Session Timeouts?

[anidea]

in RC3...

I have a number of users complaining that they're getting the message that their sessions have timed out during the time they were working on a post or personal message.

We've been through the whole clearing cache/cookies thing, and eliminated it as a source of the current problem.

Can anyone suggest what else to check?

Thanks,

Cecilia 

[kat]

Any connections between those users, Cecilia?

Like "Are they using the same browsers", that kinda thing.

[anidea]

Any connections between those users, Cecilia?

Like "Are they using the same browsers", that kinda thing.

That's the difficult thing.

I *think* it might be internet explorer related.  *I* personally have several problems with the forum under IE (particularly when it comes to css and the shoutbox), but session timeouts is totally not one of them.  Also, one of the users reported using both IE (her normal browser) and another (maybe it was safari?) and having timeouts on both. 

I was reading somewhere on this forum about server timezones, but I'm not sure I'd know how to do that even if it was the problem.  The timezone for the host reads "UTF" and the timezone in phpMyAdmin also reads "UTF" but I have the timezone for the forum set for Pacific Standard, does that matter?

[kat]

No, I wouldn't think so.

IE...

Gotta lurve IE...

Tried it with compatibility mode on?

Thing is, this is likely to have nothing, at all, to do with the software (SMF).

It's more likely to be something squiffy with the server.

Give your host a wave and see if they can help you.

I'll mark this as "Solved", for now.

If your host can't help you, by all means, mark this "Unsolved" and we'll have another look at it.

OK?

[anidea]

No, I wouldn't think so.

IE...

Gotta lurve IE...

Tried it with compatibility mode on?

Thing is, this is likely to have nothing, at all, to do with the software (SMF).

It's more likely to be something squiffy with the server.

Give your host a wave and see if they can help you.

I'll mark this as "Solved", for now.

If your host can't help you, by all means, mark this "Unsolved" and we'll have another look at it.

OK?

I've sent a support request re: the server, but I'm not quite sure what it is I'm trying to ask.  Any hints?

I'd love to blame it on IE, but as I said before, I can't reproduce the problem in IE on my own computer.

Is there any other "session" type things I can try adjusting?

Thanks

[kat]

No, I don't think so.

That's all set by your host.

Just tell them that your getting a lot of timeouts and they should be able to help you.

It's not complicated, for them.

[anidea]

According to the host, the server is fine.

Anything else I can check?

[kat]

Sounds like your host's a bit daft.

There probably isn't anything wrong with the server.

You just need the timeout limit raised.

[anidea]

ok, I FINALLY got the error message: "Your session timed out while posting. Please try to re-submit your message."

I have session timeout set to 90 minutes.  It's possible that I ran out of that 90 minutes at just that moment?  But that doesn't make sense to me, because my actual "session" for that post was less than 5 minutes?  Or am I misunderstanding how it works?

In any case, I got that message, noticed that the message I wrote was still properly showing in the browser, clicked Post again, and it went right on through.  Very, very strange.

[kat]

Out of interest, what mods do you have, on your forum?

[anidea]

Out of interest, what mods do you have, on your forum?

At this point, a ton!  (and really surprised, too!)

1.    MessagePreviewOnHover    1.7    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
2.    TopicStarter Mod    1.5    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
3.    Read Sticky Topics    1.0.0    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
4.    Counters: Google, StatCounter & Yandex    0.7    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
5.    No Temp Directory Removal    1.1.6    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
6.    Alternate User Posting    1.0.1    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
7.    Annoy User    1.2.1    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
8.    SMFPacks Shoutbox    1.0    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
9.    Additional Polls    1.2    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
10.    Language Button Menu    0.2    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
11.    Join Reason    1.3    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
12.    2-SI Chat    rev32    [ Install Mod ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
13.    Aeva Media    1.3a    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
14.    Good Post/Bad Post Mod    2.0.3    [ Install Mod ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
15.    Drafts    1.2    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
16.    TextSizer    1.7    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
17.    ENotify    1.0.8    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
18.    More Spiders    1.2    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
19.    Errors in Who's Online    1.0    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
20.    URL Popup    1.0.1    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
21.    Dream Menu    1.0.6    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
22.    Book of Unknown Action    1.0    [ Install Mod ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
23.    Related Topics    1.4 RC1    [ Install Mod ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
24.    Yet Another Global Announcements Mod    2.7.3    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
25.    Search Box Permissions    1.0    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]
26.    Send Locked Topics To Bottom    1.0.1    [ Uninstall ] [ List Files ] [ Delete ]

[kat]

That's not so many. I have about three times that!

In Admin>Server settings>Cookies and Sessions, you'll see:

Enable local storage of cookies
(SSI won't work well with this on.)

and

Use subdomain independent cookies
(turn off local cookies first!)

Are either of those checked?

If not, try checking one.

If one IS checked, try unchecking it and checking the other one.

[anidea]

lol

re: cookies & sesions, I've already been through that, it works only with Subdomain independent checked and local storage unchecked :/

[kat]

Poo!

Well, apart from getting your host to up the timeout setting, I'm out of ideas.

If you look at some of these sites, you'll get some idea of what you/they are dealing with.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=php+session+timeouts&hl=en&safe=off&client=opera&hs=wU2&rls=en-GB&prmd=fd&ei=nWTQTLigHJDQjAeW5aSkBg&start=10&sa=N

[anidea]

At least we know we're not alone

[kat]

Go on... Give your host a good kick...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvlM67QT-4E

[anidea]

Go on... Give your host a good kick...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvlM67QT-4E

Awwww, at least they're NearlyFreeSpeech, Simon & Garfunkel would approve

lolololololol 

[JimM]

Is this checked in Admin > Configuration > Server Settings > Cookies and Sessions > Use database driven sessions

[woolly bugger]

geeze, I;ve just now started to encounter the same issue...

I've been running SMF for years and now RC4. there haven't been any real issues until this past month when users, IE & Firefox have started to report timeout issues. NOW I"m even having them. 

I'm at a loss as what is the cause of this and while I'm talking to my host, they are pointing fingers at SMF settings. I've got the timeouts set to 90 minutes...

[Illori]

please open a separate topic for your issue.