Why do some pages take two minutes to load?

This article explains why some pages take two minutes to load and possible solutions to the problem.

Symptoms and problem description

Using a web browser, users attempting to load Rational Team Concert pages experience long delays lasting around two minutes. These delays are not consistent, but always seem to occur the first time the users attempt to use RTC within a fresh browser session. Subsequent loads of the same page in the same browser session return much quicker as expected.

This problem tends to occur in federated or isolated environments (environments where the client and server are not connected to the Internet but are behind a firewall and are secured from the outside).

This problem also tends to occur in Windows environments where Microsoft Active Directory Server is used.

Solution 1: Root hints are not disabled

If the environment is completely isolated from the outside world, it is possible that a DNS server is still configured to use root hints. If a network is connected to the Internet, a root hints file, or a cache hints file contains the names and Internet addresses of root DNS servers which in turn are used to resolve other Internet names and addresses.

If a network is not connected to the Internet, it is possible that a DNS server is attempting to reach each external root server listed in the root hints file and sequentially timing out for each request until it tries a local DNS server within the isolated network. (The default timeout is 20 seconds and some default root hints files have 6 entries which can explain the approximate two-minute or 20-second x 6-tries delay.)

To solve the problem, on the Active Directory server, open Microsoft DNS Manager console. Right-click on the DNS server you need to configure. Click Properties and then the Root Hints tab. Check the box to “Disable recursion (also disables forwarders).” In some versions of Active Directory the option is called “Disable root hints.”

Additionally, if your network is not connected to the Internet, Microsoft suggests you replace the NS and A records in the cache hints file with NS and A records for the DNS servers that are authoritative for the root of your private TCP/IP network. See http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc958982.aspx for a further discussion.

Solution 2: Port 8880 or other WebSphere ports are blocked

Some ports including port 8880 which is the SOAP_CONNECTOR_ADDRESS for WebSphere Application Server may be blocked. Unblocking ports can remove the approximate two-minute delay. Refer to the specific firewall instructions for your server. Generally you may need to grant WebSphere firewall exceptions at the application level, but in some cases you may need to explicitly open ports for specific application or ask the server to leave them open permanently.

Refer to WebSphere Application Server documentation for other default ports. For example, the Port number settings in WebSphere Application Server ver 8 are at http://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SS7JFU_8.0.0/com.ibm.websphere.migration.express.doc/info/exp/ae/rmig_portnumber.html

Related topics: Deployment web home

External links:

• Root Hints Files

Additional contributors: None