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When I try to use wget on Windows 7, it fails with a message like this:

> wget ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/tex/CTAN/systems/texlive/tlnet/tlpkg/texlive.tlpd --2017-07-10 14:37:47-- ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/tex/CTAN/systems/texlive/tlnet/tlpkg/texlive.tlpd => 'texlive.tlpd' Resolving ftp.fu-berlin.de... 130.133.3.130 Connecting to ftp.fu-berlin.de|130.133.3.130|:21... failed: Unknown error. Retrying.

[Yes, I am trying to install TeX live.]

This happens both for FTP and HTTP connections.

I suspected a proxy issue because I believe that on this network, a proxy is necessary. In a web browser I can access the URLs where wget failed. The browser is set to "use system proxy", but I do not really know where to find those settings so that I could pass them to wget. I tried

> netsh winhttp show proxy

but it says

Current WinHTTP proxy settings:

    Direct access (no proxy server).

Does this mean that there really is no proxy?

If so, what else could it be? Could a firewall that lets through Firefox, Chrome, and IE block wget?

xebtl
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  • Does the browser still connect if the proxy is set to "none" rather than "use system proxy" or "automatic"? – Steven Jul 13 '17 at 13:34
  • Why do you need `wget` and don't just download the files with your browser? System proxy settings are found in Internet Explorer -> Tools -> Options -> Connections -> LAN settings. Can you reach any address from the command line (try `ping ` and `telnet 443`. Yes, a firewall software running on your pc (such as Windows Firewall or the antivirus) could only allow certain executables to get through; this is not common though. – simlev Jul 14 '17 at 08:54
  • @simlev 1. Why `wget`? Because that is texlive's installation procedure. [Other options](https://www.tug.org/texlive/acquire.html) are not very desirable. Plus, I want to understand ... How would a firewall discriminate between a request from `wget` and one from IE? 2. `ping` times out. `telnet` is not installed. – xebtl Jul 18 '17 at 13:33
  • Why is e.g. downloading the ISO, mounting it and installing from it not very desirable? A software firewall installed on your pc is able to discriminate which program made a network request and allow or deny it according to set rules. `ping` not working likely means that your pc does not have direct Internet access and requires a proxy. No need to try `telnet` then, but from your answer I understand that you don't have admin privileges on this machine, otherwise you would have installed it. – simlev Jul 18 '17 at 14:22
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    For the sake of people who might come here looking for texlive: What I did to install was download the `.iso`, use [WinCDEmu](http://wincdemu.sysprogs.org/) to mount it, and install from the resulting drive. – xebtl Jul 19 '17 at 14:59

1 Answers1

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Since nobody has done that yet, let me answer your question(s).

Does this mean that there really is no proxy?

No. Internet Explorer proxy settings are those that are most commonly configured to allow Internet browsing, and those used by Google Chrome and Firefox if you choose to "use system proxy settings". They are found in Internet Explorer -> Tools -> Options -> Connections -> LAN settings. They are not the same as WinHTTP proxy settings. You may want to configure WinHTTP to copy your Internet Explorer settings with netsh winhttp import proxy source =ie as described in this answer.

If so, what else could it be?

Anything, really. This is too broad a question and, besides, what you probably mean is: "What is causing this behaviour in my particular case?" (troubleshooting question not particularly suited for this site because it targets a specific situation that might not be of interest to a larger audience).

Could a firewall that lets through Firefox, Chrome, and IE block wget?

Yes. See e.g. how to configure the Windows Firewall to achieve a similar goal.

simlev
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  • It turned out to be the Windows firewall. I was able to add a rule there to let `wget` through, now it works. (To clarify, when I asked, I wasn't thinking about a local firewall on my machine -- of course that could see which program a request comes from -- but a network firewall.) – xebtl Jul 20 '17 at 09:10
  • @xebtl Glad you found the root of the issue! A firewall somewhere in the network can only guess which software originated a network request based on known ports and ip ranges. My first comment pointed the finger at "a firewall software running on your pc (such as Windows Firewall or the antivirus)" which *can* look up the PID of a network request. – simlev Jul 20 '17 at 09:58