1000's of 21,192KB Core files every week

[snadge]

Hello,

I have these files appearing in my server, at first it was just a few a week, but now its seems to generate MANY per day, each one is exactly 21,192KB in size and most are milliseconds apart with how quick they are being made

I got a warning from my host that I was going over my 2.5GB limit just 1 week after deleting about 400MB worth of these core files.. I use 200-300MB storage normally

so I downloaded all THREE GB (made in 7 days or so) and have them on my PC and have added one to this message in a ZIP file.

any help would be great because it seems now I have to do a manual clear out of all the .core files (whatever they are)

thanks

[Illori]

ask your host to look into the cause, they should be able to tell you and/or fix it on their end.

[Arantor]

A core dump is PHP crashing. A script should not normally cause PHP to crash, so it's usually a bug in PHP itself - or more likely their specific version/build/extensions of it.

[snadge]

thanks will get onto them

[snadge]

they replied with

"
Hi Paul,

Thank you for getting in touch!

We are not having any problems with PHP. However, it may be an issue with the code on your website. I have checked the last entries of the PHP error log in your account. Here are the last entries from yesterday and today:

[11-Apr-2017 03:07:10 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[11-Apr-2017 06:36:04 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[11-Apr-2017 17:01:53 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[12-Apr-2017 06:21:28 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[12-Apr-2017 08:47:27 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[12-Apr-2017 12:14:45 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[12-Apr-2017 12:14:45 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
[12-Apr-2017 12:41:46 Europe/London] PHP Parse error:  syntax error, unexpected '.' in /home/techtalk/public_html/Themes/default/Who.template.php on line 95
"

I can say that there more than how many there is above for today only!!

not being a PHP coder that means very little-to-nothing to me... I can find the template and line but dont know what the error is and what to change?

can anyone assist please?

thanks

[Shambles]

I'm fairly certain those [trapped] php errors wouldn't be causing your core dumps.

Meh, attach your Who.template.php file and we'll have a look, though it sounds like a modification broke it.

[snadge]

thanks

we dont even use that template either...but besides the point:  2 core dumps have appeared since starting this thread

find attached the Who.Template.PHP file

and many thanks

[@rjen]

Code Select Expand

}.((strpos($member['query']['USER_AGENT'], 'Tapatalk') !== false || strpos($member['query']['USER_AGENT'], 'BYO') !== false )? '<img align="bottom" alt="Online" src="'.$boardurl. '/mobiquo/forum_icons/online.png" />


Tapatalk issue. Check that mod...

[Shambles]

Looks like the Tapatalk mod was misinstalled 3 times.

Replace your file with the attached, then let us know if the core dumps cease.

[Arantor]

If a syntax error is forcing a core dump, the host still has issues.

[snadge]

ok thank very much guys.. i will inform host TSO what you say too

[snadge]

still happening



a friend says he uses Tapatalk on the forum and it works but can be a little slower than usual but nothing out of the ordinary

note the time stamps, im wondering if thats when someone is using Tapatalk

im sure weve had Tapatalk issues in the past but that was years ago and sure it was there issue not ours

[Illori]

you need to talk to your host, if they will not help then you need to find a new host.

[snadge]

I have they said 1st time this:

"After investigating for some time, I now suspect that the core dumps may have been generated due to the scripts failing to complete. They likely failed to run fully due to an insufficient php memory limit, so I've now increased that to 768 MB which should be plenty. Let me know if this keeps occurring. "

still  happening then next reply was:

" Please monitor this specific account again and update me if the core-dump files are re-created again. Most of the time its due to insufficient php memory, which I've just upped to the limit."

still happening....awaiting reply

whats your thoughts on this guys#?

[Arantor]

PHP running into the soft memory limit has not in my experience ever caused a core dump. If it solves your problem, great, but it's probably a sign of something else wrong in their environment.

[snadge]

PHP running into the soft memory limit has not in my experience ever caused a core dump. If it solves your problem, great, but it's probably a sign of something else wrong in their environment.

thanks i will let them know, they seem to be willing to take on board advice I get from here...

been with them for years, no issue until i noticed them a few months back

[snadge]

they have replied with this (and sent me a 'coredumpbacktrace' file)

The possible reason for the core files getting generated is when a php process is killed, apache creates core files under your account.

I've done some back tracing on those files:

Core was generated by `/usr/bin/php /home/techtalk/public_html/index.php'.

Looks like your scripts are exceeding the maximum memory limit.

