Error 500 + loop in instaler

[Nate Silver]

Hi, I run a couple small forums on my website, each in it's own folder and with it's own database. They were working without problems for a number of years, but today I noticed all of them are down, with a HTTP ERROR 500. It's worth noting that the main website (a wordpress site) has no problem, only the offshoot forums.

Considering that the only thing valuable in the forums are the attachments and the databases, I prepare to make a new forum, then migrate the db and attachments. However, when I try to install smf (2.0.15), on the first step I place the crisp new db credentials, the installer says everything seems to be in order, but when I click on continue, it loops back to the first step. I edited the settings.php and manually placed the credentials there, but to no avail.

I wonder if it's related to the error 500 problem, but I have no idea.

[Looking]

What do your error logs say server side?

[Sir Osis of Liver]

PHP version?  Can you disable mod_security?

[Nate Silver]

What do your error logs say server side?

I have a bunch of "AH01797: client denied by server configuration" and some "1iN6XL-0000G1-La spam acl condition: all spamd servers failed", although no way of knowing if this last error occurred on one of the forums or somewhere else in the server.

Curiously the AH01797 error occurs only in one of the forums, I have no error in the others, including the new forum I was trying to install.

PHP version?  Can you disable mod_security?

PHP version 7.2.18. I guess I could disable mod_security, but how would it help?

[Illori]

SMF 2.0 does not support php 7.2 at this time, try to downgrade to php 7.1 and see if that helps.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

mod_security has caused a variety of problems, it doesn't play well with SMF if it's poorly configured.  If your forums just stopped working for no apparent reason, your host probably changed something that's causing server errors.  Have you contacted host support?

[Nate Silver]

SMF 2.0 does not support php 7.2 at this time, try to downgrade to php 7.1 and see if that helps.

Oh, that's interesting. I did this, as well as disabling mod_support. While the forums are still down, I was able to create the new test forum, place the attachments of a downed forum as well as its database, and it seems to be working.

The only difference between the forums I can think of are the packages and themes installed. Is there a way to disable them without accessing the forum?

Baring that, I guess I could recreate each forum, but if it's possible to fix them, I would much rather do that.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

You can upload a clean set of files from the 2.0.15 upgrade package, that will remove all mods.  Themes will remain installed, but you can reset all members to default Curve with repair_settings.php, so you'll be able to get back into admin.

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

[Nate Silver]

You can upload a clean set of files from the 2.0.15 upgrade package, that will remove all mods.  Themes will remain installed, but you can reset all members to default Curve with repair_settings.php, so you'll be able to get back into admin.

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

Great, that solved it, thanks!