There are a lot of unhappy iPhone users at the moment, both the iPhone 3Gs that are being picked up or delivered today and those upgrading to the iPhone 2.0 firmware need to have their phones activated via the iTunes Music Store.

I’ve been reading some of the blogs, such as The Confused Jedi and some of the suggestions are wrong (i.e. click this first and then this and it will work).

I’ve look at the request and response packets via the sniffer and effectively the iTMS server is sending a HTTP Error 500-13 message, which is ‘Server too Busy - there are just too many people trying to connect for the amount of available network connections to the server.  iTunes then converts this into the -9838 message everyone is seeing.

If you manage to get a progress bar, this means the connection has been established to the iTMS (you are beyond the -9838) and you should leave it to takes its course.

For some people it seems to work (not for me unfortunately) but some are bombing out with a -4 error - which is a timeout.  If iTunes doesn’t receive the activation response back from the iTMS within a given period the iTMS will close the connection and iTunes will create this error.

This is what a -4 looks like under the hood:

listening on en1, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), capture size 96 bytes
16:54:48.239711 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: S 3437198741:3437198741(0) win 65535 <mss 1460,nop,wscale 3,nop,nop,timestamp 5123022 0,sackOK,eol>
16:54:48.412761 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: S 111953104:111953104(0) ack 3437198742 win 8190 <mss 1380>
16:54:48.412824 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . ack 1 win 65535
16:54:48.413200 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: P 1:103(102) ack 1 win 65535
16:54:48.590649 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: P 1:1381(1380) ack 103 win 8190
16:54:48.590686 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . ack 1381 win 65535
16:54:48.591397 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: P 1381:2161(780) ack 103 win 8190
16:54:48.591420 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . ack 2161 win 65535
16:54:48.601342 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: P 103:242(139) ack 2161 win 65535
16:54:48.601358 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: P 242:248(6) ack 2161 win 65535
16:54:48.601369 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: P 248:285(37) ack 2161 win 65535
16:54:48.775790 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 242 win 8190
16:54:48.777282 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 248 win 8190
16:54:48.779283 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: P 2161:2204(43) ack 285 win 8190
16:54:48.779334 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:48.779599 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: P 285:812(527) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:48.963441 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 812 win 7684
16:54:48.963507 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 812:2192(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:49.370432 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 2192 win 7684
16:54:49.370462 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 2192:3572(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:49.370469 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 3572:4952(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:49.598294 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 4952 win 3588
16:54:49.598325 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 4952:6332(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:49.598332 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 6332:7712(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:49.827408 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 7712 win 1540
16:54:49.827436 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 7712:9092(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:50.229181 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 9092 win 0
16:54:54.954279 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
16:54:55.125492 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 9092 win 0
16:54:59.954748 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
16:55:00.127995 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 9092 win 0
16:55:07.955501 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
16:55:08.128967 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 9092 win 0
16:55:23.956989 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
16:55:24.129393 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 9092 win 0
16:55:55.959770 IP 192.168.0.111.50109 > albert.apple.com.https: . 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
16:55:56.130746 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: . ack 9092 win 0
16:56:28.061392 IP albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50109: R 111955308:111955308(0) win 9300

The R is a reset from the activation server at the end

So effectively, no matter what you click before you try activation on iTunes will help in the slightest.  You just have to keep pounding away until you get a slot and hope that the iTMS can process the activation before it times out.

I have found the quickest way to keep trying is to highlight the iTunes Store in iTunes and then use the up-and-down cursor keys to move between the connected iPhone and the iTunes Store.  Everytime you select the iPhone it will attempt a to the activation service.  If it fails you will need to click OK before trying again using the above technique.

UPDATE

There seem to be less -9838 errors now.  I’ve been looking at more verbose logs and it looks like there are an abnormally number of corrupted packets too - Apple’s infrastructure may be creaking a little:

tcpdump: listening on en1, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), capture size 96 bytes
17:05:10.503511 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 14972, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->3d65)!) 192.168.0.111.50167 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×11d8), 3933015224:3933015225(1) ack 3957413202 win 65535
17:05:10.675492 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 13073, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50167: ., cksum 0xeed9 (correct), 1:1(0) ack 0 win 0
17:05:44.506616 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 5436, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->62a5)!) 192.168.0.111.50167 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×11d8), 0:1(1) ack 1 win 65535
17:05:44.677664 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 52813, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50167: ., cksum 0xeed9 (correct), 1:1(0) ack 0 win 0
17:06:39.420159 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 18504, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50167: R, cksum 0xca91 (correct), 3957413202:3957413202(0) win 9300

UPDATE

About 30% of all traffic between myself and Apple at the moment is corrupted, just check out the number of bad cksum messages.  I’ve just tried several other services and sites and they are getting little packet corruption.  A complete session that terminates in a -4 is looking like this:

