wpad.dat and Steam

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stieg
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Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2020 6:26    Post subject: wpad.dat and Steam Reply with quote
Hello Dev team,

Trying to solve a connection problem I have been seeing with the Steam downloader on Windows 10. It appears that it is getting stuck while trying to connect to Privoxy on the router. Reason that it is getting stuck is that I do not have Privoxy running, but Steam insists on trying to connect to it. Some digging and learning about WPAD tech leads me to find that the router is advertising a proxy with the following wpad.dat file being served on the router itself:

Code:

function FindProxyForURL(url, host) {
var proxy = "PROXY 192.168.1.1:8118; DIRECT";
var direct = "DIRECT";
if(isPlainHostName(host)) return direct;
if (
url.substring(0, 4) == "ftp:" ||
url.substring(0, 6) == "rsync:"
)
return direct;
return proxy;
}


This seems off to me since I do not have this proxy running. I have turned off proxy auto-detection in both the system settings in Windows 10 and Internet Explorer but that has not gotten things to work for Steam downloader. I should add that all other connections out of the Windows 10 machine work just fine.

When I turn on Privoxy the steam downloader works. So I'm pretty sure this file is the problem. Probably Steam has a broken implementation where "PROXY 192.168.1.1:8118; DIRECT" just gets hung up forever.

Anyway I was wondering the following:


  1. Is this a bug? I assume so because why router be serving up a wpad.dat file when no proxy is running?
  2. How might I go about removing this file from being served by httpd? I logged into the router and found that the file is being served from /tmp/wpad.dat. However upon moving it and trying that as a sanity check I see the file just come right back. Obviously something is generating it and I don't know what.
  3. Failing an option to remove the file permanently, any thoughts how I might work around this?


Apologies in advance if I have missed anything obvious. I did google around for this and found

* https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=757729

But that did not help. Cheers.
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egc
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 18 Mar 2014
Posts: 12836
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2020 7:52    Post subject: Re: wpad.dat and Steam Reply with quote
stieg wrote:
Hello Dev team,

Trying to solve a connection problem I have been seeing with the Steam downloader on Windows 10. It appears that it is getting stuck while trying to connect to Privoxy on the router. Reason that it is getting stuck is that I do not have Privoxy running, but Steam insists on trying to connect to it. Some digging and learning about WPAD tech leads me to find that the router is advertising a proxy with the following wpad.dat file being served on the router itself:

Code:

function FindProxyForURL(url, host) {
var proxy = "PROXY 192.168.1.1:8118; DIRECT";
var direct = "DIRECT";
if(isPlainHostName(host)) return direct;
if (
url.substring(0, 4) == "ftp:" ||
url.substring(0, 6) == "rsync:"
)
return direct;
return proxy;
}


This seems off to me since I do not have this proxy running. I have turned off proxy auto-detection in both the system settings in Windows 10 and Internet Explorer but that has not gotten things to work for Steam downloader. I should add that all other connections out of the Windows 10 machine work just fine.

When I turn on Privoxy the steam downloader works. So I'm pretty sure this file is the problem. Probably Steam has a broken implementation where "PROXY 192.168.1.1:8118; DIRECT" just gets hung up forever.

Anyway I was wondering the following:


  1. Is this a bug? I assume so because why router be serving up a wpad.dat file when no proxy is running?
  2. How might I go about removing this file from being served by httpd? I logged into the router and found that the file is being served from /tmp/wpad.dat. However upon moving it and trying that as a sanity check I see the file just come right back. Obviously something is generating it and I don't know what.
  3. Failing an option to remove the file permanently, any thoughts how I might work around this?


Apologies in advance if I have missed anything obvious. I did google around for this and found

* https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=757729

But that did not help. Cheers.


Normally your /tmp/dnsmasq.conf has this option:
dhcp-option=252,"\n"

Meaning no WPAD.dat is handed out.

I also do not have a /tmp/wpad.dat so that must be because you have a a proxy server setup

Do you have dhcp-option=252,"\n" in /tmp/dnsmasq.conf ?

If not have you tried adding it to the Additional DNSMasq Options ?

_________________
Routers:Netgear R7000, R6400v1, R6400v2, EA6900 (XvortexCFE), E2000, E1200v1, WRT54GS v1.
Install guide R6400v2, R6700v3,XR300:https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=316399
Install guide R7800/XR500: https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=320614
Forum Guide Lines (important read):https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=324087
stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2020 18:06    Post subject: Steam Downloader & wpad.dat Reply with quote
Quote:
Normally your /tmp/dnsmasq.conf has this option:
dhcp-option=252,"\n"

Meaning no WPAD.dat is handed out.


I do indeed have the
Code:
dhcp-option=252,"\n"
line in my dnsmasq.conf file. And your statement is consistent with what was noted in the forum link I posted at the bottom of my original post.

I believe you are correct in everything you said, however I also believe that this is a bug in the Steam code in that they are looking for this file regardless of whether or not this option is in the DHCP reply. So it is my belief that if I am able to remove this file then the Steam downloader will work again since it will not have any Proxy info to retrieve. Any thoughts on that?
kernel-panic69
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 14125
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2020 18:55    Post subject: Reply with quote
Fix your Win10 internet connection settings.
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stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Mon May 04, 2020 22:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Fix your Win10 internet connection settings.


In the original post I noted that I had disabled auto proxy detection on both Windows 10 network settings and also within Internet Explorer. And I also noted that other apps (Firefox, Chrome, etc) were all able to connect to the internet just fine. So as far as I know, my Windows 10 internet connections settings are as fixed/correct as they can get. If you have suggestions on anything I might have missed kernel-panic69 I'm all ears.

