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"time out" error when logging in

Started by brynn, August 07, 2017, 12:24:19 PM

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Illori

sounds to me like a cache problem, can you ask your host to look into it?

brynn

Yes.  I had already asked my host to look into it, but the only indication I had that something might have happened was a report of a cron at about the right time.  They said the cron had nothing to do with it.  But I will ask about caching.

Can you give me a few more words to put it in context?  I don't understand caching myself (well, not very well, anyway).  (I understand generally that caching is a temporary place to hold the contents of a website, so that they can load faster.)  So if I just said, please look into caching, it won't be very likely to get any results.  But if I can give it a little bit more direction, they will have more to investigate.

Like for example, how could caching cause the files to get mixed up?  When they files are moved they are put back together in the wrong order?   Does that mean that the file structure I see through the SFPT connection is incorrect?  Or is the file structure correct but they're actually in the wrong order on the server?

Thanks

brynn

Gotta log off for awhile.  Will catch up later tonight.  Thanks again :)

Sir Osis of Liver

Um, the theme you're running at http://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/ isn't anything like Aqua Style, and what lurkalot pointed out is correct, default Curve is displaying Aqua copyright and the header is badly broken.  Looks like you've been doing naughty things to the code.  Best bet is to start over by uploading clean set of files, get Curve working properly, then reinstall mods and themes.

Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

brynn

Um, I KNOW IT'S NOT THE SAME THEME.  IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME THEME.  I have 2 different sites, both running SMF, but 2 different portal mods and 2 different default themes (each site has several themes available).

I also know about the copyright being wrong.  I'm trying to solve one problem at a time.  I don't know how any of this happened.

I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING TO THE CODE!!  I WOULDN'T KNOW HOW!!!  That's why I asked if I should worry that I might have been hacked.

Was that post seriously an attempt to be helpful?  Or you just like to laugh at people who aren't experts yet?




Illori, but if it was a caching problem, wouldn't it clear up when the page was refreshed?

Thanks

shawnb61

#25
SOL & Lurkalot were pointing out that, somehow, portions of that theme have been applied to all themes.  Not sure how that happened, but it did.  That is very helpful analysis, actually.   This is consistent with what Illori pointed out earlier, that there was a .css issue.  The bottom line is that your code appears to have multiple issues. 

When your code has multiple issues, and you're not a coder, the best advice is often to "...start over by uploading clean set of files, get Curve working properly, then reinstall mods and themes.".  That is helpful advice.

Sometimes when code looks confused, that can be due to "too much" caching.  You may try tweaking the cache settings in your admin control panel to see if that makes any change.  Or talking with your host to see if they can dial it back.  That is a bit of a long shot, but it sometimes works - if your code is actually ok.

I doubt this was a hacker, as hackers are rarely so elegant as copying copyright info to a bunch of places...  More likely the problems would be WAY worse. 

So, for next steps...

I think SOL's advice stands.  I would suggest building a test environment somewhere safe, and practicing reinstalls of your themes & mods.  Once you know how to fix it in test, you can then fix it on your live site.  The good news is that your site is functioning.  Kinda strange menus, but functioning.  You have time to experiment & practice in a safe test environment. 
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

brynn

shawnb61, thank you very much.

I apologize for losing my patience, but I was already aware of the copyrights being changed, and had posted so.  And I felt accused of doing something wrong.

If it wasn't caching and it wasn't a hacker, how could this have happened?  Is there any way to know?

Do I understand you to say that if this was caused by caching, fixing the cache settings could fix it (which seems like it would be magic, at this point)?

QuoteI doubt this was a hacker, as hackers are rarely so elegant as copying copyright info to a bunch of places...  More likely the problems would be WAY worse.

"elegant"?  Doesn't that seem to be more of a human trait, than a random thing?  The problem seems awfully organized to be random.

Anyway, getting back to the caching.  I've never touched the cache settings in SMF.  But I did recently move to a new host.  So I'll ask them about caching.

I still have the same question as before.  It seems like if it was caching, wouldn't it clear up, or at least change, when the page is refreshed?  Or is this a different kind of caching?  If it's a certain kind of caching, can you tell me the proper terminology, so I can look it up and learn about it?  I understand what caching is in general, but there seems to be something different about this.

Thanks again!

(PS - not ignoring your other advice, but don't want to consider starting over, until I've ruled out caching)

Sir Osis of Liver

No offense intended, mope.  If you've been dragging and dropping files, you may have dumped files from one theme into another.  Looks like your main index, possibly your board index, and index.css are borked.  When there's that many possibilities, it's easiest to start with a clean install and work your way back.  Your database isn't affected, so content should be intact, just a matter of restoring the files to where they should be.

