diff --git a/.run/All Tests.run.xml b/.run/All Tests.run.xml
index 17c4bcf73..ca9a1a6a4 100644
--- a/.run/All Tests.run.xml	
+++ b/.run/All Tests.run.xml	
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
         <ExternalSystemDebugServerProcess>true</ExternalSystemDebugServerProcess>
         <ExternalSystemReattachDebugProcess>true</ExternalSystemReattachDebugProcess>
         <DebugAllEnabled>false</DebugAllEnabled>
-        <ForceTestExec>false</ForceTestExec>
+        <RunAsTest>false</RunAsTest>
         <method v="2"/>
     </configuration>
 </component>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/item/Item.java b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/item/Item.java
index 9366e8df0..a219c1aa5 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/item/Item.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/item/Item.java
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ else if (RsSerializable.class.isAssignableFrom(getClass()))
 
 		var rawItem = new RawItem(buf, getPriority());
 		log.trace("Serialized buffer ==> {}", rawItem);
-		if (flags.contains(SerializationFlags.SIGNATURE))
+		if (flags.contains(SerializationFlags.SIGNATURE) || flags.contains(SerializationFlags.SIZE))
 		{
 			buf = backupBuf;
 			backupBuf = null;
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializationFlags.java b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializationFlags.java
index 8d94fb850..7aaa0db63 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializationFlags.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializationFlags.java
@@ -21,5 +21,6 @@
 
 public enum SerializationFlags
 {
-	SIGNATURE
+	SIGNATURE,
+	SIZE
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializerSizeCache.java b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializerSizeCache.java
index 5bd4ed7f8..68a3134af 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializerSizeCache.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/serialization/SerializerSizeCache.java
@@ -19,7 +19,9 @@
 
 package io.xeres.app.xrs.serialization;
 
+import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.xeres.app.xrs.item.Item;
+import io.xeres.app.xrs.service.RsService;
 
 import java.util.EnumSet;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -44,8 +46,11 @@ private SerializerSizeCache()
 	 * @param item the item
 	 * @return the size of the item after serialization, header included
 	 */
-	public static int getItemSize(Item item)
+	public static int getItemSize(Item item, RsService service)
 	{
-		return cache.computeIfAbsent(item.getClass(), aClass -> item.serializeItem(EnumSet.noneOf(SerializationFlags.class)).getSize());
+		return cache.computeIfAbsent(item.getClass(), aClass -> {
+			item.setSerialization(Unpooled.buffer().alloc(), service);
+			return item.serializeItem(EnumSet.of(SerializationFlags.SIZE)).getSize();
+		});
 	}
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/service/turtle/TurtleRsService.java b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/service/turtle/TurtleRsService.java
index 228ac69f0..f9d0c9859 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/service/turtle/TurtleRsService.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/io/xeres/app/xrs/service/turtle/TurtleRsService.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 package io.xeres.app.xrs.service.turtle;
 
+import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.xeres.app.database.DatabaseSession;
 import io.xeres.app.database.DatabaseSessionManager;
 import io.xeres.app.database.model.location.Location;
@@ -223,7 +224,8 @@ public void sendTurtleData(LocationId virtualPeerId, TurtleGenericTunnelItem ite
 
 		item.setTunnelId(tunnelId);
 
-		var itemSerializedSize = item.serializeItem(EnumSet.noneOf(SerializationFlags.class)).getSize(); // XXX: optimize... we're doing it twice
+		item.setSerialization(Unpooled.buffer().alloc(), this);
+		var itemSerializedSize = item.serializeItem(EnumSet.of(SerializationFlags.SIZE)).getSize(); // XXX: optimize... we're doing it twice
 
 		// XXX: timestamp the tunnel
 
@@ -272,7 +274,8 @@ private void routeGenericTunnel(PeerConnection sender, TurtleGenericTunnelItem i
 
 		// XXX: add time stamp logic
 
-		var serializedSize = item.serializeItem(EnumSet.noneOf(SerializationFlags.class)).getSize(); // XXX: maybe find a flag to do the size serialization only because it's a bit of a CPU waste
+		item.setSerialization(Unpooled.buffer().alloc(), this);
+		var serializedSize = item.serializeItem(EnumSet.of(SerializationFlags.SIZE)).getSize(); // XXX: maybe find a flag to do the size serialization only because it's a bit of a CPU waste
 		tunnel.addTransferredBytes(serializedSize);
 
 		if (sender.getLocation().equals(tunnel.getDestination()))
@@ -358,7 +361,7 @@ private void handleTunnelRequest(PeerConnection sender, TurtleTunnelRequestItem
 			return;
 		}
 
-		trafficStatisticsBuffer.addToTunnelRequestsDownload(SerializerSizeCache.getItemSize(item));
+		trafficStatisticsBuffer.addToTunnelRequestsDownload(SerializerSizeCache.getItemSize(item, this));
 
 		if (isBanned(item.getFileHash()))
 		{
@@ -403,7 +406,7 @@ private void handleTunnelRequest(PeerConnection sender, TurtleTunnelRequestItem
 						tunnelProbability.incrementDepth(itemToSend);
 						if (SecureRandomUtils.nextDouble() <= probability)
 						{
-							trafficStatistics.addToTunnelRequestsUpload(SerializerSizeCache.getItemSize(itemToSend));
+							trafficStatistics.addToTunnelRequestsUpload(SerializerSizeCache.getItemSize(itemToSend, this));
 							peerConnectionManager.writeItem(peerConnection, itemToSend, this);
 						}
 					},
diff --git a/common/src/test/java/io/xeres/common/protocol/dns/DNSTest.java b/common/src/test/java/io/xeres/common/protocol/dns/DNSTest.java
index d0c3d9d8f..6aab59ea6 100644
--- a/common/src/test/java/io/xeres/common/protocol/dns/DNSTest.java
+++ b/common/src/test/java/io/xeres/common/protocol/dns/DNSTest.java
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@
 
 package io.xeres.common.protocol.dns;
 
-import org.junit.jupiter.api.Disabled;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.condition.EnabledIfEnvironmentVariable;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
@@ -29,8 +29,15 @@
 
 class DNSTest
 {
+	/**
+	 * This test verifies that myip.opendns.com works for finding one's own IP when UPNP is not working.
+	 * It also tests that akamai works, in case opendns is removed, and we need to fall back to something else.
+	 * It only runs on my machine because of the chicken & egg problem on knowing one's own IP.
+	 *
+	 * @throws IOException
+	 */
 	@Test
-	@Disabled
+	@EnabledIfEnvironmentVariable(named = "COMPUTERNAME", matches = "B650")
 	void DNS_OK() throws IOException
 	{
 		var ip1 = DNS.resolve("myip.opendns.com", "208.67.222.222"); // resolver1.opendns.com