necessary mod Packages/temp dir not getting created or doc'd

[christopher94523]

I was having a similar situation, so I figured that I might share my problem to perhaps shed light on a possibly-common problem and solution. What I found in the process is what I would call (in standard Bug Tracking System vernacular) a severity=2 bug (since there is a work-around) which is priority=1 (since it affects everyone who tries to install mods which require a "temp" directory" inside the Packages directory).

My server is a VPS at Pair Networks which is running Ubuntu.

Mod addition steps:
1) I navigated to:
  Admin->Package Manager->Download Packages->Package Servers->Browse

2) I downloaded a mod listed under "Security and Moderation" section:
  Login Security

3) The "Installation actions [for the mod]" state that type 1-6 are successful, while Types 7-8 (extract file; LoginSecuritysql2.php) are the last unstarted actions. It's in 7-8 that my problem seemed to be located.

4) I fill in the FTP information (my Pair Networks admin account's Username/Password, localhost, port 21) and the "Test Connection" for FTP passes.

5) The "Proceed" always comes up with a non-distinct error message about the permissions needing to be open but tells me nothing about what or where.

6) I walked through the code and process with a wonderfully-patient Pair Networks Support fellow, who traced the problem down to the required existence of a "temp" directory which does not exist.

This is a basic bug in the Packages creation because any mods require its existence but cannot create it as "nobody" in a user's [unknown admin name] environment.

Suggested install "fix":
As the aforementioned "unknown" owner is known when installing SMF as the account administrator (as opposed to when installing a mod as the SMF administrator), create the "temp" directory" (albeit empty) at that time.

An example (from Ubuntu installation of SMF 2.0 inside a directory called "forum":

   mkdir /usr/www/users/[account_name]/[domain_name]/forum/Packages/temp
   chmod 777  /usr/www/users/[account_name]/[domain_name]/forum/Packages/temp

It will be writable whenever the Package Manager tries to install a third-party modification package.

best wishes,
chris

[Illori]

usually there is an error produced when the temp folder is missing, is this still an issue?

[emanuele]

Considering the package manager has been deeply revised by Spuds for 2.1, I'll move this to fixed.