sor67

Q: Why do IMAP servers keep going offline on MacBook Pro Retina, using El Capitan?

Note - I raised this issue a couple of weeks ago under a much older/less relevant post.

 

I purchased a MacBook Pro Retina in Sept 2015 to supersede my two ailing/slow MacBook Pro's (late 2011). Since that time, I have had the opportunity to observe the behaviour of three MacBook Pro's on the same wi-fi network, with exactly the same account settings (note with Apple's support we tried every version of settings possible), the same three email accounts (1x gmail, 2x third party hosted emails), and exactly the same software updates (initially Yosemite, and now El Capitan).

 

On the new Retina (while still on Yosemite on all machines) I started getting the IMAP servers intermittently going offline, with incoming server and outgoing server alerts (not always, but several times per day). When those alerts were showing on the Retina, it would take several minutes for emails to send or receive, and emails would sit in the outbox as if they had not been sent.  But they would all eventually send/receive.  At the same time, the other two MacBook Pro's would show no issues (alerts) whatsoever, and be able to send/receive with no problems at all. Curiously, if I sent an email from the Retina to myself, it may show as being in the Outbox of the Retina, but still be received "instantly" by both other MacBook Pro's. I also had another clearly related connection issue, in that iTunes would regularly bounce up and down with a message “We could not complete your iTunes store request.  The network connection timed out” - this is regardless of the fact that I had not purchased anything, and iTunes was shut down.

 

Apple suggested I wait for the El Capitan update, but exactly the same behaviour. In the end, after lots of Apple Care advice, Apple agreed the issue was restricted to the Retina machine and decided the issue must be hardware related, and so replaced the MacBook Pro Retina in December.  For the first three weeks my newest Retina has been perfect (problem solved!!!), but three weeks ago - the "identical" email/connection issues.  Apple then told me that "an issue has come to light with the software that had caused similar issues with multiple users. This is currently under investigation by engineering...keep an eye out for incremental software updates..."

 

I did the recent 10.11.3 update - but no improvement!  After 5 months, this machine is killing me, it's unusable - and I'm back using the MacBook Pro 2011 which now seems like a pretty reasonable machine after all.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  Regards

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jan 29, 2016 2:36 AM

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Q: Why do IMAP servers keep going offline on MacBook Pro Retina, using El Capitan?

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  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 29, 2016 4:20 PM in response to sor67
    Level 10 (207,995 points)
    Applications
    Jan 29, 2016 4:20 PM in response to sor67

    What have you done to try to solve the problem?

  • by sor67,

    sor67 sor67 Jan 29, 2016 6:25 PM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 29, 2016 6:25 PM in response to Linc Davis

    Thanks for replying Linc! 

    Things I've done to resolve the problem:

    • I've spent many hours over a 5 month period watching the three MacBook Pro's sitting next to each other using the same wi-fi connection, and same email settings, and observed the issues the Retina 2015 has had while the two have had "no" problems.  I don't want the computers sitting next to each other - I've been doing that purely until I can make the Retina work acceptably - then I can give one of the 2011's to my son for school.  So I'm feeling every bit of the 5 month pain now.
    • I've liaised with Apple numerous times to try different things, including performed two installs from scratch, and have manually added everything one by one, starting with email settings.
    • After a few months, Apple decided it must be a hardware issue, so they replaced the Retina with another - so I performed another clean install
    • Within a few weeks on new Retina - same problem - so presumably not a hardware problem.  So liaised with Apple again re how to progress  Their response was (as above) - they are aware of "similar issues with multiple users...keep an eye on incremental software updates".  I've since updated to 10.11.3 - same problem.

    Don't get me wrong - I'm an Apple fan, and want this to work - and they've been perfectly reasonable I reckon!  Exciting after 5 months to hear Apple have realised others have this same problem! So I'm assuming there'll be a resolution. But I'd love to hear from anyone else who is having this issue with the Retina - love to know if Apple are "actually" on to this problem. In the meantime, the Retina just sits on my desk with alerts all over the email, and with iTunes bouncing up and down suggesting a connection issue.  And it's easier for me to just use the 2011, because it actually works fine!

    If you have any suggestions, I'll try anything at this point.

