Strange error message

[pepf]

Using 2.0.17

Recently the forum shows a number of the following error messages:

2: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/cpanel/php/sessions/ea-php73)
Apply Filter: Only show the errors from this file
File: /home/xxxxxx/public_html/forum/Sources/Load.php
Line: 2464

The first line is always "Guest", but there is no IP, and the topic accessed is each time different.
There are about twenty such error messages in a row, all issued within a few seconds.


What could be causing this?

TIA, Peter

[vbgamer45]

Hosting issue. Probably either the file path is not writable  /var/cpanel/php/sessions/ea-php73 or some other host issue.

[pepf]

Thank you.

[steiger]

Hello!
I have exactly the same error messages in the log.

It started suddenly a few weeks ago and happens "randomly".
SMF 2.0.15 (still)

Only Guest, no IP

No changes in software and configuration from my side.
It seems that it is no problem for authenticated users as there are not reports from my users.

As I have no access to the tmp directory I contacted the hosting provider and they told me that there is enough free space and the directory is writeable.

Any ideas where I could look to solve this problem?

Thanks

[Dzonny]

You should contact your hosting provider, as mentioned earlier. Unless you have permissions to check full path from the error and see if it's writable?

[steiger]

As I have no access to the tmp directory I contacted the hosting provider and they told me that there is enough free space and the directory is writeable.

[Dzonny]

Okay, which php version are you running on your server? Any reason for staying with SMF 2.0.15 and not updating it to latest stable version?

[steiger]

PHP is 7.1 (also not changed)
The GDPR mod is currently installed (it's a Europe based website) and as it is just a sideproject of me I had no time (aka priority) yet to migrate.

If you really think that 2.0.15 one month ago and 2.0.15 now is the reason for the situation will try to update in the near future.

[Dzonny]

Yeah, looks like this is happening on 7.1 in some cases, and still looks like a permission problem though.
Can you try this:
https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=554135.msg3927956#msg3927956

and report back the output?

[steiger]

First of all I can change PHP to a later version.


I tried the short script posted by 青山 素子 and it returned
Array ()

Then I downloaded the file posted by count (tmp.php)
and it displays the session path (as seen in the error messages)

test 1 (printing session value)
foo: hello world
PHPSESSID: <id>

test 2 (kill session)
PHPSESSID was "unseted"


Looks fine

[steiger]

Any more ideas?

The errors do not appear very often but if they do always as block of 7 or 8 entries.

[Steve]

First of all I can change PHP to a later version.

By 'later' do you mean newer or older? And updating to 2.0.18 really is recommended.

[steiger]

First of all I can change PHP to a later version.

By 'later' do you mean newer or older? And updating to 2.0.18 really is recommended.

With later I meant newer PHP version.
But while trying that I found the many deprecated "errors" and switched back to 7.1

I will try to check the details to switch from the customized GDPR mod to 2.0.18 (GDPR is the only reason why we did not upgrade yet).

[LiBen]

First of all I can change PHP to a later version.

By 'later' do you mean newer or older? And updating to 2.0.18 really is recommended.

On the 20th of April 2021 I got 10 identical error reports in 9 seconds time from "guest without IP"
This is the first time ever to see this come along.
File:/Sources/Load.php
Line: 2530

Code Select Expand

// Use cache setting sessions?
if (empty($modSettings['databaseSession_enable']) && !empty($modSettings['cache_enable']) && php_sapi_name() != 'cli')
{
if (function_exists('mmcache_set_session_handlers'))
mmcache_set_session_handlers();
elseif (function_exists('eaccelerator_set_session_handlers'))
eaccelerator_set_session_handlers();
}

session_start(); //This is line 2530


PHP 7.4
SMF 2.0.18

Yeah, looks like this is happening on 7.1 in some cases, and still looks like a permission problem though.
Can you try this:
https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=554135.msg3927956#msg3927956

and report back the output?

No errors with the testfile.

It's quite suspicious if you look at the pages and speed the "guest" visited in just 10 seconds:
site/index.php?https://site/
site/index.php?wwwRedirect
site/index.php?action=register 2x
site/index.php?action=verificationcode;vid=register;rand=6d17fd949f24b95283f84f95285857e4
site/index.php?action=register2
site/index.php?
site/index.php?action=login2
site/index.php?wwwRedirect
site/index.php?

Looks like the speed of a bot, or clicking of a person with caffeine overdose.