Failed To Download Update / Could not contact primary server

Bob, 

Bot to dispute what yoyr saying but I don't see how it could be your CDN, unless you ONLY use 1 , that being Limelight Networks. I say that becuse  every single IP resolution belongs to Limelight Networks according to whois and ARIN.
I looked up all the posted IP's , I assume that might be who you  (SOPHOS) uses as your ISP ???   Regardles that little tidbit should help, I'd say more likely either a Limelight Network problem or your incoming firewall servers..

Just my $.02  but I have seen this before on client's Linux boxes , even Windows Server 2003, 2008, 2013 occasionally.  (I work for IBM so I get to see a LOT of network issues)

Cheers,

Peter

I don't think you would have access to that file, more than likely SOPHOS's update service reads that fle and hands off the download parameters to another service.

If we all had access to that file, we'd all be accessing the file, occasionally at least,  simultaneously which would be a big problemo.  That also means that if you could read or open that file SOPHOS has a GIANT security issue.   It would be like me VPNing into your home forlder and opening up a fiule I thought looked tasty. 

Probbly not something a security company wouod let happen.

IMO the best thing to do is, just wait until SOPHOS finds the issue and all will be good again, I suspect that this is effecting more that just is free AV users..

here it is 1:21:39 PM Daylight Savings Time Eastern time zone, and still can not update Sophos.  I am using Yosemite OS.  When will this be fixed?

Ditto here when trying to connect from the UCSD campus (my personal laptop).  Are they blocking domains ?

Same problem using in London UK noted at 16:00 GMT verion 9.2.4 on Yosemite

Connectivity is not the problem, authentication is.

$ ping dci.sophosupd.com
PING sophos.vo.llnwd.net (68.142.79.70): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 68.142.79.70: icmp_seq=0 ttl=57 time=49.153 ms

$ ping d1.sophosupd.com
PING sophos.vo.llnwd.net (68.142.79.69): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 68.142.79.69: icmp_seq=0 ttl=57 time=25.462 ms

$ ping d2.sophosupd.com
PING sophos.vo.llnwd.net (68.142.79.69): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 68.142.79.69: icmp_seq=0 ttl=57 time=13.116 ms

com.sophos.autoupdate: Updating catalogue information at 10:31:13 19 March 2015
com.sophos.autoupdate: Catalogue updated at 10:31:13 19 March 2015
com.sophos.autoupdate: Error: Failed to get remote version at 10:31:13 19 March 2015
com.sophos.autoupdate:        Failed to authenticate at 10:31:13 19 March 2015
com.sophos.autoupdate: Error:    Could not contact primary server at 10:31 on 19 March 2015
com.sophos.autoupdate:     Access was denied

Folks, asking when this will be fixed is like asking,when will you  have to use the restroom again???   This is on SOPHOS's DNS services side, it's either a problem on thier own boxes or with Limelight Networks (notice if you do a whois on every IP you get bakc they all come from Limelight Networks), who onws the range of IP's we're all getting.  Likely SOPHOS uses Limelight and it will be done when it's done.

I'm not trying to be rude, but If been doing this for 30+ years (yes I even had a DARPA net email address)  I can empathize with SOPHOS techs right now who are in a mad scramble all just for us and we're the FREE clients. If this is an issue for more than us then we are goimg to be a little lower on the poriority scale.

They wil fix it, and as far as having to get updates everyday, if you investigate, while tbe service looks everyday we don't always get updates, a new virus or malware isn't invented everyday.  Relax, it'll work out, no one is going to heist your machine in the menatime.

I apologize if this sounds rude, not my intent AT ALL  but these guys would be better off spending thier time on the issue than answerring us in posts. I doubt there was a new virus or malware def today anyway I haven't seen my file change once since it;s original update 4 days ago,.

1.  64 bytes from 68.142.118.4: icmp_seq=0 ttl=58 time=24.857 ms

2.  64 bytes from 68.142.118.4: icmp_seq=0 ttl=58 time=28.189 ms

3. 64 bytes from 68.142.118.254: icmp_seq=0 ttl=57 time=34.748 ms

Same problem (screenshot attached).

dci.sophosupd.com

64 bytes from 208.111.168.7: icmp_seq=0 ttl=54 time=54.757 ms

--- sophos.vo.llnwd.net ping statistics ---

1 packets transmitted, 1 packets received, 0.0% packet loss

round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 54.757/54.757/54.757/0.000 ms

d1.sophosupd.com

64 bytes from 208.111.168.7: icmp_seq=0 ttl=54 time=75.786 ms

--- sophos.vo.llnwd.net ping statistics ---

1 packets transmitted, 1 packets received, 0.0% packet loss

round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 75.786/75.786/75.786/0.000 ms

d2.sophosupd.com

64 bytes from 208.111.168.7: icmp_seq=0 ttl=54 time=54.948 ms

--- sophos.vo.llnwd.net ping statistics ---

1 packets transmitted, 1 packets received, 0.0% packet loss

round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 54.948/54.948/54.948/0.000 ms

Same problem, in Lebanon (GMT+2), most of the day

dci.sophosupd.com = 87.248.221.253 = sophos.vo.llnwd.net

etc ...

Cheers