"Select the best server" *never* selects the best server

[NoOp]

On 08/26/2008 03:46 AM, David Curtis wrote:
> Ashish Yadav wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>> I am using Ubuntu 8.04 and trying to update the system.
>> 
>> Whatever server I select by "Syetem->Administration->Software Sources"
>> and then "Download from->Other" and "Select best server"; always
>> points to a randomely selected server from where either nothing gets
>> downloaded at all or I get a speed of 5-6 kbps.
>> 
>> Is there a reliable server which I can choose to download from, I am in India.
>> 
> If I were you I would try the Indian server (ftp.iitm.ac.in) and some 
> others geographically nearest to you, China/Uzbekistan. The 'Select best 

$ mtr -r -c 20 ftp.iitm.ac.in
HOST: gg-laptop                   Loss%   Snt   Last   Avg  Best  Wrst StDev
[snip]          0.0%    20  384.3 425.4 340.4 527.1  60.9
  6. if-9-0-0.mcore4.PDI-PaloAlto  5.0%    20  548.5 469.3 348.3 596.3  72.3
  7. if-3-0.mcore3.PDI-PaloAlto.t 10.0%    20  492.5 472.1 344.3 708.2  94.5
  8. ix-4-0.mcore3.PDI-PaloAlto.t  0.0%    20  436.5 457.9 352.5 540.2  57.8
  9. 59.163.16.58.static.vsnl.net  5.0%    20  732.3 669.3 576.0 772.1  58.6
 10. 202.54.65.85                 10.0%    20  676.3 656.2 504.1 773.0  73.9
 11. illchn-static-203.199.223.9. 15.0%    20  620.3 660.7 572.3 760.0  62.1
 12. ???                          100.0    20    0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0   0.0

$ ping ftp.iitm.ac.in
PING ftp.iitm.ac.in (203.199.213.69) 56(84) bytes of data.

--- ftp.iitm.ac.in ping statistics ---
17 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 15999ms

$ host ftp.iitm.ac.in
ftp.iitm.ac.in has address 203.199.213.69

Looks dead.