    Cheers

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 29, 2016 6:52 PM in response to sor67
    Level 10 (207,995 points)
    Applications
    Jan 29, 2016 6:52 PM in response to sor67

    Do you have the same problem on all networks, or only on one?

    Does web browsing work when Mail is not working?

  • by sor67,

    sor67 sor67 Jan 30, 2016 4:48 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 30, 2016 4:48 AM in response to Linc Davis

    MMM - good questions - in the early months Apple got me to test with my mobile network via personal hotspot, and we got the same problems - so ruled the network out as a contributor.  Of course I tried it again just now because you suggested it, and what do you know?...the alerts disappear!!  I recall that didn't prove to be the answer previously - but you've definitely got me thinking!  I'll want to give that a good test over the next few days.  But if in fact it turned out that the issue was limited to the one network, could you have a stab at why that might be?  I mean, why might just one computer (the Retina) have an issue on that network?

    And yes, web browsing works fine (and download/upload speeds unaffected) while Mail is not working. But note that I do have a message popping up from iTunes regularly (per notes above) saying "the network connection timed out".  Additionally, downloading of app updates gets interrupted if that's happening at the same time Mail is not working.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jan 30, 2016 12:35 PM in response to sor67
    Level 10 (207,995 points)
    Applications
    Jan 30, 2016 12:35 PM in response to sor67

    1. This procedure is a diagnostic test. It changes nothing, for better or worse, and therefore will not, in itself, solve the problem. But with the aid of the test results, the solution may take a few minutes, instead of hours or days.

    The test works on OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later. I don't recommend running it on older versions of OS X. It will do no harm, but it won't do much good either.

    Don't be put off by the complexity of these instructions. The process is much less complicated than the description. You do harder tasks with the computer all the time.

    2. If you don't already have a current backup, please back up all data before doing anything else. The backup is necessary on general principle, not because of anything in the test procedure. Backup is always a must, and when you're having any kind of trouble with the computer, you may be at higher than usual risk of losing data, whether you follow these instructions or not.

    There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.

    3. Below are instructions to run a UNIX shell script, a type of program. As I wrote above, it changes nothing. It doesn't send or receive any data on the network. All it does is to generate a human-readable report on the state of the computer. That report goes nowhere unless you choose to share it. If you prefer, you can act on it yourself without disclosing the contents to me or anyone else.

    You should be wondering whether you can believe me, and whether it's safe to run a program at the behest of a stranger. In general, no, it's not safe and I don't encourage it.

    In this case, however, there are ways for you to decide whether the program is safe without having to trust me. First, you can read it. Unlike an application that you download and click to run, it's transparent, so anyone who understands the code can verify what it does.

    You may not be able to understand the script yourself. But variations of it have been posted on this website many times over a period of years. Any one of the millions of registered users could have read the script and raised the alarm if it was harmful. Then I would not be here now and you would not be reading this message. See, for example, this discussion.

    Nevertheless, if you can't satisfy yourself that these instructions are safe, don't follow them. Ask for other options.

    4. Here's a general summary of what you need to do, if you choose to proceed:

    ☞ Copy a particular line of text to the Clipboard.

    ☞ Paste into the window of another application.

    ☞ Wait for the test to run. It usually takes a few minutes.

    ☞ Paste the results, which will have been copied automatically, back into a reply on this page.

    These are not specific instructions; just an overview. The details are in parts 7 and 8 of this comment. The sequence is: copy, paste, wait, paste again. You don't need to copy a second time.

    5. Try to test under conditions that reproduce the problem, as far as possible. For example, if the computer is intermittently slow, run the test during a slowdown.

    You may have started up in safe mode. If the system is now in safe mode and works well enough in normal mode to run the test, restart as usual before running it. If you can only test in safe mode, do that.

    6. If you have more than one user, and only one user is affected by the problem,, and the affected user is not an administrator, then please run the test twice: once while logged in as the affected user, and once as an administrator. The results may be different. The user that is created automatically on a new computer when you start it for the first time is an administrator. If you can't log in as an administrator, test as the affected user. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this section doesn’t apply. Don't log in as root.

    7. Load this linked web page (on the website "Pastebin.") Press the key combination command-A to select all the text, then copy it to the Clipboard by pressing command-C.

    8. Launch the built-in Terminal application in any one of the following ways:

    ☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

    ☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

    ☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.

