Topic: Upgrading from 2.0.13 to 2.0.14 or 2.0.18 I got a blank page

[reslava]

Dear all,

I had SMF 1.1.10 and now my hosting is upgrading PHP to 7.4 version.

I manage to upgrade to 2.0.13.

If i try to upgrade to 2.0.14 or 2.0.18 and execute upgrade.php I got a blank page with no error log.
I tested it running PHP 5.4, 5.6, 7.0 and 7.4 same result.

I have no extra mods or themes.

Please, I need help because my hosting will upgrade PHP to 7.4 in 2th March and as far as I know only 2.0.18 support it.
I already look for help with hosting support but they only told me that PHP did not generate any error.

Thank you very much in advance!

[Illori]

take a look at https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Patching

[reslava]

Thank Illori for quick reply!

I already tried this before and I tried again now, same error I got:

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An Error Has Occurred!
Although the package was downloaded to the server it appears to be empty. Please check the Packages directory, and the "temp" sub-directory are both writable. If you continue to experience this problem you should try extracting the package on your PC and uploading the extracted files into a subdirectory in your Packages directory and try again. For example, if the package was called shout.tar.gz you should:
1) Download the package to your local PC and extract it into files.
2) Using an FTP client create a new directory in your "Packages" folder, in this example you may call it "shout".
3) Upload all the files from the extracted package to this directory.
4) Go back to the package manager browse page and the package will be automatically found by SMF.
I checked permission in Packages and temp directories, both have 755 (I also tried 777) and got same error.
I am going to try uploading by FTP...

Will report the results...

[Illori]

which package are you uploading?

[reslava]

Hi,

Should I use smf_2-0-14_update.zip  package?

[reslava]

ahhh i see i need to use this

SMF 2.0.13 to SMF 2.0.14 — Download

is correct?

[reslava]

Hi again,

I manage to upload the patch for 2.0.14
Then I browse to install the package, install it, all Test successful
Then I press the Install Now button and I got this message:

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An Error Has Occurred!
This update requires a minimum of PHP 5.3.0 in order to function. (You are currently running PHP 5.2.17)
I change PHP to 5.4

And now I only get a blank page, I can not access to the forum.

I also tried with 5.6

If I change to 5.2.x then I can see the forum

I am completely lost, please help

Thank you very much in advance!

[Matthias]

Upload the attached file to the root folder and enter the following in the browser: yourdomain.tld/phpinfo.php
If the info page does not appear, the host has a problem.

[reslava]

Hi Matthias,

I already have a phpinfo.php uploaded in my web to check PHP version.
When i change PHP version to whatever 5.2.17 5.4 5.6 7..0 7.4  PHP version execute and show correct version.
But my actual SMF 2.0.13 get a blank page if i change PHP to 5.4 or above
And if i set 5.2.17 to try to install the package i can not install without changing, and in that moment I just got a blank page

[vbgamer45]

Something must be causing it to happen maybe a mod of some sort.
Can you attach your index.php I might want to try forcing display of php errors.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

If you successfully upgraded your 1.1 database to 2.0.13, you can try uploading a clean set of 2.0.18 files and forum should run correctly in php 7.  Use the 2.0.18 large upgrade package, delete the uograde files (you don't need to run them).

[Matthias]

That could be a good way to get it. But then it's necessary to check the paths to get settings.php to the right way.
After you have done this, upload repair_settings.php to your root directory and run it.
At the most times there are wrong things, that will be corrected to run the installation.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

It's just an upgrade in place, not a move.  If forum works in 2.0.13, there shouldn't be anything wrong with settings.  If clean files don't fix it, then there's a problem in the database.

[Matthias]

You are right.
But that's often a way to get things that wasn't thinkable. Maybe helpful to localize the issue.

[rjf]

When upgrading from 2.0.13 to 2.0.14  I also receive       "An Error Has Occurred!
This update requires a minimum of PHP 5.3.0 in order to function. (You are currently running PHP 5.2.17)".
 The web server is running 7.0 and my default php is 5.4.45      The server says it's not them. If you go to support and credit on SMF administrative center it shows: 

Forum version: SMF 2.0.13 (more detailed)
Current SMF version: SMF 2.0.18
GD Version: bundled (2.0.34 compatible)
MySQL version: 5.6.41-84.1
PHP: 5.2.17       <-------- where is it getting this info. from???
Server version: Apache

Any ideas
thanks, Randy

[vbgamer45]

That is from PHP itself.  Do you have a control panel for your site or are you in control of the webserver itself?

[rjf]

yes it shows I am running php 5.4 as an inherent or I can change to 70 thru 74.   If I change to 70 screen show blank all white.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

If you are working in 2.0.13, change php version to 5.6 then try installing .14 patch.