You can disable caching in Admin -> Server Settings -> Caching and clear the /cache directory.  Your server may also have caching running, but don't think that's your problem.
Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

brynn

I don't use drag and drop (too easy to make mistakes).  I have not touched those files mentioned, in any way.

SMF caching is not enabled.

Edit
Also, it says "SMF has not been able to detect a compatible accelerator on your server." in bold, red text.

Sir Osis of Liver

Quote from: brynn on August 12, 2017, 11:08:18 AM
I could have accidentally drag/dropped a file into a different folder (via SFPT).  Once, maybe twice.

If you look at this, you'll see the same menu problem in Curve, the header is broken, and copyright shows Aqua Style.  That's most likely the Aqua index template.  You've somehow mixed up the theme files.  It appears that all your themes may be damaged.  No way for us to know exactly what you've done, so we can't tell you how to undo it.  Start with a clean install, unless you have a lot of custom coding, it's no big deal, and the only sure way to clean it up.

Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

brynn

I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I didn't do this.  1 or 2 accidental drag/drops could not have caused this.  It would have affected one maybe 2 themes.  It sounds like multiple files have been edited.

Will you please stop blaming me?

Also, I'm not a mope.  At worse, I'm a student, trying to learn.  I could use some encouragement, rather than mocking.  Have I called you any names?

Sir Osis of Liver

#31
<sigh>

You have two forums running:

https://forum.inkscapecommunity.com/ - TinyPortal, Aqua Style theme.  Looks ok.

https://www.inkscapecuttingdesign.com/smf/ - SimplePortal, don't recognize the theme, menu is broken, copyright is wrong.

Too tired to reread this topic, are you trying to move the forum from first link to second link?


Hmm, looks like first one is the new one, it's your old forum that's screwed up.  Interestingly, Curve is equally broken in both installs.

Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

brynn

Quote....are you trying to move the forum from first link to second link?

I have no idea where you got that idea.  I'm not trying to do anything.  I'm trying to get you to understand that this happened coincidentally when I was fixing that login issue (or possibly up to 6 hours before).  It just happened.  I have no clues.

Rather than rebuild both sites, is there some reason why I can't use my backups?

Thanks again.

Illori

before you consider putting a backup of files back in place. ask your host if they have any server side caching in effect and if so if they can disable it.

brynn

Hi Illori,
Yes, I asked, and and I've just received their reply.  They said no.

And so, there really is no way to know how this might have happened?  I know SOL thinks I've been playing with the code, or trying to merge my sites, or who knows other ideas he's conjured up.  But truly, everything was ok one minute, and the next thing I know, I have what you see now.

I just want to be able to avoid whatever it was, in the future.  Is there any way to know, or even guess?

Thanks again.

Illori

if your host will not admit they did something, then i would look for a new host and see if everything works fine there.

Sir Osis of Liver

Nothing 'just happens', someone copied the Aqua index.template.php into your other themes.  I'm able to view your default theme and Curve on both forums, and all four are running the same template.  You can confirm this by looking in the files, you'll find this in all of them -



// Theme Copyright DO NOT REMOVE THIS
function aqua_copy()
{
$AQUA = 'Aqua Style by <a href="http://smfhispano.net">Diego Andr&eacute;s</a>';

return $AQUA;
}



If you copy the Aqua index template into a clean install running Curve, it reproduces your problem (I've done it).  That's what we've been trying to explain to you.  How did it happen?  Your host didn't do it, a hacker didn't do it, either you did it or someone else has access to your account and is yanking your chain (not likely, but it's happened before).  You basically have two choices to fix the problem:

1.  If you have good backups of both forums, restore the backups.  No big deal.

2.  If you don't have useable backups, you'll have to do a clean install and reinstall all mods and themes.

If you believe someone else may have access to your account, change your cpanel, FTP, and admin passwords.


Ashes and diamonds, foe and friend,
 we were all equal in the end.

                                     - R. Waters

shawnb61

To close out an earlier discussion point:  Caching can't fix this, since the issue is with the source code itself. 

At this point, I suggest focusing on how to fix it, not how it got this way. 
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp


Steve

Quote from: shawnb61 on August 14, 2017, 04:08:34 PMhow it got this way.

How it got this way is important so the OP knows how to prevent it from happening again. :)
DO NOT pm me for support!

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