my 1.5.3 sites refuse to install any extensions

[ilox]

I don't get this. I have set up the sites on my VPS. Had no problems with any of the installations. As soon as I try to install any extension, doesn't matter what, it fails.
I have tried installation from a Directory. Fails.
Tried installing different products, all fail.

Tried searching for this problem, I have been here for long enough to know that Searching is the first step to resolving the problem. Found lots and lots of reports, a few even had been answered with suggested fixes, nothing that gave me any workable answer. Some say set the FTP up in the Global Config. I did. Still Failures. Some say remove the FTP, you don't need it. I did. Failures.

The VPS is running on a Centos system and managed through CPanel WHM. All have been brought up to date.
WHM 11.23.0 cPanel 11.23.1-C24255
CENTOS Enterprise 4.6 i686 on xen - WHM X v3.1.0

Each site has an upload of Joomla 1.5.3 running in the public_html/cms/ folder. Redirection is through a Rewrite command in .htaccess.

Oh yes, the error messages. Sometimes I get specific messages but most times it is this one when uploading a zippped extension:
* Warning! - Failed to move file

Installing from a directory such as /public_html/cms/tmp/com_mtwmigrator
gives this message: Please enter a package directory

What other settings do you want to know to help me track down this extremely frustrating problem?

[ilox]

I don't get it. Over 29 people have read this file but nobody has any answers for me? Come friends, this problem has been around the traps for many months and in many versions but it still appears so perhaps all the claims of it being fixed are not true for every instance?

Well what else am I meant to believe?

• To the best of my knowledge the server is set up properly.
• To the best of my knowledge everything in Administration Global Config has been done correctly.
• To the best of my knowledge FTP is activated. Open_furl (or whatever the term is) is set On. FTP is all in place and working.

What else should I check?
What other information would help you make a guess at the problem?
How do I make all my 1.5 sites work properly?

I have again tried install it manually. I shift it to the Admin component folders, nothing shows. I shift it to the component folder, nothing shows.

I try to intall it using the folder method.
Folder to install from: /public_html/cms/tmp/com_mtwmigrator/
Result: Please enter a package directory.

I just gave the silly thing a package directory, what else is it looking for?

There has to be an answer to this, please help me find it.

[i-link]

Hi.

I ran into a similar problem when I was installing Virtuemart on my Joomla 1.5.3. I do not know what causes the problem but I found out that under the installation Joomla(or something else) failed to uncompress two .tar.gz files inside the zip file (admin_files.tar.gz and frontend_files.tar.gz).

My solution was to manually uncompress the files and upload them to the correct folders. The Virtuemart is now working fine.
I should mention that the installation of the Virtuemart component seemed to be OK. It was when I started the last step to set up Virtuemart the error occurred. (Virtuemart is first installed as a component from the zip file - then you get to a set up page when entering Virtuemart the first time.)

I do also use the .htaccess file to turn off register_globals and safe mode.

I hope this could be to any help for you even though my problem not is identical with yours. I have installed other extensions and languages without problem.

- Jon P

[ilox]

Thanks for responding Jon, I have wondered about the zipping but at present I don't know of a way to prove if it is or isn't working. I have turned it on in Global Config, thats about all I can do.

I don't have to worry about setting globals off or other parameters in my .htaccess file, I have root access to the VPS so I can be sure that at least these values are set properly.

[Jim the Chin]

Hi Ilox, I feel your pain.

I'm having the same problems as you are and I'm now hanging fire on installing any more Joomlas until I'm confident this won't happen any more. It first happened on a recent installation of 1.5.3 where I'd installed in a subdomain and thought it would be okay when the site progressed to 'top' level ... but it's not okay. Then I went back and looked at some other sites and I find I can't install extensions in (some) 1.5.2, 1.5.1 and 1.5.0 sites, but some are okay.

My hosts handle (very well for me) all things like permissions and they are very cautious since an attack (via one of my Joomla sites) showed serious vulnerability; I trust that things are set up suitably is what I'm trying to say.

I've noticed a difference in the configuration.php file which may be relevant; on one of the 'not working' sites the path to tmp has /home in front of it (var $tmp_path = '/home/www/b/site.co.uk/web/tmp';), whereas a 'working' (coltishall) doesn't (var $tmp_path = '/www/c/site.co.uk/web/tmp';). I wonder if this is significant ... when I remove the /home bit and attempt to install a component I get a different error message.

We can only assume there's plenty of folks out there who are installing stuff without problems so do we conclude it's down to our servers, or what?

I tried posting on another board after getting no response here and my post was removed. To install extensions is very much a key feature of using Joomla and without it I'm stumped. I'm also stumped as to where to go for help now.

Any suggestions, please, anyone?

[ilox]

Jim, that brings up an interesting point. When you create a site in 1.5.3 the Config file isn't written, instead you are given the text to be pasted into a new configuration.php file. Later you update this file through Global configuration. Any resemblance between the file you started with, and the file once it has gone through Global Config is mostly a matter of having the same name. A number of parameters have changed, their location in the file has changed and the whole look of the file has changed. Not sure why this should be, perhaps the Installation routine hasn't been update with the same parameters as the Global Config writes?

