Error 500?

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:41 pm

What does it mean when I submit a post but get a â€œError 500 (Internal Server Error)â€ reply instead? This is particularly perplexing when I just succeeded in posting a message to that very thread only 5 or 10 minutes before. Posting to any of the other threads, BTW, is no problem as I am demonstrating this very moment.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 1:13 am

High Threshold;1471144 wrote: What does it mean when I submit a post but get a â€œError 500 (Internal Server Error)â€ reply instead? This is particularly perplexing when I just succeeded in posting a message to that very thread only 5 or 10 minutes before. Posting to any of the other threads, BTW, is no problem as I am demonstrating this very moment.
It's a known issue. As of yet, I don't think anyone knows exactly why it does it or what causes it. It also tends to affect Personal Messages.

The problem is that it's one of those sort of bugs that programmers hate most. Erratic ones. One moment it'll be working fine - the next, gone again. Then, when you think you've sorted the problem & everything seems to be be running ok, there it goes again.

I know that Bryn is looking into it.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 3:37 am

FourPart;1471145 wrote: It's a known issue. As of yet, I don't think anyone knows exactly why it does it or what causes it. It also tends to affect Personal Messages.

The problem is that it's one of those sort of bugs that programmers hate most. Erratic ones. One moment it'll be working fine - the next, gone again. Then, when you think you've sorted the problem & everything seems to be be running ok, there it goes again.

I know that Bryn is looking into it.

Thank you. I just tried posting it again - but the problem persists. I'd blame it on the Americans but that would be REALLY asking for grief ......... so let me go on record as saying, "Damned those scruple-less North Koreans!!!"

:mad::mad:

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 3:55 am

I'll copy some words into this thread if that's alright. I've been trying to find a way round this 500 Server Error for years now, but the host system has never accepted any of the .htaccess commands I've tried on it.

ModSecurity is an open source web application firewall. This helps to prevent attacks on websites, SQL injection, command execution via browser etc. However, this may break some application installed in your website. With ModSecurity2, you can not bypass any rule by ID from your .htaccess file.

If your WordPress hosting provider has enabled mod_security with Apache, you may face some problem to post topic, upload images, insert images in the post etc. Since ModSecurity2 does not allow to bypass rules by ID via .htaccess, you will have to contact your web hosting provider to bypass some rules for your website.

Wordpress and mod_security2 issues

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:08 am

FG;1471149 wrote: I'll copy some words into this thread if that's alright. I've been trying to find a way round this 500 Server Error for years now, but the host system has never accepted any of the .htaccess commands I've tried on it.

ModSecurity is an open source web application firewall. This helps to prevent attacks on websites, SQL injection, command execution via browser etc. However, this may break some application installed in your website. With ModSecurity2, you can not bypass any rule by ID from your .htaccess file.

If your WordPress hosting provider has enabled mod_security with Apache, you may face some problem to post topic, upload images, insert images in the post etc. Since ModSecurity2 does not allow to bypass rules by ID via .htaccess, you will have to contact your web hosting provider to bypass some rules for your website.

Wordpress and mod_security2 issues

I must first remind you that I am a COMPLETE IDIOT (no joke) when it comes to computers. Now that that's done â€¦.. here's the situation. I have contributed several posts to the thread â€œFeminism.......and Kaley Cuocoâ€ with no problem. At â€œ08:16 PM Yesterdayâ€ (must be U.S. time because I posted it this morning) I responded to Tude Dog with a short sentence. No problem. Not more than 10 minutes later however I wrote a response to gmc on the same thread, but it wouldn't go. It is now after â€œ03:37 AM Todayâ€ and it still won't go. But as you can see, I can post to any other thread without a hitch.

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:35 am

Here's where I get stuck with inadequate permissions...

