Intel® Fortran Compiler
Build applications that can scale for the future with optimized code designed for Intel® Xeon® and compatible processors.

Why are downloads so difficult and slow?

DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
2,518 Views

I have been trying for several weeks to download the 2020 version of the compiler.

Every download has eventually failed.

The downloads are unreliable and incredibly slow -- currently predicting > 23 hours to complete.

What's wrong with the registration centre downloads?

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21 Replies
Steve_Lionel
Honored Contributor III
2,382 Views

I haven't generally found it to be that bad. There may be a slow connection between you and the Intel server. That said, the Intel registration center server is not the most robust and I don't think they are using a content delivery network, and I often see complaints from non-US users about the downloads.

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andrew_4619
Honored Contributor II
2,382 Views

I did find it slow recently but I have not had problems in the past. You need a down-loader that can resume a partial download, that varies with browser if you are doping it that way.

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JohnNichols
Valued Contributor III
2,381 Views

David:

Send me an email address by private message and I will send you an transfer copy of the 2020 Fortran file -- it is not hard for me - proably illlegal as heck

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
2,382 Views

18 hours to download, then fails the crc check on data1.cab!

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Steve_Lionel
Honored Contributor III
2,382 Views

This suggests an issue with your Internet service. But I see similar complaints from people in South America, etc. Consider using a download manager.

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David_Billinghurst
New Contributor III
2,382 Views

David White (Blackbelt) wrote:

18 hours to download, then fails the crc check on data1.cab!

I have two service request in with Intel about this:

  • 04477676 about corrupted downloads - referred to Akamai Technical Support, [AKAM-CASE #F-CS-3924349] Corrupted file
  • 04478128 about slow downloads

Download speed seems to be related to caching on the Akamai content delivery server.  My local server (Melbourne, Australia) is very local:  1 ms ping, 5 router hops on a 200Mbit/s fibre link.  The first time I access a file it trickles in at 20-50 kB(ytes)/s and takes many hours.  The second time it comes down at full network speed which is around 100 times faster.

The corruption is much more puzzling.  I tried from work and from home using several download clients.  I tried Internet Explorer, Chrome and wget under Windows 10 from work; Chrome, Firefox and wget under Windows 10 from home; wget under x86 linux from home; wget under OpenWRT from my home router (which doesn't have any anti-virus,etc at all).  I see similar problems with different files.

Sometimes I get clean files and sometimes I didn't.

If I do get a corrupted file and downloaded it again immediately - perhaps using a different method or computer - then the second copy of the corrupted file usually has an identical MD5 checksum.  We aren't running our own caching proxy server, so this strongly suggests the corruption is on the content delivery server.

If I try again in a few days then the file may change.  If I try often enough I eventually get an uncorrupted version. 

 

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andrew_4619
Honored Contributor II
2,382 Views

@ #7  It looks like you have made a lot of effort and investigated pretty much all the avenues open to you. You have my full sympathy it reminds me of the frustrating days many years go when it was all dial up over copper wire......

 

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
2,382 Views

Edge certainly downloads quicker than Chrome.

Windows then reports a validation error.

When trying to run the installer, Windows Defender reports Unknown Publisher! Intel's signature should be recognized I would hope.

Then, every copy downloaded (3 or 4 times now) reports a CRC mismatch on ..\installs\advi\advi_cli_install\data1.cab

Check mate again!

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jcarbaut
Beginner
2,382 Views

Not as slow here in France : I get 300 kb/s usually on Intel's download site, which is still pretty bad compared to other sites (up to 50 Mb/s).

It would be nice to have at least an MD5 (or preferably SHA512) key to check the files. It's common for large downloads. It won't make the download faster, but at least one can be reasonably sure it has been successful, more than with a CRC.

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David_Billinghurst
New Contributor III
2,382 Views

David W,

The information in your forum profile suggests you are in WA.  I could Express Post you a DVD if you are still stuck.  You can contact me at first dot last at gmail dot com

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David_Billinghurst
New Contributor III
2,382 Views

David W,

It is worth trying again.  My service request 04477676 was passed on to Akamai.  They have repeatedly poked and prodded the Melbourne server 23.202.160.4 and it now seems to be behaving.  You may well use a different content delivery server, as it will depend on your ISP and their peering setup.

I just downloaded 5 good files in a row.  My success rate in the past was < 50% (probably much worse).  At that rate the chance of 5 consecutive successes is < 0.5^5 = 3%.  Good enough to claim provisional victory.

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
2,382 Views

Thanks David.  Downloaded and installed successfully today - still took over 3 1/2 hours to download - perhaps the bytes travel slower across the Nullarbor.

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David_Billinghurst
New Contributor III
2,382 Views

David White (Blackbelt) wrote:

Tstill took over 3 1/2 hours to download - perhaps the bytes travel slower across the Nullarbor.

Mine is still slow, but slow and correct is so much better than fast and wrong.

All my testing suggests the speed problem is insufficient capacity between the local content delivery server and the master server.  When a file is cached I get full network speed both from work and home. I can't be bothered pushing any harder on it.  A successful overnight download is sufficient.

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JohnNichols
Valued Contributor III
2,381 Views

I say "Remember Wilson."

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
2,382 Views

Same problems again with v2020 Update 1.

First download took 6 hours to download (even using Edge), perhaps due to the load on the server.  Subsequent downloads have been much quicker.

However, Windows Defender flags all copies as a threat with Unknown Publisher.

During installation, the installer fails the CRC check on data1.cab 

So we haven't come very far in the 6 months since the initial 2020 version.

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DavidWhite
Valued Contributor II
2,382 Views

My download success rate is currently about 0/10.

I have tried, Chrome, Edge, Intel Software Manager.  All have reported an error in the download.

In addition to Windows Defender objecting to the install file, Avast Anti-virus also reports a potential virus sometimes (IDP ...)

 

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IanH
Honored Contributor II
2,382 Views

Similar issues here (NT) over the last few months. 

Today I had issues using the software manager for the download of update one, ultimately I've had success with the complete download of the professional edition via the registration centre website.

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FortranFan
Honored Contributor II
2,382 Views

David White (Blackbelt) wrote:

My download success rate is currently about 0/10.

I have tried, Chrome, Edge, Intel Software Manager.  All have reported an error in the download.

In addition to Windows Defender objecting to the install file, Avast Anti-virus also reports a potential virus sometimes (IDP ...)

That's absolutely horrible, so much loss of valuable time and productivity.  Is anyone at Intel Support following up on this?

@David White, can you do as suggested by @IanH and try a full download first of the installation package from the Intel software registration website.

If that didn't (doesn't) work, I wonder if Intel can do something as simple as physically mail out at DVD of latest update (19.1, update 1) to you and thus provide a one-time workaround to mitigate the situation somewhat by bringing your version up-to-date.

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JohnNichols
Valued Contributor III
2,381 Views

David:

The Nullabor is wide and flat and dry.  I can understand the bits going slow.  

Good luck. 

John

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jimdempseyatthecove
Honored Contributor III
1,996 Views

Yesterday I had no problems downloading PS 2020 XE Cluster Edition update 1 for both Linux and Windows (~3GB each). Both downloads concurrently. Download speed was "normal" I have like 3up/1down. Used FireFox.

Jim Dempsey

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