Please find the back trace of the core files and pass that to your developers who can further look into your code and see what is causing that.

should I upload this CoreDumpBackTrace file?

many thanks in advance

edit: what I can add is that I joined AdSense 4 months ago and it seems to have happened along same time line, I have an Ad on Index.PHP - if Tapatalk was an issue, then I wonder if its related to tapatalk, adsense, both or god knows lol

[Arantor]

You can upload it but I honestly doubt it will have anything actually useful in it unless your host has compiled PHP with debug symbols, but it wouldn't hurt.

If it genuinely were the memory issue in question, there should be logs of it somewhere. Unless it's being killed because the system is running out of memory because they're running too many things on the server at once, too many customers sharing that server.

[Gluz]

That happened to me recently with one person that have a VPS to run his website, but a lot of things are not correctly configured and is a pain try to make things work.

Just days after reading this post that server start getting that core.xxxxxx files but that were only 9Mb and I increased the memory in the php.ini and no more core.xxxxx files.

It's not the fix to the problem, but to the effects, that some things are misconfigured in the server and cause PHP to terminate and generate that core.xxxxx files.

[snadge]

Thanks for all the help guys I really appreciate it, its a sticky one this....

my hosts last reply when I suggested it may be related to Tapatalk or Adsense Mod+Ads is below... but TBH im not 100% sure they DID start at same time as installing the Adsense mod and adverts, im starting to think it was shortly after installing the Adsense that it started happening so could still be something on the hosts end and not mine, they even admit they arent PHP orientated.

I found a slightly newer version of Tapatalk, previous one uninstalled fine, new one installed fine - checked PHP error log after CORE dump files appeared (after new install) and nothing since you guys repaired that code on 16th April.

Im not 100% certain but they do seem to coincide with Tapatalk access to my forum by 2 of my users (imagine if I had hundreds using Tapatalk!!!), they have acknowledged that the dump 'created' time-stamp relates to the same/similar time they have accessed the forum via Tapatalk.

It's possible the issues are due to those additions you mentioned however this is kind out of our support's scope. This would have to be looked at by a developer as to why it's happening. We are not so PHP oriented so we can't really debug the issue for you. Having said that, if there is anything we can do to help, we'll assist you.

that makes me think that you guys would know more than them! - Ive had memory limits increased before in the past for slow/unresponsive website, cant remember if it was this host though as in 6 years Ive had 3, but, I've been with these for at least 3-4 years now so I think it was them.. and now you mention it, the site it hit and miss with its speed lately

Ive attached the backtrace file...i opened it in notepad and it just looks like gibberish/messy to me

a secondary question:
Can anyone tell me how to reset the forum back to new so every modification is removed but all the posts and users remain? - I may backup the forum, reset it and see if it still happens, if so this would verify that the issue is with them putting to much stress on the server, when I check the server stats earlier tonight they were all green ticks except for the HDD which is ALWAYS at 99% with RED X next to the HDD stats

thanks in advance guys, really do appreciate it.

EDIT: I forgot too say my hosts said that it seems like one of my scripts is using too much memory or causing a memory leak?
EDIT2: in relation to server performance..it just took 13 seconds to load the forum main page...which usually is near instant

[Kindred]

I see the FAQ on how to load a fresh set of files

[snadge]

I see the FAQ on how to load a fresh set of files

thanks,  I cant find it in the FAQ Wiki, already looked, only thing i could find was "repair settings" but this doesnt sound like its the one I should be using?
https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Repair_settings.php

The Repair Settings Tool (repair_settings.php) can be used to repair some of the most crucial settings on your forum, such as database information, file paths, and URLs. The tool can be used to repair an SMF installation sufficiently enough so that an administrator can then log in and fix any other problems.

it doesnt say anything about resetting the forum and removing all modifications whilst allowing posts and members (and stats) to remain?

thanks for your help

for everyone else who's been helping thanks, I uploaded the backtrace file with info on my previous post on page before this (just in case its missed)

THANKS

[Illori]

https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/How_to_upload_a_fresh_set_of_files

[snadge]

thanks Illori

first of all before I try that I have

1) disabled Tapatalk (uninstalled it) - its never caused issues before
2) disabled Adsense completely...

if any of those 2 where causing the issue it would have to be Adsense, as I started that in January and its been last 6-8 weeks I noticed it, and I spent a small period just deleting them to see if it would stop before posting on here.... I think it was the excessive disk usage on the hosting that caught my eye and I rarely went into Cpanel....in it everyday for weeks now, thank the lord for FileZilla 

this is TSO hosting latest reply:

It looks like an attempt to put the blame on us however I can confirm that we do not have any reported issues like that on the server. Additionally, the core dumps as mentioned earlier are not  created from the server itself. I do understand the situation you are going back and forth.