I honestly believe this is a bug in Steam itself and I am not sure how to work around an issue within that app. If you have an idea with regards to Steam or regards as to how I can get rid of this file on the router that would be more helpful.
stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 3:08    Post subject: Reply with quote
Of note to egc


Quote:
I also do not have a /tmp/wpad.dat so that must be because you have a a proxy server setup


What version are you running? I did have it setup at one point but I turned it off. I have gone so far as resetting the NVRAM and rebuilding the configuration from scratch. That did not solve the issue. So I find it interesting that you do not have the wpad.dat file. Have you tried the following with your router:

curl 192.168.1.1/wpad.dat

to see what you get? Maybe that will generate it.
kernel-panic69
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 14125
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 3:20    Post subject: Reply with quote
Ok, so is the steam interface via browser or other software? P.S. There's more to fixing your connection settings than popping the hood and staring at the oil fill cap. This is my chief complaint with everything since Win2K/WinXP.
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stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 6:48    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Ok, so is the steam interface via browser or other software?


Honestly it looks like a native app with several web-views for some of the content they promote. Digging into the steam app logs I can clearly see that it is trying to connect to 192.168.1.1:8118 and that is where it is getting stuck. I just have no idea where it is getting that setting from.

Quote:
P.S. There's more to fixing your connection settings than popping the hood and staring at the oil fill cap. This is my chief complaint with everything since Win2K/WinXP.


I'm sure there are many more settings that I am simply not aware of buried somewhere in the registry or something like that. Google has been rather fruitless in that regard so I'm obviously not searching for the right term yet.

Windows 10 seems like a fuster cluck of settings all over the place as well. And being as I haven't used windows in years (only to be able to support some games I like) I feel like a novice. I'm sure you are an avid Windows user given your avatar :p
egc
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 18 Mar 2014
Posts: 12836
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 6:58    Post subject: Reply with quote
stieg wrote:
Of note to egc


Quote:
I also do not have a /tmp/wpad.dat so that must be because you have a a proxy server setup


What version are you running? I did have it setup at one point but I turned it off. I have gone so far as resetting the NVRAM and rebuilding the configuration from scratch. That did not solve the issue. So I find it interesting that you do not have the wpad.dat file. Have you tried the following with your router:

curl 192.168.1.1/wpad.dat

to see what you get? Maybe that will generate it.


root@R7800:~# curl 192.168.0.1/wpad.dat
function FindProxyForURL(url, host) {
var proxy = "PROXY 192.168.0.1:8118; DIRECT";
var direct = "DIRECT";
if(isPlainHostName(host)) return direct;
if (
url.substring(0, 4) == "ftp:" ||
url.substring(0, 6) == "rsync:"
)
return direct;
return proxy;
}root@R7800:~#

Yep that does generate the wpad.dat

After a reboot it is gone however

_________________
Routers:Netgear R7000, R6400v1, R6400v2, EA6900 (XvortexCFE), E2000, E1200v1, WRT54GS v1.
Install guide R6400v2, R6700v3,XR300:https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=316399
Install guide R7800/XR500: https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=320614
Forum Guide Lines (important read):https://forum.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=324087
stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 7:13    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Yep that does generate the wpad.dat. After a reboot it is gone however


It's gone until the request is made. Then its back again. What service is generating that and how can I neuter it? Having a hard time figuring out what wizardry is creating that file and where.
stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 7:36    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well managed to get somewhere. I got the router to stop serving the wpad.dat file by disabling the web ui access on port 80 and turning web ui access via 443 (https). That seems to turn off the web server on port 80 which prevents that file from being served. Progress!

That said... still hitting the problem with Steam. Somehow it's simple little mind still searches for the proxy that isn't there. Words escape me.

Any other thoughts on what I might try? Am ready to murder windows repeatedly for needlessly wasting my time.
kernel-panic69
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 14125
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 14:49    Post subject: Reply with quote
Is this a browser extension or a separate app altogether. There has to be a setting somewhere or a registry entry that is involved. Unless there is some configuration on the router that we are overlooking. P.S. This is why GameSpy was the shiz. None of this silly nonsense. IGN, Steam, and everyone else took a good thing and ruined it. But hey, Mark is still likely getting paid and laughing all the way to the bank.
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stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 17:36    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Is this a browser extension or a separate app altogether.


Standalone app. Works best when online but has an offline mode.

Quote:
There has to be a setting somewhere or a registry entry that is involved. Unless there is some configuration on the router that we are overlooking.


My thoughts exactly. There is someplace where this is set... just don't know where. I scanned the entire registry for the port number (8118) last night but didn't find any configurations (in ascii anyways) that had that number in there. So SOL there.

Quote:
P.S. This is why GameSpy was the shiz. None of this silly nonsense.


Yeah... miss the simplicity of my N64 where the most advanced thing you had to do was blow on the cartridge to get a good connection. But then again.. modern VR is pretty decent.
kernel-panic69
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 14125
Location: Texas, USA

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 18:08    Post subject: Reply with quote
Probably something hard-coded in the app. Not sure if there is some magic command-line switch voodoo that can be used or a setting in the app itself that is being overlooked.

I miss the days of LAN parties, specifically Bastard's Beatdown at GameSpy HQ aka Critical Mass Communications. Most folks wouldn't know that an internet advertising company founded by a gamer is where all these things started. Qspy begat QuakeSpy, QuakeSpy begat GameSpy. And the rest is history after Mark stepped down and GSI merged with IGN. This article lacks the larger and smaller stories IMHO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameSpy

I just think the evolution of Internet gaming leaves a lot to be desired. I was impressed with the release of the nQuake stuff, and Yamagi's work, but. I guess I am just too old school.

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stieg
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 26 Nov 2019
Posts: 12
Location: Honolulu

PostPosted: Tue May 05, 2020 18:21    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
I guess I am just too old school.


Get off my #lawn!
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