    Click anywhere in the Terminal window to activate it. Paste from the Clipboard into the window by pressing command-V, then press return. The text you pasted should vanish immediately.

    9. If you're logged in as an administrator, you'll be prompted for your login password. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. You will not see the usual dots in place of typed characters. Make sure caps lock is off. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you make three failed attempts to enter the password, the test will run anyway, but it will produce less information. If you don't know the password, or if you prefer not to enter it, just press return three times at the password prompt. Again, the script will still run.

    If the test is taking much longer than usual to run because the computer is very slow, you might be prompted for your password a second time. The authorization that you grant by entering it expires automatically after five minutes.

    If you're not logged in as an administrator, you won't be prompted for a password. The test will still run. It just won't do anything that requires administrator privileges.

    10. The test may take a few minutes to run, depending on how many files you have and the speed of the computer. A computer that's abnormally slow may take longer to run the test. While it's running, a series of lines will appear in the Terminal window like this:

        Test started
            Part 1 of 4 done at: … sec
            …
            Part 4 of 4 done at: … sec
        The test results are on the Clipboard.
        Please close this window.

    The intervals between parts won't be exactly equal, but they give a rough indication of progress.

    Wait for the final message "Please close this window" to appear. If you don't see it within about 15 minutes, the test probably won't complete in a reasonable time. In that case, press the key combination control-C or command-period to stop it. Then go to the next step. You'll have incomplete results, but still something. If you close the Terminal window while the test is still running, the partial results won't be saved and you'll have to start over.

    11. When the test is complete, or if you stopped it because it was taking too long, quit Terminal. The results will have been saved to the Clipboard automatically. They are not shown in the Terminal window. Please don't copy anything from there. All you have to do is start a reply to this comment and then paste by pressing command-V again.

    At the top of the results, there will be a line that begins with the words "Start time." If you don't see that, but instead see a mass of gibberish, you didn't wait for the "close this window" message. Please wait for it and try again.

    If any private information, such as your name or email address, appears in the results, anonymize it before posting. Usually that won't be necessary.

    12. When you post the results, you might see an error message on the web page: "You have included content in your post that is not permitted," or "The message contains invalid characters." That's a bug in the software that runs this website. Please post the test results on Pastebin, then post a link here to the page you created.

    If you have an account on Pastebin, please don't select Private from the Paste Exposure menu on the page, because then no one but you will be able to see it.

    13. This is a public forum, and others may give you advice based on the results of the test. They speak for themselves, not for me. The test itself is harmless, but whatever else you're told to do may not be. For others who choose to run it, I don't recommend that you post the test results on this website unless I asked you to.

    14. The linked UNIX shell script bears a notice of copyright. Readers of ASC may copy it for their own personal use. Neither the whole nor any part may be redistributed.

  • by sor67,

    sor67 sor67 Feb 8, 2016 2:55 PM in response to sor67
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 8, 2016 2:55 PM in response to sor67

    Linc

    Sorry for the slow response - I have been awaiting Apple advice as to how to progress. Thanks so much for the detailed advice/counsel, and I appreciate your various comments about trust, etc. 

    Rightly or wrongly, I contacted Apple to check they agreed this was the way to go forward. The product specialist I'm dealing with at Apple seems pretty competent, and keen to help - but he was very reticent for me to follow forum advice involving Terminal commands. Out of respect for him, at this stage I'll follow his suggestion of performing "another" wipe and reinstall of the OSX software.  He knows I've done this previously, that I'd really prefer not to do it again (rebuilding everything manually/incrementally, starting just with email), and he knows I've updated to most recent versions of OSX - but he thinks sometimes incremental updates don't resolve issues, where an erase and reinstall may!

    I'm dubious about that - I almost can't imagine this machine working properly given I've been trying for 5 months - but you know, I like Apple stuff.  It's amazing what it can do!

    I will let you (this forum) know how I go.

    In the interim would love to hear if anyone else has email issues that are particular to the 2015 Retina.

    Cheers

  • by ftcguy,

    ftcguy ftcguy Apr 7, 2016 6:06 PM in response to sor67
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apr 7, 2016 6:06 PM in response to sor67

    sor67 - what was the verdict?  Did it work?  I'm experiencing the same issue on my Macbook Pro Retina.