Topic: Installing SimplePortal on my staging site breaks permissions and breaks site

[kerbob]

Hi All,
My staging (test) site is http://www.knoxrc.com.  Every time I try to install SimplePortal 2.3.3 on RC4 it results in a Internal Server Error.  After I get this, the page is completely down.  No errors in the logs that are available in cPanel.  However, the JustHost support says this:

Fixed. Your software is changing permissions after every upgrade. Could you
please upload your upgrade package
for me to check.

All my web directories are at 777 and I put a Temp folder in the Packages dir also at 777.  Even after the failure, the permissions to the folders I have access to via FTP stay at 777. It seems to me that the package is messing up permissions at a level I do not have access to via FTP.  On the install page for SimplePortal, it has a link that shows you the files/dirs that will be modified (pasted below).  Does this look correct to you?  It seems like several of these are not under my purview as a customer.  The path to my forum is: /homepages/7/d289446499/htdocs/

•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/classic/images/sp
•/mnt
•/mnt/p3hnas102_data01/p3nlh036/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/tmp_/Themes/babylon/images/sp
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/pdx-dk116v1/images/sp
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/mavidus/images/sp
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/Reference/images/sp
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/amber11rc2/images/sp
•/
•/homepages/7/d289446499/htdocs/Themes/helios_multi11final/images/sp
•/
•/homepages/7/d289446499/htdocs/Themes/core/images/sp
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/classic/images/admin
•/mnt
•/mnt/p3hnas102_data01/p3nlh036/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/tmp_/Themes/babylon/images/admin
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/pdx-dk116v1/images/admin
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/mavidus/images/admin
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/Reference/images/admin
•/home
•/home/content/j/p/b/jpbobrek/html/Themes/amber11rc2/images/admin
•/
•/homepages/7/d289446499/htdocs/Themes/helios_multi11final/images/admin
•/
•/homepages/7/d289446499/htdocs/Themes/core/images/admin

[kerbob]

Ok, I figured something out right after the post.  I was wrong about my staging forum directory above.

Staging SMF Directory on JustHost: /home/knoxrcc1/public_html
Production SMF Directory on 1and1: /homepages/7/d289446499/htdocs

I back up the production site to the staging site periodically and then use repair_settings to fix the paths to the files and database.  But apparently, SimplePortal's installer is finding a file with paths to my production SMF directory on the staging server.

I hope this makes sense.  Do you guys know where SimplePortal gets these file paths?

[AngelinaBelle]

The SMF path is stored in settings.php
I am not an expert on where path information might be stored on the database.
 
You would probably get quicker, more reliable help on this question (Subject: path problems when using backup on "test" server)
on one of the boards at simplemachines.org.
 
This would adress the problems you are having with the Package Manager -- which is not a SimplePortal issue.
 
I am also ignorant of whether SimplePortal stores any path information on the database.  A quick perusal of install2.php did not enlighten me.  I will try to find out from the developers for you.

[kerbob]

AgnelinaBelle,
Thanks for your post; it was just the pointer I needed.  I searched all files in the entire directory tree for the text "d289446499" and "j/p/b" and could not find it anywhere except for the .bak files which makes sense and are harmless.  So.. repair_settings.php did its job filewise, but the package manager must be pulling the paths from the database.  So, I searched all tables in my database for the same strings and I did find them in the locations below.  After I corrected all of those settings, low and behold, the installer for SMF looked differently.. it didn't have the FTP section at all and all the paths looked correct.

The following tables contained paths from my production page (contained : d289446499)
smf_settings
smf_themes
smf_aeva_settings
The following table contained paths from my production page AND my first ISP on GoDaddy (contained /j/p/b/)
smf_themes


So, the installer reported no problems and I hit the Install button.  Immediately after, it gave an Internal Server error again.  However, it seems to have installed correctly.. the portal is on the site now and all seems to be well.  Again, the error logs didn't show anything from this time I did my installation (worthless!).  So, many thanks for your help.. I now have SimplePortal up and running on the site!!

Happy New YEar!

[AngelinaBelle]

I'm so glad you found it.
Happy New Year!