Anyway, today I was taken through the process to sore out what the FTP section requires. I could not do this in Global Configuration as there is a bug in there that keeps trying to tell me that I am changing the password of a user. No, I was setting up the values to have the base username and password as that is the account that has the right to change files and folders. So I had to give up using the broken GUI and set it up in the configuration.php file through my text editor, NoteTab Pro ( http://www.notetab.com ).

The final outcome looks something like this:
var $ftp_enable = '1'; 1 for enabled, 0 for disabled
var $ftp_host = '127.0.0.1'; this sets it to localhost
var $ftp_port = '21'; this is standard
var $ftp_user = 'base_username'; this user is the same one you log into your CPanel etc with
var $ftp_pass = 'password_here';
var $ftp_root = ''; The default recognises where Joomla is installed so I was told to leave this blank

Now, you might think that has it all resolved. No such luck but at least I am not getting rude red writing across the screen. Now it just says that "Unable to find install package". Why? What do I have to do to tell it where to put things and find things?

Folks, take note, this is BROKEN. It needs fixing not more faffing around.

[karangupta47]

I had the same problem in my joomla 1.5.2 .. People respond but still cannot install the extension ..

do you people resolved it ..

[ilox]

I had the same problem in my joomla 1.5.2 .. People respond but still cannot install the extension .. do you people resolved it ..

Nope, I have tried most of the suggestions that I have read from researching this Forum. It really gets my goat when I see messages that say the problem has been resolved. If it had been resolved would we be crying out for help right now?

The problem has been there for a long time. Only some people get hit by it. Nothing gets resolved.

I have been doing some research, here are just some of the threads that cover the same problem. Note that one thread talks about this problem showing up in 1.5.0 beta dated 2007!!

So, just for the record, here is my diagnostic information as requested:
Problem Description:
Unable to Install any Extensions.
Diagnostic Information
Joomla! Version: Joomla! 1.5.3 Production/Stable [ Vahi ] 22-April-2008 22:00 GMT
configuration.php: Not Writable (Mode: 644 ) | RG_EMULATION: N/A
Architecture/Platform: Linux 2.6.18-53.1.6.el5xen ( i686) |
Web Server: Apache/2.0.63 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.0.63 OpenSSL/0.9.7a mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 PHP/5.2.5 ( ios.loxtonfamily.info ) |
PHP Version: 5.2.5
PHP Requirements: register_globals: Disabled | magic_quotes_gpc: Enabled | safe_mode: Disabled | MySQL Support: Yes | XML Support: Yes | zlib Support: Yes
mbstring Support (1.5): No | iconv Support (1.5): Yes | save.session_path: Not Writable | Max.Execution Time: 30 seconds | File Uploads: Enabled

MySQL Version: 4.1.22-standard ( Localhost via UNIX socket )

Extended Information:
SEF: Enabled (with ReWrite) | FTP Layer: Enabled | htaccess: Implemented
PHP/suExec: User and Web Server accounts are not the same. (PHP/suExec probably not installed)
PHP Environment: API: apache2handler | MySQLi: No | Max. Memory: 32M | Max. Upload Size: 8M | Max. Post Size: 8M | Max. Input Time: 60 | Zend Version: 2.2.0
Disabled Functions:

MySQL Client: 4.1.22 ( latin1 )

and here are some of the other threads;
http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=232465
http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f=470&t=291453

I think you'll find that this is a file/folder "permissions" issue and will be due to your server setup. You may need to temporarily chmod777 the necessary target folders for the installation (the error message will tell you which folder is the problem).
-------------------->
Unfortunately the error doesn't give the folder location that the perms need to be changed on - how do you go about finding it?

http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f=199&t=223206
-------------------->
by reddevil4 on 16 October 2007, 04:09:10

for Dirk 67 or anyone who has this problem:
Well, after a lot of tries, I installed sobi2 today.
My error was in the Extension Manager Install form, in the "Install from Directory" field I completed it with a relative path ("com_sobi2-RC2.8.6/") and it must be absolute like: /home/greenforgood/public_html/administrator/com_sobi2-RC2.8.6/

-------------------->
http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f=428&t=278030

It seems as one cache-folder was unwritable before, so now everything in Help->System Info is writable.
When I now try to upload the folder a new error message appears instead; "Unable to write entry ".
But people in the Norweigan section said this could depend on what Webhotel you had. Is it dependent on the host, then I can't figure what I should change.

So now I need to check the red entries in the description and also follow up on the cache folder and permissions.

And for the others who are wondering how to provide such detailed information...
check viewtopic.php?f=428&t=272481 how to provide more info.

[karangupta47]

I tried all but nothing improves

[ilox]

I have checked up my root settings. I found that the only PHP handler installed is dso which creates the dreaded 'nobody' 99' file ownership problem. I need to install the module for Suhp which sets ownership to the owner of the site (AFAIK). SuEXEC has been installed but that is within Apache, I need to have PHP/suExec installed as well. Once those are in place then perhaps this problem might be under control. Well maybe.

