Networks

Sometimes I wonder how mere-mortals make this stuff work.

The Wii console uses an ancient and limited version of the Opera web browser for their Wii 'Internet Channel' feature. (Flash version 7?? hellooo)

The Wii supports the use of a proxy server to connect to the Internet, which is good. I use a proxy server to filter content at home.

BUT, the rocket-scientists at Nintendo built a BIG STUPID BUG into their proxy implementation.

When you change the connection settings in the Wii, it does a connection test. If the connection test fails, it will not allow the device to accept the changes.

OK, I'll accept that logic...don't allow people to configure it wrong.

BUT, here's the bug.

The connection test does a http 1.1 request to conntest.nintendowifi.net and looks for a 'http 200: OK' response. Anything else fails.

Okay network gurus, what happens with a proxied connection the SECOND time you request a URL?

Does a proxyied http 1.1 request for a web page that is cached return http 200? (bzzzzzz - wrong answer)

NOOOOO.....a proxy returns HTTP 304: not modified.

So guess what the result is? Yup, the connection test fails....every single time.

Nintendo tech support will blame it on your wireless connection, on your firewall settings, on the phase of the moon, while the whole issue is that whoever wrote the connection test script did not understand how proxies work.

There are these crazy things called RFCs that good system developers should have some clue about. And there are what, ten billion of these Wii units out there with this bug.

The simple fix is to just exclude the conntest.nintendowifi.net from the proxy and clear the proxy cache (simple, right?)

//end rant//