What you are willing to do seems like a good plan. Usually every CMS saves the posts, users and every information like that in the database and not in the website's files. What you are aiming to do sounds like it will pinpoint the issue and it will help you solve them.

Kind regards,

[Illori]

the person that replied to you is a total and complete idiot. a core dump is created from the server there is no way for the SMF to create one. you can even google it to learn more. your host is a moron and i would be looking for a new host and leave them ASAP.

[snadge]

the person that replied to you is a total and complete idiot. a core dump is created from the server there is no way for the SMF to create one. you can even google it to learn more. your host is a moron and i would be looking for a new host and leave them ASAP.

I guessed as much and told them that "you even said you werent PHP orientated, whereas SMF are extremely skilled at that and servers, they have to be to test their software"

so ive disabled Adsense and Tapatalk....awaiting core dumps...will report as soon as I see any

is it possible that Adsense mod and Adsense code could be causing memory overload? (they already increased it once)

also a different support member actually said the following "The possible reason for the core files getting generated is when a php process is killed, apache creates core files under your account." so that proves its the server dumping it...am I right?

god by the end of this I will be a semi-skilled web master lol.... I wish! 

[snadge]

well had Adsense (disabled) and Tapatalk (removed) and there are 8 core dumps from 4am onwards UK time

my hosts are adamant there is nothing wrong and no reports of issues at their end?

there are no errors in my PHP log

My last thing to try is to back up the forum in softaculous, reset...wait...see if core dumps appear...if so then restore and move hosts if they dont fix the issue, and lose posts made whilst used after reset...which is no biggy as I only have a couple of regular users...at 90% of the time there are only ME logged in with about 2-5 guests viewing the forum...?



thanks guys

[Arantor]

They don't think PHP core dumping is a problem? Wut.

[snadge]

They don't think PHP core dumping is a problem? Wut.

Hi Arrantor

they said they dont have any reports of problems on their end and are sure its my issue and not theirs...?

can you recommend any good hosts?

I want to thank you and everyone else for your help and support through all of this...Iam going to attempt this reset now...

cheers

[Illori]

My last thing to try is to back up the forum in softaculous, reset...wait...see if core dumps appear...if so then restore and move hosts if they dont fix the issue, and lose posts made whilst used after reset...which is no biggy as I only have a couple of regular users...at 90% of the time there are only ME logged in with about 2-5 guests viewing the forum...?

in my opinion you should find a new host and stop playing with the idiot of a host you have now. it will save you time and headaches in the long run. you can move your forum easily. i would not recommend you installing the forum with softaculous anyway.

you can find some good hosts here https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?board=155.0

[snadge]

too late im in the middle of reinstalling the forum and it cant connect to my DB as I cant remember the password used, tried my FTP one and the one im sure we used from new

i backed up in softaculous and downloaded it, I also downloaded the database mySql file

looks like im gunna have to go back and restore the forum and just move hosts - it better restore or Ive lost 7 years of hard work

[Illori]

your hosts control panel should have a way to reset the mysql password, or you can find it in the Settings.php file that was in use.

[snadge]

got the settings file but i closed the window and now i cant get back to the setup ...so re-upping the files again to try again

sure I just tried the stored password for the db

[snadge]

well its not the password in settings.php...   cant B bothered to wait up to 1-2 hours for them to reset the db password - I aint got the time... going out in 2 hours

[snadge]

Critical Error!
Cannot connect to the database server with the supplied data.

If you are not sure about what to type in, please contact your host.
Access denied for user '***'@'localhost' (using password: YES)

[Illori]

as the error message says you need to contact your host.

[snadge]

I've restored the forum for now... it takes hours to get replies from them and I aint phoning.

at least Iam familiar with the process..

think Im gunna look for another host.

[snadge]

UPDATE:
so my hosts are migrating us from cPanel to Cloud hosting to see if this helps....free of charge..

I asked about on WHT (Web Hosting Talk) about what hosts are around and good (as they are a reliable source for hosting advice, used them before) and got loads of replies saying its very likely to be something on my forum and I would just be bringing my problems along with me?

