steam-limiter test build 0.7.0.5 available

[Nigel Bree]

This is mainly aimed at resolving this crash problem with Steam, where if Steam downloads are paused/resumed or reshuffled in the download queue Steam ends up failing. The core idea here is that by doing extra work to allow the "CS" type servers to be revectored to ISP-specific servers, and this will help avoid Steam thinking it has a problem talking to these servers.

The code itself can be obtained from my Skydrive folder - in addition to the code changes (which are a mix of new features and a few small bugfixes) there are some subtle changes to how rules work and how the built-in rules operate.

The key idea here is that there's now an internal set of built-in rules that rather than blocking the "CS" type servers and their special /initsession/ and /authdepot/ URLs, this internally stubs them out so they never go on the wire. This allows me to write rules that rewrite the standard Valve "CS" type servers at both the DNS level and also the HTTP host: level so that all things end up going to the unmetered ISP-level proxy (which in the case of Vodafone NZ, which I am on, is just a simple single Squid proxy).

If tests go well I'll push the associated new rules live as well, but for best results with testing 0.7.0.5 it'll be best to edit in a "custom" profile type with these adjusted rules:

For Vodafone NZ:

  Filter: content*.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.vodafone.co.nz;*.cs.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.vodafone.co.nz

  Host:   //steam.cdn.vodafone.net.nz=*;//content*.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.vodafone.co.nz;//*.cs.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.vodafone.co.nz

For iiNet and Internode:

  Filter: content*.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.on.net;*.cs.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.on.net

  Host:   //steam.cdn.on.net=*;//content*.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.on.net;//*.cs.steampowered.com=steam.cdn.on.net

For Telstra BigPond:

  Filter: content*.steampowered.com=steam.content.bigpondgames.com;*.cs.steampowered.com=steam.content.bigpondgames.com

  Host:   //steam.content.bigpondgames.com=*;//content*.steampowered.com=steam.content.bigpondgames.com;//*.cs.steampowered.com=steam.content.bigpondgames.com

If you're not with one of these ISPs, then that's fine too - just continue using your current rules.

If you test with these, I do recommend using DebugView to capture the output from steam-limiter and using it to help verify things. In my case it seems to be that with these changes that I'm more reliable with Steam downloads restarting. If this new system works for you - and even more so if it doesn't - please do drop a note here (or on the related bug report) to let me know.

Do as always keep an eye on your data usage when running a test version, of course; it should be that this version is solidly leakproof, but if it's not then I will look closer at that.

- Nigel

[Andrew van Slageren]

Hi Nigel,

Just at quick email to let you know that I've been running this build for about a week now, and it appears to have resolved the previous crashing issues. As far as I can tell everything is still coming down as unmetered using the new profile (iiNet).

Thanks!

Andrew.

[ggr.s...@gmail.com]

Hi Nigel,

I may be wrong but it looks like the iinet Australia server no longer resolves (steam.cdn.on.net).
Anybody have any suggestions as usage is now going on my peak quota.
This seem to have changed since sometime after Christmas.

Thanks for any suggestions,

George

[ggr.s...@gmail.com]

Ignore this last message probably heavy server load.