296534 - multiple "enter username" dialog every time the news server is polled

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(MailNews Core :: Networking, defect)

Description

[Carl Karsten]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.7) Gecko/20050414 Firefox/1.0.3
Build Identifier: tbird 1.0.2

TB is set to check for new news posts ever 10 min.
I walk away.
Password changes on the news server that requires auth.  
So every 10 min, TB pops up a new  "enter username" even if one is still up from
the last pole.



Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. add news server newsgroups.comcast.net
2. check for messages ever 1 min
3. wait 5 min

Actual Results:  
5 "enter username" dialogs

Expected Results:  
one "enter username" dialog.

I am also having problems with "remember username/password" - it doesn't, and so
the "enter username" dialog keeps comming up.

Comment 1

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

This is an automated message, with ID "auto-resolve01".

This bug has had no comments for a long time. Statistically, we have found that
bug reports that have not been confirmed by a second user after three months are
highly unlikely to be the source of a fix to the code.

While your input is very important to us, our resources are limited and so we
are asking for your help in focussing our efforts. If you can still reproduce
this problem in the latest version of the product (see below for how to obtain a
copy) or, for feature requests, if it's not present in the latest version and
you still believe we should implement it, please visit the URL of this bug
(given at the top of this mail) and add a comment to that effect, giving more
reproduction information if you have it.

If it is not a problem any longer, you need take no action. If this bug is not
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Thank you for your help in this matter.

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Comment 2

[wayne]

I'm seeing the same problem using comcast.net as my news server.

Comment 3

[Steven Cardinal]

In my case it appears related to the presence of a write-only newsgroup folder.
My  online classes use newsgroups to post assignments and one forlder is a
drop-box style newsgroup. If I remove that folder from my list of subscribed
newsgroups, the problem disappears.
I'm guessing that the error returned by the news server when Thunderbird tries
to get an unread count makes it think that authentication failed (which it kind
of did).

An option to turn off new message checking on a newsgroup by newsgroup basis
might be a helpful work-around?

Comment 4

[Andreas Schwarz]

See comment #2 on bug 314495.

Comment 5

[nowell29]

(In reply to comment #3)
> In my case it appears related to the presence of a write-only newsgroup folder.
> My  online classes use newsgroups to post assignments and one forlder is a
> drop-box style newsgroup. If I remove that folder from my list of subscribed
> newsgroups, the problem disappears.
> I'm guessing that the error returned by the news server when Thunderbird tries
> to get an unread count makes it think that authentication failed (which it kind
> of did).
> An option to turn off new message checking on a newsgroup by newsgroup basis
> might be a helpful work-around?

I have the same issue.  One group is write only, no read.  The Username and password are erased from the password file after each authentication failure.  I have entered the user and pass info in the file, and saved as a read only file.  The authentication only works once, but then prompts again, and TB starts to make replicas of the original password file minus the news user and pass.
Perhaps specifying with groups get checked for new messages, or ignoring a no read error would allow password manager to keep auth info, and not erase it at failure.

Comment 6

[BarkerJr]

I think this may be Comcast's issue.  The Comcast news server is run by a third party on another network.  When you connect to the news server, it contacts Comcast to ask them if you're allowed.  If the connection to Comcast fails, they give you the Bad Password code.  Now, it'd be nice if Thunderbird could just silently ignore this error, but I don't know the logistics around this.  But in all, I think Comcast needs to fix the issue with bad password codes being sent out.

Comment 7

[Steven Cardinal]

In our case, the news server is an Exchange server (not sure if it is 5.5 or 2000) and isn't associated with Comcast in anyway. Still could be a response issue from the server that isn't properly formatted, but Exchange is a major player - a client app should try and 'cover' for it.

Comment 8

[nowell29]

I am using TB 2.0.0.4pre(date) and it is still an issue.  Comcast is not related to my connection in anyway.  I am using a campus net, and a home DSL.  The issue is related to the news server specifically in my case.  I have been using it for on-line school for almost two years now, and it has never changed.  Dare I say it, but OE doesnt have this problem.  I would gladly let someone test this using my credentials against my news server.  Please contact me at my email for it.
nowellmorrisbus at hotmail dot com.

Comment 10

[BarkerJr]

Why would you mark an older bug as a duplicate of a newer bug?

Comment 11

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

Why does age matter? I saw the other bug first, and the two are roughly equally described.

Comment 12

[BarkerJr]

Well, the other bug was closed as abandoned.  Also, this bug has two votes, and the other only has one.  So, this bug should be reopened.

Comment 13

[[:Aureliano Buendía]]

Reporter fix of bug #121647 have any effetcs for your problem?

Could you try to see if it still happens with
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/thunderbird/nightly/latest-comm-1.9.1/ ?

Comment 14

[Joshua Cranmer [:jcranmer]]

RESO INCO due to lack of response to last question. If you feel this change was made in error, please respond to this bug with your reasons why.