If it still happens when they migrate us to the cloud then do I then assume its 100% a fault in my code?  if so then Iam going to have to reset it with guidance, I most certainly do not want to lose members and posts

I was also told I could create a 'cron job' to clean up the dumps for now until I get a fix.... dunno how to do that lol

[snadge]

My hosts have ignored my comments about moving to cloud because it probably wont make a difference, as a lot of people have looked at the situation and are adamant my site code is corrupt somewhere and causing the memory leak or whatever

now my site is totally screwed since they moved it onto cloud

Ive been told its because they have been using old Apache and a new version on the cloud has broken my template?

it now looks like this:

http://i.imgur.com/6JaDa8d.jpg

but is supposed too look like this - this is a screenshot I found on the web and the ad is being block on this screen)
heres a better view from cached but doesnt show users ICONS or the ad (blocked ad? or when I disabled it to test this issue it was cached)

http://i.imgur.com/RYTf2Ds.jpg

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Your theme is broken.  Does the forum display correctly in default Curve?

[snadge]

Your theme is broken.  Does the forum display correctly in default Curve?

Ive been informed on another website that its because they used an old version of Apache on cPanel and their cloud uses a newer one and this has corrupt my template/theme?

when I try to select CURVE i get the following:

AN ERROR HAS OCCURRED!
The overall forum default theme must be a selectable theme.

edit:

really old Apache, PHP and MySQL.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Can you pm admin access (link/user/pw)?

[Illori]

what  are the exact versions of apache/php/mysql running on the server?

i dont think this issue has anything to do with the apache/php/mysql versions running, i think your host messed up more by incorrectly moving the forum.

[snadge]

the site is functional but the links to access it are hidden until you click the DOWN arrow (which I know most users/guests wont know this)..I can log into admin etc and post on the forum

my hosts have not replied after 3 messages sent 3 hours ago....

this was what I was on before the switch:

Hosting Package standard
Server Name ********
cPanel Version 64.0 (build 19)
Apache Version 2.2.26
PHP Version 5.3.28
MySQL Version 5.5.54-cll
Architecture x86_64
Operating System linux
Shared IP Address ***********
Path to Sendmail /usr/sbin/sendmail
Path to Perl /usr/bin/perl
Perl Version 5.10.1
Kernel Version 2.6.32-358.23.2.el6.x86_64

I posted this and most the stuff ive been told by you(s) and my hosts on a hosting forum, and loads of them have said its my website using too many resources causing it to breach memory limit and spurt out the dump files. probably broken code by too many modifications (which is true as I can not uninstall EZportal ((this has been stuck in for years)) nor can I update SimplePortal and that has an update available that fixes many bugs)...this was before the switch to cloud.... they now advise that it must be a newer version of PHP etc thats revealing problems in my modifications/code etc...

my host is TSO hosting and are supposed to be very good?

what I can say is that not long ago I asked to be moved from the £5 month package to the £3 month package as we were using almost zero resources, (from my point of view)... we only used about 400MB web space... 5-6GB bandwidth and Whos Online only ever shows 2-6 users and guests online at any one time... so we downgraded and I had asked if its related and they said no as everything is the same except bandwidth and storage.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Ok, had a look at your forum.   Your theme is definitely broken, you have two portals installed, Tapatalk and Adsense are two mods that have been problematic on many forums, and you have an annoying adblocker nag screen which I've never seen before (and hope never to see again).  Functionally it seems to be fine, everything I tried works normally.  Without having admin or cpanel access, my impression is that this isn't a host problem, it's just a very badly modified install.  Suggest you do a clean install with new database in another directory, import your production db, run repair_settings.php, and see how it works.

[snadge]

Ok, had a look at your forum.   Your theme is definitely broken, you have two portals installed, Tapatalk and Adsense are two mods that have been problematic on many forums, and you have an annoying adblocker nag screen which I've never seen before (and hope never to see again).  Functionally it seems to be fine, everything I tried works normally.  Without having admin or cpanel access, my impression is that this isn't a host problem, it's just a very badly modified install.  Suggest you do a clean install with new database in another directory, import your production db, run repair_settings.php, and see how it works.

yup..it seems to have started since Adsense...was shortly after I noticed the dump files - also your suggestion im not 100% sure how to do.