[Matthias]

I recently had the same problem with a customer server with an older operating system in another case.
CentOS 6.x with PHP 5.x by OS vendor and managed by plesk.
Please make sure, that your server/webspace is running without problems at the environment with different PHP handlers. If so, you can get on to play with your SMF Forum.

[reslava]

Hello mates,

First of all thank you very much to all for the help and quick support you gave me.
Sorry for the delay in reply, I have been very busy with the forum upgrade and other stuff.
I will like to tell you about the problem I found because maybe it is useful for someone who faces the same issues. I will try to resume the relevant topics here.

Our hosting company (hostgator) sent me an email telling us that we need to upgrade our web to support PHP 7.4 for security reasons. And do the upgrade before 2th March.
I have SMF 1.1.10 with a lot of mods, custom themes and many custom developments for our community. So for this reason I keep that old version.
So I decide to remove all customizations and go for a big upgrade.
Everything goes fine, except some SQL modifications needed because of the old version.

But when I tried "large upgrade" to 2.0.14 to 2.0.18 versions i always got a blank page / error 500. 
So the last version I could upgrade without a blank page was 2.0.13.
I tried 2.0.14 with PHP 5.4 and 5.6.
I tried 2.0.18 with PHP 5.4, 5.6, 7.0 and 7.4.Always got the same blank page.By the way I always checked the PHP version with phpinfo.php because hosting cPanel info was wrong telling me 5.6 and it was 5.2.17. Hosting fixed this after talking with their support.The error log was empty about this problem.I tried to create my own php.ini enabling error logging.
I tried to display all php errors by including proper code in the pageI had no clue at all.I tried to find up to which line of code it went before the error occurred. I wrote some

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die('this is as far as it goes")until I found the error was produced here:

/Sources/load/loaddatabase()    line 2564

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// Either we aren't in SSI mode, or it failed.
if (empty($db_connection))
$db_connection = smf_db_initiate($db_server, $db_name, $db_user, $db_passwd, $db_prefix, array('persist' => $db_persist, 'dont_select_db' => SMF == 'SSI'));
So any new PHP version can not connect to the database.
I became very suspicious and tried to install a new full install SMF 2.0.14 version separately in another path to test it.
Well, executing install.php I got this:

Critical Error!
         
            The installer was unable to detect any database support in PHP. Please ask your host to ensure that PHP was compiled with the desired database, or that the proper extension is being loaded. 

 

Indeed it seemed that PHP versions 5.4 and higher could not connect to the database.So I contact the hosting support again and they fixed the problem and told me:

" I have fixed it by disabling PHP 5.2 on home .htaccess"

So I could continue upgrading to 2.0.18.I still can not believe that a hosting requires you to upgrade your web to support PHP 7.4 for security reasons and when you try to go any PHP 5.4 or higher nothing runs, producing blank pages with no error clue and a headache.
I hope I have properly resumed the important topics: I am spanish, so sorry if my english is not good enough.
Again, thank you very much to all of you, I am very grateful, your messages are very much appreciated!

Have a nice day ahead!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

" I have fixed it by disabling PHP 5.2 on home .htaccess"

That's actually ridiculous.  You would be well advised to move to a better host.  Hostgator was never very good, but they've gotten much worse over the past year.

[reslava]

I full agree that by my own experience, but I don't know others...

Please, could you recommend a good hosting service?

Thank you very much in advance!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Crocweb is very good, inexpensive, support is excellent.  I've moved 15-16 forums there from other hosts (couple from Hostgator) all have been very pleased.

[shadav]

Crocweb is very good, inexpensive, support is excellent.  I've moved 15-16 forums there from other hosts (couple from Hostgator) all have been very pleased.

I thought crocweb and hostgator were owned by the same parent company 

[reslava]

Crocweb [nofollow] is very good, inexpensive, support is excellent.  I've moved 15-16 forums there from other hosts (couple from Hostgator) all have been very pleased.

Thank you very much! I definitely will check crocweb

[Kindred]

I'm a huge fan of ICDSoft. Been with them for over 10 years and NEVER had a problem with the service. They have literally answered every issue I reported to their helpdesk in under 5 mins and had it solved in under 30 mins...

[reslava]

I take note of my next hosting list candidates, ICDSoft added.


Thank you very much Kindred!

[shadav]

a friend of mine swears by a2hosting.com
but I'm cheap :p so I take chances with cheaper hosts 
and in most cases, you do get what you pay for
my current host I can't really recommend but they are better than a lot of the other cheaper ones, asurahosting.com, but again I don't really recommend them because there again they are cheap and well seems they are starting to oversell their servers so I'll be moving away from them sometime soon(ish) (if they'll refund me for the prepaid 2 years I still have left with them)