Site Error, "DEBUG MODE" (08/20/06)

[funrun]

I lot of us are getting this error after submitting a post or PM:

Could not connect to smtp host : 111 : Connection refused

DEBUG MODE

Line : 112
File : smtp.php

This error does not seem to be hindering any functionality, so your posts still go through, so please DO NOT REPOST your info. I have not lost a single post submission because of this error. If you are unsure if your post went through, please first go back to the thread and reload your browser page, or in the case of PMs, check your PM outbox. I have had to delete a lot of everyone's double posts this morning because of this error. If you know you have gotten this error and reposted, please go back and check to see if you created a double and delete the extra one so an admin doesn't have to do it for you.

As for the error itself, I don't know what it is, but I am sure the server switchover that occurred yesterday has something to do with it. I looked at the file and code line referenced in the error and all that code line is doing is generating the text for that error message. The actual error has nothing to do with that code and something to do with not being able to connect to the host 111. We will continue to look into the error and keep you updated on it.

[funrun]

Xotli has pointed out to me that this error is likely coming up every time an email notification needs to be sent out. If you are not getting email notifications, this error is probably the cause. Our SMTP server must have changed in the switchover. I just did a lot of trial and error guessing and couldn't find the magic value, so now we have to wait for the hosting company to tell us.

[truth]

Okay guys, we'll just have to deal with this for a bit until it can be resolved. Hopefully tonight.

[ninthdoc]

Thanks for the update, guys. Er, guy and girl. Er, guy w/funny hat and girl w/no head. Um, well, you get it... :?

[funrun]

Here is a behind the scenes peek at the deadly lengths our noble truth has gone to so that this site does not die like all the other ones have. Transcript follows.

----
[After the above mentioned trial and error period, funrun and truth are instant messaging, then funrun receives "test" PM from truth.]


me: did the test work?


truth: I think we've got it figured out though

give us a few

or him really

I'm not doing anything :)


me: ?

did u type that to the wrong person?


truth: no

you asked if my test worked


me: then who is "him"?


truth: The mafia boss I sold my soul to in order to get on dedicated for below $100 a month.


me: ROFL


truth: seriously he'll break my legs

or have one of his goons do it anyhow

----

So there you have it folks, truth has sold his soul to the mafia so that everyone else can have a pleasant online experience. :D What a guy!

[reapersaurus]

Xotli has pointed out to me that this error is likely coming up every time an email notification needs to be sent out. If you are not getting email notifications, this error is probably the cause. Our SMTP server must have changed in the switchoverYeah, SMTP notifications are a common error with message boards, IME.

Some admins just turn off the email notifications for posts to save the server load.

I wonder what % of members use that feature?
Usually it's used when there is a subscribe feature to easier track discussions of interest.

[funrun]

I wonder what % of members use that feature?
Usually it's used when there is a subscribe feature to easier track discussions of interest.Yes, it also does PM notifications. I have seen the database and know there are enough of us who use the email notifications that it isn't a feature we want to lose.

[truth]

Xotli has pointed out to me that this error is likely coming up every time an email notification needs to be sent out. If you are not getting email notifications, this error is probably the cause. Our SMTP server must have changed in the switchoverYeah, SMTP notifications are a common error with message boards, IME.

Some admins just turn off the email notifications for posts to save the server load.

I wonder what % of members use that feature?
Usually it's used when there is a subscribe feature to easier track discussions of interest.

You know what. This is a great freaking solution in my book. Lets just turn the notifications off and avoid the problem all together. People will complain... but eh they'll get over it.

[funrun]

I hope u were joking truth.

[oogiezone]

funrun--I'm really glad you posted about this. I was just PMing nether to find out what the deal was, because I haven't been around much. Good luck with fixing the problem!

EDIT: w00t! I jsut made my second post of the day WITHOUT the error showing up. Yay!

[truth]

Yes I rock! :) I changed a setting and no more error. The email function works for me too! Hooray! Let me know how it works for you guys.

