Is Videhelp banning IPs?

[AngusMacGyver]

Hi, Mods!
I was unable to access videohelp.com since last wednesday. All my friends could. I suspect my IP was banned and I asked my ISP to change it. Now I can access well. Is there a policy to block users IPs?
Thanks in advance.

[Faustus]

Usually not unless you had the same IP as someone who was banned and kept coming back under different user names.

Otherwise no.

[AngusMacGyver]

I think you are right.
I used "traceroute" and noticed communication stops in a router in the way between me and videohelp. I think videohelp isn't blocking by itself.

Thanks.

[jimmalenko]

IP blocking is fairly standard as it is the easiest to implement. However, as you have found, it is possible that ISPs that recycle IPs could allocate you an IP that a banned user here was using. As such, that means that your internet connection is banned inadvertently.

Unfortunately, IP banning is not massively effective for anyone with half a clue. Without bringing this forum into disrepute, let's just say that there are numerous ways to get around it.

[AngusMacGyver]

I was banned again. I've changed my IP again and now I can access videohelp. My IP is changed every 8 days by DHCP server.
I have 2 NICs in their database. I have to switch between them to get a new IP and use videohelp.
Bizarre!

[jimmalenko]

In theory a Release, wait a few mins, then a Renew should give you a different IP.

[AngusMacGyver]

I did it, but it didn't work. I think my connection is a VPN. I don't understand it very well. All I know is my NIC is set to automatic IP and DNS and my cable modem has a intranet IP until it get IP from DHCP server, when my IP changes to a valid one.
I have a basic knowledge about network and can't understand how my connection works. When I had a DSL, I understood it, but now, I can't undestand my cable modem connection.
Thanks again.

[Cobra]

I have looked at your IP and it does not belong to any other banned username. Your best bet, I suspect, is to contact Baldrick and see if there's anything that he can do for you.

All the best,

Cobra

[CrayonEater]

If you can change your MAC address on the "banned" NIC, you should receive a different IP than the one you've been getting from now on. Nearly all routers/firewalls allow you to change or clone your ethernet hardware address.

[Cobra]

Spoofing MAC addresses can cause issues on some networks, just so you know. Happened to me on the university network (when I lived on campus) and I got chucked off for a whole weekend automatically. No idea why, but they just didn't like it. Can't remember why my MAC was spoofed in the first place - I think it was something to do with Windows, and when I installed Linux it didn't spoof it and a different MAC was trying to connect with the same credentials and set off the system... All a bit beyond me!

You'd be best off contacting Baldrick - we perhaps shouldn't be formulating ways to bypass security here at VideoHelp in this thread!

[thecoalman]

Well I know this happened to me... Apparenlt someone had a computer within the same IP range as me and it was hitting the server a couple of thousand times a minute so Baldrick banned it through other means than the phpbb panel... banned me as well. If you're just getting a 404 error than the same scenario is possible.

[AngusMacGyver]

No, I think one of intermediate routers was banning my IP. I wasn't getting 404 error, videohelp site wasn't reachable. I simply was unable to ping to www.videohelp.com. Now, I'm sure wasn't a videohelp policy.
Until now, everything is OK again.
Thanks for your info, guys.

[Cobra]

Well, let's hope it continues to be OK!