[squid-users] Delay of initial response from server

Hello All,

I'm fairly new to squid (running v2.5 stable on Mac OS 10.2.8) but
managed to get it running successfully with my old cable connection
(dynamic IP, server sitting behind Linksys router w/NAT). I would
tunnel in via ssh and use squid as my proxy from work.

I recently switched to DSL (still dynamic IP, but now sitting behind an
Actiontec router w/NAT). I still tunnel in via ssh and for the first
day or two, everything worked great. Then I had connection problem
getting out of my LAN which meant that my squid cache wasn't working
either. I tried many things via the command line (over another ssh
connection) including flushing the cache and restarting the squid
process. Turned out that the issue was a DNS configuration problem that
I resolved once I got home.

However, now all of my initial connections (first time access to a site
or after an extended absence) through squid can take upwards to a
minute or more before anything is retrieved. I've sat watching the
access.log and after making the request for a new site in my browser,
nothing shows up in the access log for quite a while, then a flurry of
activity while the page loads. Subsequent page requests from the same
domain are served immediately.

What could cause this kind of problem and how can I fix it? I've
searched the FAQ and the mail archives but did not see an answer. There
was a similar query on the list back in 2002 but no answer that I could
see.

Thanks!

Jim

-- 
"Another possible source of guidance for teenagers is television, but 
television's message has always been that the need for truth, wisdom 
and world peace pales by comparison with the need for a toothpaste that 
offers whiter teeth *and* fresher breath."
     - Dave Barry