### Modsec2 rules v0.6-10 ###

#AKwiecinski / Secteam 25 Sep 2014

## DO NOT MAKE DIRECT MODIFICATIONS TO THIS FILE.

# Changes to this file may be over-written by future upgrades to mod_security rules.

# If you need to whitelist rules, please use /usr/local/apache/conf/modsec2/whitelist.conf

# Custom additional rules may be added to /usr/local/apache/conf/modsec2/custom.conf

# As of mod_security 2.7, all custom rules must include a numeric ID.

# custom.conf and whitelist.conf will not be over-written by future updates to this ruleset.

# Feel free to contact Liquidweb support for assistance with any necessary whitelisting.

# Please put any PCRE settings /usr/local/apache/conf/modsec2/custom.conf.

# PRCE settings are not compatible with all versions of modsec 2.x, so they cannot be set here.

# If you put them here, your changes will be lost with future rule updates.

And here's the discussion I've been following

mod_security Rule execution error - PCRE limits exceeded (-8): (null). - cPanel Forums - Page 2

I'll try looking for a cPanel approach to adding the change.

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:38 am

High Threshold;1471150 wrote: I must first remind you that I am a COMPLETE IDIOT (no joke) when it comes to computers. Now that that's done â€¦.. here's the situation. I have contributed several posts to the thread â€œFeminism.......and Kaley Cuocoâ€ with no problem. At â€œ08:16 PM Yesterdayâ€ (must be U.S. time because I posted it this morning) I responded to Tude Dog with a short sentence. No problem. Not more than 10 minutes later however I wrote a response to gmc on the same thread, but it wouldn't go. It is now after â€œ03:37 AM Todayâ€ and it still won't go. But as you can see, I can post to any other thread without a hitch.

I'm just using this thread to create a permanent record of my attempt to solve the issue. I've seen the error.log entries regarding your post rejections and filed them under ~/jh0901*

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 6:43 am

This is the triggered error log entry, repeated a dozen times, and the resulting apache error 500 error, both of which predictably enough trigger type-500 errors themselves if I try posting them to this thread so I have to post a picture instead:

Attached files

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 7:54 am

- Right. Been back to the thread ........ tried to post my response .... NO GO!

- Made a short reply instead ...... NO PROBLEM!

- Result: Something in my post or about my post is non-publishable. HAL 9000 doesn't like it.

Would you like to analyse the original? It might break the case wide open for future use.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:12 am

High Threshold;1471164 wrote: - Right. Been back to the thread ........ tried to post my response .... NO GO!

- Made a short reply instead ...... NO PROBLEM!

- Result: Something in my post or about my post is non-publishable. HAL 9000 doesn't like it.

Would you like to analyse the original? It might break the case wide open for future use.

Yes please, if you can e-mail me (bryn.mawr@yahoo.co.uk) the text of your failed post then I'll try to isolate the word or phrase that's triggering the error. If I can I'll then e-mail you back a modified wording that you can post.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:14 am

Oh bloody nice. Tried now to include it as an attachment ..... "Invalid File".

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:17 am

Bryn Mawr;1471165 wrote: Yes please, if you can e-mail me (bryn.mawr@yahoo.co.uk) the text of your failed post then I'll try to isolate the word or phrase that's triggering the error. If I can I'll then e-mail you back a modified wording that you can post.

Done.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:27 am

High Threshold;1471168 wrote: Done.

Received - I'm on to it.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:57 am

Bryn Mawr;1471171 wrote: Received - I'm on to it.

I've sent back an amended text that appears to work OK.

This was a very useful example as it proves that it's not just a single word or phrase, its a word in one paragraph that was clashing with a word or phrase in the previous paragraph to cause the error. I could take out the previous paragraph and it would post OK, I could take out the paragraph containing the trigger word and it would post OK but it would not accept both paragraphs together.

I rephrased to second paragraph to take out the trigger word and it goes through OK.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:38 am

Bryn Mawr;1471180 wrote: I've sent back an amended text that appears to work OK.

This was a very useful example as it proves that it's not just a single word or phrase, its a word in one paragraph that was clashing with a word or phrase in the previous paragraph to cause the error. I could take out the previous paragraph and it would post OK, I could take out the paragraph containing the trigger word and it would post OK but it would not accept both paragraphs together.

I rephrased to second paragraph to take out the trigger word and it goes through OK.

Well, you are obviously a genius, but what is the fundamental issue with my text? No profanity. No terrorist-oriented recipe. No political firebrand. How does it work? Is it like the 3rd. word in every paragraph (strung together in reverse) calls for a revolution? And how can avoid making the same "mistake"?

