Problems with Private Messaging

[crfriend]

Good evening,

It's come to my attention that we have a problem with Private Messaging, and this has also impacted The Barista. I can seemingly send PMs, but they never show up in my "Sent Box", thus indicating that they never left. Interestingly, they also never show up in the "Out Box", either. So, we have a problem.

At present, I do not know what this is, but am working on ways to investigate.

Right now, I'd ask that folks download the contents of their in-boxes to local disks and empty them out. I'm primarily wondering if we're hitting a sizing constraint, but if I need to delete all the rows from a table or two in the main database want to make sure that nobody loses much. The "cure" may possibly be destructive.

Of note is that I have done precisely zero to the forum's software in months, so this is new to me.

[Coder]

Strange. I was able to send a PM to Uncle Al the other day. Stupid question, but have you tried to trace the application code to see where it might be failing? With code I didn't write, I'd probably set up a simple way to place some strategic print_r/var_dump and exit statements and see how far it gets before choking.

[r.m.anderson]

Ah ha so that is the reason my smoke signals (pm's) have been going up in smoke.

[crfriend]

Strange. I was able to send a PM to Uncle Al the other day. Stupid question, but have you tried to trace the application code to see where it might be failing? With code I didn't write, I'd probably set up a simple way to place some strategic print_r/var_dump and exit statements and see how far it gets before choking.

This is something quite recent, and I'm not sure what it is yet. I know, however, that I have changed precisely nothing in the last several months -- in fact since the last software upgrade -- so it's not my hand that has done the deed.

My suspicion at this point is some sort of database issue, but I haven't proven it out yet in my lab so can't say for certain.

In the interim, try using e-mail messages, which seem unaffected.

Instrumenting the production code, whilst possible, will be a pain in the arse because I don't have access to the layers "above" Skirt Cafe -- and I know that there are "things" present that can screw things up quite royally. These usually manifest as 500-series errors, but this current issue isn't, and I cannot reproduce the 500-series errors in my lab (where I have an identical copy of everything) (hence my suspicion about "security" software).

[Uncle Al]

Carl,

Sent you a message to your personal email.
Just sent another to Barista (at) skirtcafe.org

Let me know if you received either one.

Thanks!
Uncle Al

[crfriend]

Sent you a message to your personal email.

Patience, Grasshopper. These things take time.

[Uncle Al]

Patience, Grasshopper. These things take time.

Yes, Sensei Miyagi



Uncle Al

[crfriend]

Blast! I can't reproduce it in my lab. Which means there's something else in play at Dreamhost that I'm only tangentially aware of, and which is sensitive to certain verbiage.

Not happy.

The test case used a snapshot of yesterday's database and an freshly set of updated files. Thus, my "copy" of Skirtcafe is essentially identical to the production version save that I don't have the "security" overlay.

[Coder]

Blast! I can't reproduce it in my lab. Which means there's something else in play at Dreamhost that I'm only tangentially aware of, and which is sensitive to certain verbiage.

Not happy.

The test case used a snapshot of yesterday's database and an freshly set of updated files. Thus, my "copy" of Skirtcafe is essentially identical to the production version save that I don't have the "security" overlay.

Bummer. How close is the environment otherwise (ie, php versions, modules, apache)? I'm assuming as identical as possible. Too bad you can't create a subdomain and host a second copy on DreamHost to poke at.

[crfriend]

Bummer. How close is the environment otherwise (ie, php versions, modules, apache)? I'm assuming as identical as possible. Too bad you can't create a subdomain and host a second copy on DreamHost to poke at.

It looks to have cleared on its own, thus raising my suspicions of rogue "security" software even higher.

PMs seem to be working again, leaving behind a very unamused admin. Literally, the "fix" arrived at about the time where I'd fully resynced my lab. In any event, I'll use the lab now to develop an upgrade strategy to phpBB 3.11 (which needs doing anyway).

[Uncle Al]

Carl,

I've responded to your and Anthony's PM about a new area/topic.
It looks like it was received but I'm not sure you got my message
due no feedback received.

Uncle Al

[crfriend]

Hi Al,

I've responded to your and Anthony's PM about a new area/topic.
It looks like it was received but I'm not sure you got my message
due no feedback received.

Sorry about that, but I've been up to my eyeballs recently with work and problems w/my relationship (which I hope to work out soon). There have also been an anomalous number of problems around the house that have been absorbing precious time.

Comms are fine. The human is over-stressed.

-- Carl

[Uncle Al]

Thanks for the info, Carl

Uncle Al

[Kirbstone]

Sorry to read about problems with your relationship, Carl. I do hope they resolve themselves soon. You could do with a strong steady one, there.

My long term sailing buddy and former partner in a boat lost his lovely wifey to Cancer three years ago. He met and shacked up with another for a time, but in recent months that has apparently unravelled on him and he is now courting another, which goes to show that the replacement of a life-long partner is not easy, especially if one is a 'senior citizen'.

I have problems with MOH, but after some 55 years together, these are usually mood-driven and administrative, as nowadays we are driving a family ship with a crew of 18 !!

Tom

[crfriend]

Sorry to read about problems with your relationship, Carl. I do hope they resolve themselves soon. You could do with a strong steady one, there.

I never thought it'd be easy. I'm a handful at the best of times, and my attire does not help one whit. I forcefully terminated one attempt early this year after getting stood up again and realising I'd had enough. Then I had to abandon another because there was no way that she was ever going to get her head around my attire. And now the latest one who is exhibiting symptoms of also not going to be able to get her head around me -- even though I've warned her that "I'm a bit of a handful". It's all sort of depressing, really, that people can be so shallow.