New WebShield Killing Squeezeplay (Logitech Media Server Client)

W7 64-bit Home Professional + Avast Free 2014 9.0.2011 networked (via Homeplug Ethernet) to a Vortexbox Linux Media Server (turnkey Logitech Media Server h/w & s/w solution)

Squeezeplay (http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/SqueezePlay) is the desktop version of the Jive/Squeezebox Controller software. It provides an audio player with similar look/feel as the Logitech Squeezebox user interface, for browsing and playing music and internet streams on PC.

In the past, this has worked faultlessly with Avast 8. However, as soon as I updated to 2014.9.0.2011, SP would start-up OK but then fail to connect to the media server. Experimentation showed that the problem is the new Webshield – when disabled, SP will connect to the media server just fine, and play music and internet streams, as normal. However, whenever it is active, SP fails to connect. Multiple users on the Slimdevices forum have reported this problem and also report it applies to the Avast premium version, as well.

I’ve tried playing with the various Webshield settings but none of the options appear to resolve the ‘Failure to Connect’ problem whilst Webshield is active. Excluding the SP program and/or the media server IP address from the Webshield function also fails to resolve the problem.

Luckily there is a workaround. Namely, switch off webshield, start up SP (which then connects to the media server just fine) and then switch on the webshield. Bizarrely, although the webshield stops SP connecting to the media server when starting-up, if a connection can be made, the webshield no longer causes any problem and SP can stream music and internet, as normal.

Without this workaround, myself and many other Avast and Squeezebox eco-system users would immediately have to either revert to an earlier Avast version or switch to another product cos it is unacceptable that an AV should prevent local music streaming from our own servers. The workaround stops us having to take any immediate action but it doesn’t help us have confidence in Avast (especially annoying since, apart from this problem, AV 2014 looks like a good update)

So, is there anyway of persuading Avast to take a look at this problem or can anyone suggest a fix which doesn’t require the above workaround?

PS: I can confirm that my version of AV is running the patched aswstm.sys and aswstm.sys.sum files which Lukas referred to in his pinned ‘Webshield download issues’ thread (although, since this referred to download probs, I’m not really surprised that it didn’t do anything to solve this problem!)

Go to C:\programdata\avast software\avast directory
Find the WebShield.ini, file and add following lines:

[General]
UseStreamFilter=0

restart „avast! Antivirus“ service, or reboot.

That could solve it.

OK, I’ll give it a try (although I had though that this fix was superceded by the patched aswstm.sys and aswstm.sys.sum files)

Have you tried excluding the entire folder of Squeezebox? Previously, I had the programme file for an app excluded from Webshield and this worked just fine, until a recent update. I wondered if it might be also another DLL or similar that was the problem, so excluded the entire folder for that app (use *.*) and that fixed it. It may not be just the programme app that is bothering Webshield, so excluding just that won’t help. Try the wildcard exclusion of the folder and see if that does the trick.

Gregg

Eddy

No dice, I’m afraid. Still blocks SP from connecting to the media server on start-up (workaround still works, as well)

Greggh

Unfortunately, as far as I can see, only the anti-virus exclusion settings allow exclusion of a folder. Tried it but no luck (not really surprising, I suppose, cos the problem appears to be centred on the webshield). Webshield exclusions are URL (no luck), MIME types (no idea!) and Processes (doubly no idea!)

Not looking hopeful, so far :-\

http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/screenshots/u/Lh/1388850571699-42099.png

The app I wanted to exclude was not a URL even though it uses IE11 to run. IOW, it is a local thing. I pasted in the shortcut path to the app, changed the exe to ., and saved it. Avast added an http:// in front of it, which does nothing except let it run. You may not think that you Webshield does not allow the exclusion of a folder, but it most certainly did for me. Try it… put in the path for the folder that you want to exclude, and save it. Ignore the http:// and quotes (and the * after it) that Avast ads, and see if it works. All it will do is make an exclusion that doesn’t work if this is wrong, but it just may solve your problem.

Gregg

Hello.

I have the Pro Version of Avast running on Windows 7 Pro.

Squeezeplay will not connect to my local server unless I disable the webshield. I tried excluding the Squeezeplay folder as suggested above but this was unsuccessful.

Thanks.

bob3160
Thanks for that. Tried excluding both the SP executable and the entire SP folder (via .)…no luck

Greggh
As per jimzachary post…again, no luck, regardless of whether I exclude the entire folder via Webshield exclusion or AV exclusion

Since this has now been reported by multiple users of both the Free and Premium versions of Avast, it is obviously a core Avast issue rather than being a problem with an individual PC. I know there’s no support with the Free version but since Premium users are experiencing this problem as well, is there any chance it can be formally reported to Avast and fixed. After all, the Squeezebox music eco-system has a a large number of computer-literate users all over the world so it’s hardly unknown.

I totally concur with the above.

I’ve used Avast for years without problems, recommended it to many others … and now what?

Very disappointed.

Hi Pastyman,
I’ve been able to reproduce the issue here. We’ll analyze it and fix it. Thanks. L.

EDIT:

And turning off the streamfilter component - UseStreamFilter=0 - works 100% for me.

That’s good news, glad to have been of help

Strange, it defo didn’t work for me ??? I’ll try again over the weekend but I’m not holding my breath!

This worked for me with the Pro version of Avast on 64-bit Windows 7 Pro.

Thanks.

I hope we will deliver the fix tomorrow (at least via an updated dll here on the forums). We really need you to confirm the fix, once it is ready :slight_smile:

BTW: switching back to proxy mode (aka WebShield from 9.0.2006) must help, the new code is simple not there. Have you retarted (computer or avast! Antivirus service) ?

Hi Lukas

Oops, sorry - must have killed off too many brain cells over Christmas :-[

Just to clarify, turning off the Streamfilter component (UseStreamFilter=0) worked for me, as well. Sorry for any confusion!

Dang, forgot to tell you not to eat the Turkey prepaired in Sherry with Christmas ;D

That was fine…it was the absinthe over the Christmas pud which really did the damage 8)

Pastyman, thanks for the clarification. In that case we got a fix for you. Will post it here tomorrow, once the build server will spit it out.

Lukas.

This was driving me nuts - but your solution worked! Thanks!

[General]
UseStreamFilter=0

Works for me as well. Looking forward to the patch anyway.

Alas, no support from Logitech anymore for squeezeplay. They even removed it from all download folders. So I have been trying to find a bug in the lua software. I thought I could pin it down to https://github.com/Logitech/squeezeplay/blob/public/7.8/src/squeezeplay/share/jive/net/Comet.lua The last successful command is on line 627.

The CometRequest on the next line times out. In the comment it says that the request is not according to specs. That is rather suspicious. I didn’t know where to look for the specs. Anyone does?