Users sporadically logged in as other users

[Arantor]

Ask your host if they're using Varnish or similar and if they are to please turn it off.

Pete, seen you mention this a few times lately.  I've seen a XenForo forum suffering this same problem over the last few weeks as well.  I checked and see that their host is also running Varnish.  All a bit worrying if you ask me.

This is not surprising.

The deal is this: Varnish is a cache that sits on the server. It sits between the user and Apache/PHP. So once something requests a page, Varnish stores the entire page as is. Next time someone hits that same URL, Varnish serves up that full page without it even going to Apache/PHP.

For performance, great. But for highly dynamic pages where the same URL potentially has different contents for different users, utterly terrible and a really, really bad idea.

BlueHost should know better, frankly. It's fine for WordPress and similar where the front end is largely identical between all users but for forums, it's a real killer.

[lurkalot]

Seems to be a common thread for all the cheap hosts of the early to mid-2000s, like bluehost and hostgator. Those guys had great bang for your buck at the time, so they reeled in a lot of customers, and then the service slowly went to hell as they proceeded to maximize profits. I bet they're all just a shell of what they were now and are manned by folks who can properly set up a cache server. Wouldn't even be surprised if they were bought out by the same company.

They are owned by the same company.  In fact the company Endurance International Group = EIG has bought up loads of them.  There's a list here, http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/site-updates-news/the-who-what-when-of-endurance-international-group-eig/

[Arantor]

Awesome, there's no way this will end badly or anything...

[lurkalot]

Awesome, there's no way this will end badly or anything...

lol.. hope not. 

Thanks for explaining how varnish works  It makes sense now.   

[PanicRev]

Strangely enough, we're having the same issue.  Also running SMF, also on Bluehost, issue started just recently as well.

Called support, they advised Varnish is not active.  I renamed the cookie and disabled caching from the SMF admin panel, and then manually emptied the "smf_sessions" DB table from within phpMyAdmin and still no solution.  Users still reporting showing logged in as other users.

[lurkalot]

Perhaps check your website, http://www.isvarnishworking.com/

[PanicRev]

The Varnish checker says no, however, I just ran a filesystem & database backup and ran the software on a local server and the problem disappeared.  May not be Varnish, but my guess is Bluehost is doing some type of caching that's causing this issue.  (Still working with their support on this issue).

[Arantor]

Other BH users have confirmed Varnish... but please do let us know. All the symptoms are there, after all.

[maherley]

I'm having trouble, too. Blue Host. All tech support did for me was offer to let me pay more for Cloud Hosting.. despite the site working for the past 2 years without a problem.

If anyone has found a solution, please share.

Alternatively, if this is a shared server problem, will this now be a problem on all other cheapish web hosts? I'll shop around if I need to, but what's the point if it will do the same thing?

[Illori]

this is not an issue all hosts should have. most shared hosts that are not oversold should be able to handle their setup/config without the use of varnish and you may get better performance then you are getting now.

[maherley]

Thanks. Any recommendations? I know there's a whole forum for reviews and the like, but none talk about this issue, and I don't want to blindly transfer to another host.

I have a small forum, so cheap and good are the only requirements!

[Bob Perry of Web Presence Consulting]

Thanks. Any recommendations? I know there's a whole forum for reviews and the like, but none talk about this issue, and I don't want to blindly transfer to another host.

I have a small forum, so cheap and good are the only requirements!

Just to let everyone know, HostGator is using varnish too... my issue has finally been resolved after three days of hair pulling and cussing like a sailor... but in my case and I'm sure many others, the reason they imposed this on me in the first place is that there were inefficiencies in my code that caused the system to overload allowed host resources... so, the way to hopefully avoid your host imposing this on your site is to be absolutely sure that whatever modules and customized code you have installed are the most efficient you can make it...

[Kindred]

Or to get a non overseller host in the first place...

Personally, I like and use icd soft for 14 different sites

[shawnb61]

We use HostGator, no such issues.  (Yet?)

[DarkAngel612]

Posting this here too since it happened to me and I am almost hairless from yanking it out in frustration.

OK, I have done everything suggested here an the other threads listed....no joy

I deleted sessions from database=worked for an hour or so then back it came

reloaded brand new files/went thru database with fine tooth comb deleting mods coding that are no longer in forum, sessions, repair/optimize and it would work for only a short time then the issue returned.

this is the latest in this saga and hope it helps:

Moved the forum directory to a "holding folder" (after picking a time when I was alone on the forum) --- this took away the forum totally. recreated all directories for it then started going thru them all and transferring the files to their new folders, checked the settings file to ensure nothing got messed up. I did find doing this that for some odd reason the cache folder got renamed, no idea when or how.

After moving its files to the new folder I went to the forum and for 2 days now it has behaved as normal. Thanks to all for their help.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Just a guess, but by moving the files to a new directory, you've effectively cleared the cache, and problem will return when cache fills up with new urls.

[DarkAngel612]

the funny thing is there are only 3 things in the cache folder:

.htaccess
index.php
mediaprocache.php

nothing else in there and now that the "x" is not in the folders name I am hopeful that it stops

That is all that has ever been in there

[Jailer]

It has nothing to do with the SMF cache, it's the Varnish cache that is the problem. Get with your host the problem is completely out of your control.

[DarkAngel612]

after many calls and verifying on their end that they do not have Varnish or any of the other types this is the only solution I could come up with.

[Kindred]

They are not telling you the truth.  We know that bluehost IS sing a badly configured Varnish