I tried a full reset (new install - keep database so I dont lose users or posts) the other day and it could not connect too my database... so I restored it back, then I found out how to change the db password but is that all I do? will anything else need to know the new password other than the new smf setup? I dunno, I should of gone ahead and retried once learning how to change the db password...  I used FileZilla to upload the files ...FZ has been great but now I dont know how to connect it too this new cloud hosting?

adblocker mod is from SMF site...  many sites use these now.,, most site I visit with my AB on blocks the site unless I allow them

[snadge]

....just to add to what I said above, another host whos been very helpful on WHT has said that if a memory increase to 768MB slowed down the dumps, then its probably just that you need 1GB or so... he says 768MB (and that was an upgrade) is very poor and even lesser quality, cheaper hosts supply 1-2GB and he advises I move hosts ASAP as SMF advised   my heads in a spin lol...

sounds to me like its a bit of both... under supply of resources AND badly modified forum.

[Arantor]

There are two ways you can get a core dump from PHP. Either PHP itself crashes due to a PHP bug/miscompilation of PHP, or PHP is forcefully killed by a watchdog process.

The former happens; PHP 5.3.8 for example had a bug where if a PHP file was an exact multiple of 4096 bytes (e.g. the file was 16384 bytes = 16KB exactly) it would crash.

The latter happens on servers that are massively oversubscribed and have far more users on them than they should have. The system treats the killing of the process as though it had crashed and produces a core dump. Upping the PHP memory limit probably won't actually fix this because it's not the PHP process itself that produces the core dump - and PHP failing due to hitting the allowed memory limit shouldn't be a crash unless they've miscompiled it.

[snadge]

hosts have repaired the faulty template issue while still on cloud hosting.......... so they HAD screwed migration up"!!!

but now im getting:

The cache directory is not writable - this will adversely affect the performance of your forum.

what do i do to sort that?  looks like the report is from SMF

thanks

edit: after looking here on google it would seem my cache folder is now called cacheOLD..? do i remove the OLD or just create a new empty one>?
edit: renamed it Cache and error msg is gone

edit 2:  from TSO hosting:

"As to the memory limit I've set it up to 1024 for you. Please note that memory limit and RAM are two completely different things. Memory limit refers to the php memory for your scrips. As to the RAM, as this is a shared hosting platform you have no dedicated resources and you share the resources of our platform with all other users. Please note that this is a clustered environment which is being upgraded regularly. "

[Sir Osis of Liver]

If you don't have a /cache directory in forum root, upload it from the 2.0.13 upgrade or install package.  It contains an index.php and .htaccess file.  Directory permissions should be 755.

[snadge]

thanks everyone for your input

I changed it from cacheOLD to cache and its working fine... also i was told by other hosts on WHT, that 512MB-768MB soft PHP memory limit was extremely poor, saying that even cheaper lesser quality hosts assign 1-2GB, and that I should move hosts ASAP as SMF have advised.. so my hosting (TSO) have increased it to 1GB and repaired the "borked" cloud migration...NO ERROR DUMPS IN 48 HOURS....

yeah my site needs looking at : but it works, it might be using a little extra resources than normal because of bugs...i dunno...as i dunno how these things work... but strange it happened out of the blue and moving to cloud with increased soft memory limit from 512MB to 1GB completely stops the dumps

at least it gives me time to attempt fixes...  if I run into some money I may put an ask someone to help in the paid section... if I cant fix it (remove EZportal and update SimplePortal) then I will reset it and start over.

Im also still getting daily emails informing me of my "successful backup" in Softaculous (as I had a cron set daily to backup when i was in cPanel) - I no longer have softaculous or such folder lol... so it would seem they STILL have my site on their cPanel???

[snadge]

well... still no dumps

but i have lost the ability to backup n restore so I cant try and repair my forum....  they told me i have to download all my files and databases ....but this cloud infrastructure is made in house and something they are still in the process of "making better" - as they screwed up my migration I dont feel I can trust a simple download and re-up restoring the forum (also this uses my bandwidth whereas before on cPanel Softaculous you could backup n restore without downloading/uploading a thing

[Illori]

you should still download the files, what if their server crashes? if you have no backup yourself you may be out of luck if your host does not also have a backup.

[snadge]

you should still download the files, what if their server crashes? if you have no backup yourself you may be out of luck if your host does not also have a backup.

its cloud hosting over many servers, and as far as im aware they make daily backups (but that was when I was on cPanel...dunno if it still same now - guess i will have to ask)

[Steve]

Confident enough to mark this solved, snadge?

[snadge]

yeah the dumps are solved for now... thanks everyone