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:39 am

Bryn Mawr;1471180 wrote: I've sent back an amended text that appears to work OK.

This was a very useful example as it proves that it's not just a single word or phrase, its a word in one paragraph that was clashing with a word or phrase in the previous paragraph to cause the error. I could take out the previous paragraph and it would post OK, I could take out the paragraph containing the trigger word and it would post OK but it would not accept both paragraphs together.

I rephrased to second paragraph to take out the trigger word and it goes through OK.
Curious. What happens if it's posted as a single paragraph?

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:41 am

FourPart;1471207 wrote: ... What happens if it's posted as a single paragraph?

The reader would get a migraine.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:59 am

High Threshold;1471206 wrote: Well, you are obviously a genius, but what is the fundamental issue with my text? No profanity. No terrorist-oriented recipe. No political firebrand. How does it work? Is it like the 3rd. word in every paragraph (strung together in reverse) calls for a revolution? And how can avoid making the same "mistake"?

The security module is looking for things like an SQL Insertion Attack so it's looking out for keywords that might be construed as SQL etc.

In this case it was the word argument but that, on its own was not enough to trigger it, it was that word's relationship to something in the previous paragraph.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:59 am

FourPart;1471207 wrote: Curious. What happens if it's posted as a single paragraph?

It goes through OK.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:08 am

Bryn Mawr;1471214 wrote: The security module is looking for things like an SQL Insertion Attack so it's looking out for keywords that might be construed as SQL etc.

In this case it was the word argument but that, on its own was not enough to trigger it, it was that word's relationship to something in the previous paragraph.

Don't keep me in suspense man. Tell me what the other word was and how it might have been construed.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:15 am

High Threshold;1471218 wrote: Don't keep me in suspense man. Tell me what the other word was and how it might have been construed.

I don't know!

I couldn't see anything obvious in there and it will take some time to investigate and that will have to wait until after dinner - we do have to get our priorities right after all

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:23 am

Bryn Mawr;1471219 wrote: I don't know!

I couldn't see anything obvious in there and it will take some time to investigate and that will have to wait until after dinner - we do have to get our priorities right after all

Oh cripes! Yes, if you must!

But no, don't do all of that work for my benefit. Only if you are curious for your own amusement. I am thankful to you for getting it to work. Thank you very much. :yh_worshp:yh_clap

FG-administator · Post by **FG-administator** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:03 pm

Select is invariably suspect, along with Insert, Probe and Lick.

eta: Link. Sorry. Finger trouble.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 12:27 pm

FG;1471222 wrote: Select is invariably suspect, along with Insert, Probe and Lick.

eta: Link. Sorry. Finger trouble.

AMAZING!!! :yh_ooooo:yh_ooooo:yh_ooooo

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 3:31 pm

Probe? Finger Trouble? It makes me wonder what the hell he was posting.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:45 pm

It's happened to me before so now as back up, If I've written a long post, I copy It before posting. If I get the server Issue again, then I change some of the wording.

High Threshold · Post by **High Threshold** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 12:07 am

FourPart;1471252 wrote: Probe? Finger Trouble? It makes me wonder what the hell he was posting.

I am as perplexed as you are. Did I actually use those words? I'll have to check.

Oscar Namechange;1471262 wrote: It's happened to me before so now as back up, If I've written a long post, I copy It before posting. If I get the server Issue again, then I change some of the wording.

Good advice.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sat Jan 10, 2015 3:35 am

I keep meaning to do that, but then only remember the moment I click on the 'Post' button, and am then faced with "Error 500".

It's a bit like the database we use at work. It only has something like a 5 minute timeout on it, due to the sensitive nature of the content, so if an adviser is typing a report into it, then needs to refer to something else on another application, then returns to the database, without realising it they may have timed out whilst in the other application, then completed typing the report, only to find that they'd been timed out in that brief time they were 'away', meaning that everything in that report since the last save is lost. Because of this, some of the advisers have started to type the reports in Word & then paste it into the database which, to all intents & purposes totally nullifies the purpose of the timeout in the first place. It wouldn't be so bad if, like Word, it did an auto save / document recovery so that after logging back in you could carry on from where you left off. Mind you, the database is still in its development stage. It's a Commercial Application, but is tailored to the customers' needs.