tcpdump: listening on en1, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), capture size 96 bytes
17:15:01.961394 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 62957, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 64, bad cksum 0 (->81dc)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: S, cksum 0xc320 (incorrect (-> 0×2772), 2164959709:2164959709(0) win 65535 <mss 1460,nop,wscale 3,nop,nop,timestamp 5135155 0,sackOK,eol>
17:15:02.133150 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 26433, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 44) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: S, cksum 0×10da (correct), 4236949238:4236949238(0) ack 2164959710 win 8190 <mss 1380>
17:15:02.133216 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 46019, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40, bad cksum 0 (->c41e)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc308 (incorrect (-> 0×4845), 1:1(0) ack 1 win 65535
17:15:02.133577 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 51111, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 142, bad cksum 0 (->afd4)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: P 1:103(102) ack 1 win 65535
17:15:02.309792 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 4681, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 1420) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: P 1:1381(1380) ack 103 win 8190
17:15:02.309835 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 56260, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40, bad cksum 0 (->9c1d)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc308 (incorrect (-> 0×427b), 103:103(0) ack 1381 win 65535
17:15:02.313287 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 5193, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 820) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: P 1381:2161(780) ack 103 win 8190
17:15:02.313311 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 36086, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40, bad cksum 0 (->eaeb)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc308 (incorrect (-> 0×3f6f), 103:103(0) ack 2161 win 65535
17:15:02.323403 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 59578, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 179, bad cksum 0 (->8e9c)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: P 103:242(139) ack 2161 win 65535
17:15:02.323423 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 18337, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 46, bad cksum 0 (->303b)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: P, cksum 0xc30e (incorrect (-> 0×28d2), 242:248(6) ack 2161 win 65535
17:15:02.323435 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 17596, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 77, bad cksum 0 (->3301)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: P, cksum 0xc32d (incorrect (-> 0×54e3), 248:285(37) ack 2161 win 65535
17:15:02.497929 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 15186, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1ee6 (correct), 2161:2161(0) ack 242 win 8190
17:15:02.500174 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 20818, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1ee0 (correct), 2161:2161(0) ack 248 win 8190
17:15:02.501671 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 32594, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 83) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: P 2161:2204(43) ack 285 win 8190
17:15:02.501696 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 20457, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 40, bad cksum 0 (->27f9)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc308 (incorrect (-> 0×3e8e), 285:285(0) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:02.502119 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 2191, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 567, bad cksum 0 (->6d44)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: P 285:812(527) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:02.686565 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 49242, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1e7b (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 812 win 7684
17:15:02.686599 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 62661, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1420, bad cksum 0 (->7db8)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: . 812:2192(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:03.095571 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 40557, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1917 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 2192 win 7684
17:15:03.095608 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 35466, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1420, bad cksum 0 (->e7f3)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: . 2192:3572(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:03.095617 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 12781, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1420, bad cksum 0 (->4091)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: . 3572:4952(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:03.323196 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 54392, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1e4f (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 4952 win 3588
17:15:03.323266 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 43195, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1420, bad cksum 0 (->c9c2)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: . 4952:6332(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:03.323278 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 46007, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1420, bad cksum 0 (->bec6)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: . 6332:7712(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:03.551051 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 11394, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1b87 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 7712 win 1540
17:15:03.551101 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 5253, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 1420, bad cksum 0 (->5df9)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: . 7712:9092(1380) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:03.955569 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 48019, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1c27 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 9092 win 0
17:15:08.558682 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 30353, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->150)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×3f25), 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:08.730701 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 40540, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1c27 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 9092 win 0
17:15:13.559183 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 31633, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->fc4f)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×3f25), 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:13.731957 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 49178, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1c27 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 9092 win 0
17:15:22.060068 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 31960, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->fb08)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×3f25), 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:22.232622 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 5207, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1c27 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 9092 win 0
17:15:39.061999 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 28844, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->735)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×3f25), 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
17:15:39.232949 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 17848, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1c27 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 9092 win 0
17:16:13.065483 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 64, id 20498, offset 0, flags [DF], proto TCP (6), length 41, bad cksum 0 (->27cf)!) 192.168.0.111.50298 > albert.apple.com.https: ., cksum 0xc309 (incorrect (-> 0×3f25), 9092:9093(1) ack 2204 win 65535
17:16:13.236602 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 21273, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: ., cksum 0×1c27 (correct), 2204:2204(0) ack 9092 win 0
17:16:50.596246 IP (tos 0×0, ttl 235, id 19564, offset 0, flags [none], proto TCP (6), length 40) albert.apple.com.https > 192.168.0.111.50298: R, cksum 0xf7de (correct), 4236951442:4236951442(0) win 9300

Apple’s .Mac online services has been down for several hours and redirects to a maintainance placeholder.

It is largely expected that it will return in its revised form as MobileMe later this evening as the iPhone 3G and iPhone 2.0 firmware roll out across the world.

Apple have released iTunes 7.7, paving the way for iPhone 2.0 firmware deployment and introducing the iPhone Application Store.

However, if you click Check for Updates in the iPhone section, it is still saying version 1.1.4 is the current version.

It is not released until Friday, but someone at the Boy Genius Report now owns an iPhone 3G and they have posted pictures of its unboxing.

If it wasn’t for the unless bastards at O2 I would be getting my iPhone 3G on Friday too.  I spent three hours refreshing their upgrade website and eventually got through and placed an order, unfortunately O2 are denying all record of it.

The iPhone launch day on July 11 is now one week away, O2 has been busy sending updates to everyone who has registered interest in the iPhone 3G.

Can’t wait.

It is hard to believe when you consider the impact that the iPhone has had in its short life, but this revolutionary computing platform is only just one year old on the 29 June.

We are now only a couple of weeks away from Worldwide launch of the iPhone’s elder sibling, the iPhone 3G that promises to add higher speed browsing, third-party applications and enterprise groupware features.  Existing iPhone users will also be able to download the iPhone 2.0 operating system enabling the same third-party applications and enterprise groupware features as the iPhone 3G.

On top of this, Apple have announced that iPhone users will now be able to use the UK’s largest wifi hotspot network, BT OpenZone, free-of-charge in addition to the existing agreement with The Cloud.  This will add around 9,000 hotspots to those already provided by The Cloud.

Crave UK has a good photo album celebrating the iPhone’s first year.

According to this AppleInsider posting O2 may open its doors at 7 AM on the 11 July launch day

This certainly would beat the fact I had to fly to the US to get may original iPhone on launch day last year.