[funrun]

Email function doesn't seem to work for me anymore. :cry: Is everyone else getting emails as you used to?

[truth]

I think everyone who wasn't getting emails before will get them now and all those who were won't. Cause I wasn't getting them before and am now. So this is interesting. I wonder what precentage of peeps weren't getting them before...

[monkeyfish]

I got the site messages before and does that mean the inbox won't work?

[Revdyer]

I wasn't getting email notices before (since the switch over, that is) and it is the primary way I use the forum. I'm not getting them now, either. So it isn't fixed yet, I dont' think.

Please don't dump this function.

Thanks.

[hero]

Depending on how this works, programatic sending of emails from PHP scripts is phenomenally insecure and the single largest cause of redirected spam. Most likely, turning it off is in the best interest of Heroscapers continued growth. Usually PHP email is implemented by using localhost "nobody@" sources, which is just rife with problems. Using authenticated SMTP is a way of locking this down *a little* but SMTP is phenomenally inefficient and prone to errors (SMTP barfs easily if multiple requests come in quickly).


I'll drop Truth a line about it.

[Hahnarama]

Not getting any new emails or emails I was getting before.

[reapersaurus]

could someone explain to me how they use this email function to help them keep up with the site?
(other than a PM notification, which makes sense to me)

[truth]

The watch topic for replies button at the bottom left of the screen.

[funrun]

could someone explain to me how they use this email function to help them keep up with the site?
(other than a PM notification, which makes sense to me)
You can watch a topic for replies and you will get emailed about it. If you don't come to the site often, then the emails are the only thing bringing you back.

[reapersaurus]

But - you'll get bombarded with emails many times. :shrug:

If you just use the "Posts since last visit", you can find it if it's been active, and if it hasn't been active, then no concern.

To assume that there's nothing to read unless a watched thread gets traffic doesn't make sense to me. :confused:

[funrun]

I was referring to people who rarely visit this site. They would only watch a few threads maybe.

[Revdyer]

I really like the notices. They save me having to plow through all of the posts since I was last here that I'm not particularly interested in (which can include whole sections, such as the Marvel one).

There are different ways and styles of participating in the forum, and therefore different tools to use. I like the notices. reaper likes the posts since last visit. It's nice to have both tools and others, no doubt, for other people as well.

[Xotli]

Depending on how this works, programatic sending of emails from PHP scripts is phenomenally insecure and the single largest cause of redirected spam. Most likely, turning it off is in the best interest of Heroscapers continued growth. Usually PHP email is implemented by using localhost "nobody@" sources, which is just rife with problems. Using authenticated SMTP is a way of locking this down *a little* but SMTP is phenomenally inefficient and prone to errors (SMTP barfs easily if multiple requests come in quickly).
Yes, but I'm sure the ISP's SMTP server doesn't allow email to be routed through it unless it comes from a server on its own subnet; isn't that sufficient to keep it from being abused by spammers? Perhaps there's some PHP-specific vulnerability I'm not familiar with--I'll admit my PHP is pretty limited.

Nonetheless, if it were deemed desireable to use a different language to implement emailing notifications, I'd be happy to contribute a ...(*) script, if that would help in any way. That'd be fairly trivial from my POV.

Is everyone else getting emails as you used to?
As of about 2 hours ago, I seem to be, yes. Before that, no.


[(*) Exceedingly bizarre but true: when I put in "Perl" here, it causes an error when I try to post the message:

You don't have permission to access /community/posting.php on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
As you can see, it's okay to say "Perl" and it's okay to say "script" ... you just can't put them together. Perhaps PHP is jealous of other languages ... ? :D]

[funrun]

I once noted there is an entire file on this server with certain coding terms that cannot be used at all in a post. I think for fear that it would mess up the site code. "Perl" must be one of these terms.

I don't know why we can't go back to the way the emails were being sent out. It wasn't a causing any problems then. We just don't know what the SMTP server is now.

Hey, I just got an email notification as I was writing this!!! I guess it is all working again.

[Revdyer]

Mine's all working again, funrun, so "Thanks!"