.

It goes to various servers such as msds.open.ac.uk and but I have not seen it trying to access oufcnt1

Obviously I can be wrong (It has been known) and different courses may well have different requirements, but I would have thought that it was worth a quick try just using your web browser.

Wish your wife the best of luck with her course.

Tim.

[AndyG]

Tim, thank you for your response.

I think she goes in through what she calls her 'home page' when First Class doesn't work so I assume she is using a Web interface similar to the one you use.  The reason she likes to use First Class is that the course she's doing has on-line discussion groups that get a bit lively at times and, from what I can gather, the interface is much quicker through First Class than throught the Web method so she can read and respond quicker.

It might be a DNS problem despite me seeing correct responses in the CLI check so I've now set the computer to use the IDNet servers for DNS rather than letting the router relay requests.  I'll see how she gets on over the next few days.

Best wishes to you for your course as well Tim.

Thanks again - Andy