Error message when posting a message or PM? Read this...

[FORDification]

Now I'm almost getting really ticked off! Half the reason why I went through all the trouble to reinstall the forum software was the error messages that you all (and myself!) have been getting occasionally whenever we try to make a post in a forum thread or send a PM to someone. Upon doing some research, it seems that many web hosts have been updating the security settings on their Apache servers to fix what they call security holes in some common web scripts. Their new-and-improved (yeah, right!) settings are bombing messages with quotation marks in them. On a forum support site another site owner reported problems with the single tick mark (not the double-tick used in a quotation mark).

Anyway, until the problem can be fixed, if you're having problems posting a message on the forum or sending a PM to someone, check your message and remove any quotation marks or single tick marks. Our forum doesn't appear to be having any problems with the single tick mark...if so, we wouldn't be able to use contractions like don't/can't/won't. If your message doesn't have either of those and still won't go through, please let me know.

[FORDification]

Upon doing some more research, (mainly 'cause I ain't getting any responses from the web host tech support!) I've found other similar forums reporting the same error messages. The changes the hosts have made to the mod_security module on the servers are causing the 'Forbidden' error message when certain words are used.

So far, the only things I can find that trigger the error here at FORDification are as follows:

- the word 'cat' (with a space after it)
- any word that ends with 'rm' (with a space after it)
- any word that ends with 'nc' (with a space after it)
- quotation marks

So...if you're getting the error message, please make sure you don't use those words or have quotation marks.

Of course, it still has nothing to do with the error message we're getting when trying to upload pictures to the Photo Gallery. They're connected problems, though....that is, the 'new' security settings on the servers aren't allowing access to files that we need access to. I'm still trying to get it through some thick heads that it's NOT a problem on our end, it's on THEIR end, and they need to fix it!

Please be patient...

[EDITED TO ADD ADDITIONAL WORDS TO LIST ABOVE]

[Nickabocker]

hey keith you should try IBP software its not quite like this stuff.......this is my own opioon....
Nick

[theskytoucher]

i just got this message at the top of the three cheers for keith thread

Warning: main(./includes/page_header.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/oldsmo2/public_html/ford/forum/viewtopic.php on line 577

Warning: main(./includes/page_header.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/oldsmo2/public_html/ford/forum/viewtopic.php on line 577

Warning: main(./includes/page_header.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/oldsmo2/public_html/ford/forum/viewtopic.php on line 577

Warning: main() [function.include]: Failed opening './includes/page_header.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/oldsmo2/public_html/ford/forum/viewtopic.php on line 577
Three cheers for Keith

Just thought id let you know

[FORDification]

Yeah, I'm in the process of re-installing some of the forum mods. When doing so, there might be a few seconds while I'm actually uploading the modified files where you'll get an error message. Normally if you'll try again a minute later (or less) they'll be gone.

[FORDification]

I was up till about 2:30 this morning doing some more major work to the forums and Photo Gallery. I believe we've figured out the cause and have fixed it.

It turns out that when I was building the site, my web hosts allowed one free database, which was of course used by this forum setup. Then when I later installed the Photo Galleries, which also needed a database, instead of paying for an additional database, I incorporated the Galleries into the forum's database. With a small number of users on each, it was never a problem, but as the membership on both increased, it started causing problems. You see, whenever someone visited the site, the entire database was loaded up into the server's memory. So even if they weren't also visiting the Galleries, all it's information was also loaded up, which obviously was unnecessary.

Therefore...it was time to separate the Galleries from the forums' database and get it it's own. After my last SNAFU where I had to pay the host $75 to restore a corrupted database, I was a little skittish about messing around with it any more, but bit the bullet and was able to get it done last night...(errrr....this morning, that is). So now the forums and the Galleries are each on their very own database. This should actually make both of them much faster and will cause less of a strain on the server. I also did a major version update of the Gallery software. I also did some pruning last night of more than 16,000 old/outdated forum posts which should help speed things up a bit.

My hosts will be watching the server stats for a day or two to verify that the server load has returned to normal for this account. Once that's been verified at server end, our account will get replaced back onto it's regular production server and all these damned error messages will be just an unpleasant memory. Then I can get started replacing all the cool forum mods.

Stand by....we're almost there!

[flyboy2610]

Thanks, Keith!
Do you ever get any sleep?

[jzjames]

Thanks Kieth. Fordification forums is looking like its old self. Great!!
What a great site for us bumpside owners!
jzjames

[71 LONG BED]

Once again, thanks for all your hard work Keith!!!

[willowbilly3]

I am still getting the error message occasionally. Once yesterday

[Tim P.]

I,ve gotten an error message too but repost and went thru second time,,,,,,man its like an old tube type TV bang it several times and it works fine again for a while

[FORDification]

Just found another word that'll trigger the error message. If you type the word 'harm' with a space after it (and without the apostrophes) you're message will get flagged. Just added it to the above list.

[71 LONG BED]

A-L-A-R-M won't work either. I guess any word that ends with A-R-M.

[FORDification]

Actually, it seems to be the letters 'rm' with a space after it. Just make sure no words in your post end in those two letters followed by a space.

[71 LONG BED]

Thanks Keith.