Error: Unable to fetch URL:

Error: Unable to fetch URL: SearchSearch
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Anonymous
 
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - 12:04 am:   

folks,

i created an mms file and trying to send it via web interface to no avail. evry time i try to either send mms notification with full url or mms file itself, i get an error message.

Error: Unable to fetch URL:
http://127.0.0.1/20031118/15/3FB93E45a.MMS

i know that mms file is correct and it plays just fine in emulator. any ideas on what may be wrong?
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1181
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - 04:31 pm:   

It sounds like the MMSC service is active, but that another web server is using port 80.

So the first step would be that you need to either change the HTTP port that the MMSC uses ("MMSC" page of the NowSMS configuration dialog), or you need to shut down the other web server.

Once you get past this ... your notifications are not going to actually work if you have "127.0.0.1" configured as the "Local Host Name or IP Address" in the MMSC configuration.

When an MMS message is sent to a mobile phone, the first step is that an MMS notification message is sent to the phone over WAP push (over SMS). This notification contains a URL that the mobile phone then needs to initiate a data connection (usually GPRS) in order to retrieve. The host name that is configured for the "Local Host Name or IP Address" needs to be an address that is accessible to the phone when the phone makes this data connection.

At least that is the way that it works for direct MMS delivery (the default mode in the Now SMS/MMS Gateway).

NowSMS can also deliver MMS messages by routing them through an operator MMSC (including over a GSM/GPRS modem). In that case, all of the MMS message content is sent to the operator MMSC ... the operator MMSC generates the notification message, and the URL in the notification points to the operator MMSC. This type of configuration is described at the following link:

http://www.nowsms.com/documentation/ProductDocumentation/mms_notifications_and_c ontent/Connecting_to_operator_MMSC.htm
Anonymous
 
Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2003 - 07:44 pm:   

Bryce,

When I attempts to send mms notification I constantly receive:

Error: Invalid Content Type for URL:
application/octet-stream

needles to say that even notification doesnt arrive. i assume at least notification would arrive even if i had incorrecr mms settings.

my URL is correct. and the funny thing is that i can send the very same mms message from another machine through the same nowsms. i use v5.0.

Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1187
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Thursday, November 20, 2003 - 02:08 pm:   

We perform several validation steps to make sure that the notification URL contains valid MMS content. (Otherwise, when a notification doesn't work, troubleshooting would be even more complex.)

Two simple checks that we perform are that the MIME content type returned for the URL must be "application/vnd.wap.mms-message". If the content is not of that MIME type, then the phone will not accept it as an MMS message. So you need to reconfigure your web server to recognise the file extension that you are using for the MMS message (usually ".mms") as this MIME type.

Another check that we perform is a look at the header of the MMS content. We validate that an MMS header is present, and that the message is of the "m-retrieve.conf" type. (If the MMS message is not of this type, the phone would not accept it as a received MMS message.)

-bn

j
Unregistered guest
Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 07:13 am:   

Hi, here's my situation:

I'm running NowSMS on a "local" computer (192.xxx.xxx.xxx) behind a router. This router has a public IP 210.xxx.xxx.xxx. On port 5xxxxx, I've placed redirection entries on the gateway to point to 192.xxx.xxx.xxx:5xxxxx. I've configured the MMSC settings to use 210.xxx.xxx.xxx:5xxxxxx as this would be the IP that should be accessible.

Now, my problem is that my router doesn't allow my 192.xxx.xxx.xxx to access itself using 210.xxx.xxx.xxx .. (I think being able to is called a "loopback" feature? My router ain't got it.) I keep getting the "Unable to Fetch" error because of this.

Oh, I just realized that I could put in my private IP (no Fetch Error with this configuration).. Hmm.. but if I put my private IP, the MMS Wap Push won't work (right?) .. and so, this won't work either.

Am using Clickatell to send MMS to Malaysia... with the private IP configuration, I see that one of my credits have been deducted and I saw my phone get a little beep (notification?) .. but not actual MMS. So, the theory is that the notification failed.

Any thoughts? Any work-arounds?
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1406
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 - 08:35 pm:   

Hi j,

This is a somewhat common situation.

The only solution that we have is a work-around.

You need to have a DNS host name associated with your external 210.xxx.xxx.xxx address.

Then on your local PC, edit the HOSTS file in the \WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC directory, and add:

192.xxx.xxx.xxx host.name


Then specify this "host.name" as the "Local IP Address or Host Name" in the NowSMS configuration.

Then, when NowSMS attempts to resolve this host.name locally, it will be given the address from the HOSTS file.

But, when the URL is fetched remotely (by an MMS phone), the host name will resolve via DNS as the external IP address.

-bn
J
Unregistered guest
Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 08:32 am:   

bn,

This works great -- I didn't know that you could edit the HOSTS file like that. :-) Anyway, I'm able to do a WAP PUSH through Clickatell this way, but unfortunately, the MMS just doesn't seem to get through... I suspect it's an operator thing.

on a side note, I've emailed twice now for the price list/structure but have yet to receive a response...?
Bryce Norwood - NowSMS Support
Board Administrator
Username: Bryce

Post Number: 1416
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 01:11 am:   

Does the multimedia WAP push work? One of the problems with troubleshooting MMS is that many phones don't tell you they received an MMS notification if they are unable to fetch the MMS URL.

If you receive a push notification with this function, but can't access the content, then there is a problem connecting to "local host name or IP address" over the internet.

If that works, but MMS does not, then most likely the default MMS settings for your operator do not allow access to external MMSCs. Here are a couple of good resources that explain this situation and options:

http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/1/228.html

http://support.nowsms.com/discus/messages/1/589.html


quote:

on a side note, I've emailed twice now for the price list/structure but have yet to receive a response...?




Apologies for that. I'm hoping we can get the price list back on to the web site soon ...

I'll ask someone to reply to the e-mail address included earlier in this thread.