Slow to connect after authentication

Long-time user of WinSCP with almost zero issues in the many years I've been using it. Now I've got an issue. I have two sites both hosted by 123-reg. Recently they 'upgraded' my package and requested I set up new SFTP credentials. So far, so normal.

After configuring both sites in WinSCP, they exhibit the same behaviours when I attempt to log in. After getting past the authenticating password stage, there is a long gap that eventually times out. If I then choose 'abort' and reconnect, they both login perfectly. Thereafter, I can login FIRST time in each for the next few sessions, but a few hours later the delay returns after submitting the password.

I have other 123-reg sites (NOT 'upgraded') that I access via WinSCP and they work fine – it's just these two that have been 'upgraded' that are misbehaving. I've tried switching OFF the various cache settings in WinSCP and then trying it with them ON (just as an experiment, but it appears ot make no difference). Can anyone offer any suggestions?

Thanks, Steve

I do not think that any WinSCP setting might fix it.
But if you post session log file, we can check.
Did you try any other SFTP client, to check if it has the same problem or not?

HI martin

Thanks for the quick reply. I've just tried it with FileZilla.. and it's slow to connect using that too! I guess that suggests it must be an issue 'at the other end'?

I have a log file, set at level: 'debug 1' but I'm not sure what I should delete before uploading for fear of sharing anything sensitive. Is it worth you looking at it given that FileZilla also struggles with the log in?

Thanks, Steve

Yes, it indeed looks like a server-side problem.

Thanks Martin. Yes, that was what I was beginning to conclude.
Cheers for your help.

Steve

Something like that could also be a local networking hardware, firmware, or other networking issue. Issues there can get very complicated, difficult to find, and wrongly concluded.

Firmware issues are especially wrongly concluded many times by many people, due to difficulty of testing that, by requiring other hardware. Firmware issues can show up as any problem including slowness.

But it definitely can be the server side software or anything over there, for sure :)

Edit this to: due to difficulty of testing that.

It doesn't actually require other hardware, if one can feel what happened such as all was fine before firmware update and conclude properly, or can test and conclude properly.