[ilox]

Mine is FIXED! thanks to my mentor helping add PHP/SuExec support and adding the Suhp PHP Handler to my system. Not sure what else has been done so first off here is my updated diagnostics report:
Problem Description:
Refuses to install any extensions

Diagnostic Information
Joomla! Version: Joomla! 1.5.3 Production/Stable [ Vahi ] 22-April-2008 22:00 GMT
configuration.php: Writable (Mode: 644 ) | RG_EMULATION: N/A
Architecture/Platform: Linux 2.6.18-53.1.6.el5xen ( i686) | Web Server: Apache/2.0.63 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.0.63 OpenSSL/0.9.7a mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 ( ios.loxtonfamily.info ) | PHP Version: 5.2.5
PHP Requirements: register_globals: Disabled | magic_quotes_gpc: Enabled | safe_mode: Disabled | MySQL Support: Yes | XML Support: Yes | zlib Support: Yes
mbstring Support (1.5): No | iconv Support (1.5): Yes | save.session_path: Not Writable | Max.Execution Time: 30 seconds | File Uploads: Enabled
MySQL Version: 4.1.22-standard ( Localhost via UNIX socket )

Extended Information:
SEF: Disabled (without ReWrite) | FTP Layer: Disabled | htaccess: Implemented
PHP/suExec: User and Web Server accounts are the same. (PHP/suExec probably installed)
PHP Environment: API: cgi | MySQLi: No | Max. Memory: 32M | Max. Upload Size: 8M | Max. Post Size: 8M | Max. Input Time: 60 | Zend Version: 2.2.0

Disabled Functions:

MySQL Client: 4.1.22 ( latin1 )

And, for comparisons, here is my configuration.php file;

Code: Select all

<?php
class JConfig {
	var $legacy = 0;									var $offline = '0';
	var $editor = 'tinymce';							var $list_limit = '50';
	var $helpurl = 'http://help.joomla.org';			var $debug = '0';
	var $debug_lang = '0';								var $sef = '0';
	var $sef_rewrite = '0';								var $sef_suffix = '0';
	var $feed_limit = '10';								var $secret = 'password';
	var $gzip = '0';									var $error_reporting = '-1';
	var $xmlrpc_server = '0';
	var $log_path = '/home/domain/public_html/cms/logs';
	var $tmp_path = '/home/domain/public_html/cms/tmp';
	var $live_site = 'http://my.domain.info/cms';
	var $offset = '-5';									var $caching = '0';
	var $cachetime = '15';								var $cache_handler = 'file';
	var $memcache_settings = array();					var $ftp_enable = '0';
	var $ftp_host = '127.0.0.1';						var $ftp_port = '21';
	var $ftp_user = 'domain';							var $ftp_pass = 'password';
	var $ftp_root = '';									var $dbtype = 'mysql';
	var $host = 'localhost';							var $user = 'domain_db';
	var $db = 'domain_db';								var $dbprefix = 'jos_';
	var $mailer = 'mail';								var $mailfrom = '[email protected]';
	var $fromname = 'Administrator';					var $sendmail = '/usr/sbin/sendmail';
	var $smtpauth = '0';								var $smtpuser = '';
	var $smtppass = '';									var $smtphost = 'localhost';
	var $MetaAuthor = '1';								var $MetaTitle = '1';
	var $lifetime = '15';								var $session_handler = 'database';
	var $password = 'password';							var $sitename = 'my domain';
	var $MetaDesc = '';									var $MetaKeys = '';
	var $offline_message = 'This site is down for maintenance. Please check back again soon.';
}
?>

And I have so far had no problems installing components, extensions, plugins etc.
I don't really want to say that this has been solved because changing your PHP configuration isn't open to everybody and therefore the real cause of the problem needs to be found. When is this problem/bug going to get the serious attention of the Development Team so they can tell us what is wrong and how to fix it for those who cant rebuild their PHP?

[Jim the Chin]

Pleased to hear your success, Ilox. Good news.

Must confess that although your posts are clear and concise, a lot of the terms and techniques you mention go way over my head. As I'm still at a loss as to what to do to get extensions installed, would you please suggest where I should start to implement your solution?

[ilox]

Sorry for the 'techno' bits, I try to keep them out of it but to work within Linux servers and within the setup you need to have a little bit of background in what a server is all about. And some of the things that I have done, or had done for me, are way beyond what a user of a web space would be allowed to have access to.
That's why I say that it is fixed for me but my route was outside of what a regular web site owner would be able to do. We still need the gurus to drop by and fix this thing so that extraordinary steps have to be taken to make the software useful. At the moment I consider the stuff I have done/had done is extraordinary to normal operations.

What I might suggest as a starter is to take a copy of your configuration.php file and store it under a different name (old_config.txt is just one example) then look through your configuration.php file and see if you can make your settings match mine. Where you see domain or password then add in your own details. The account used to register for FTP is normally the account name and password that you use to log into the CPanel, lxadmin or whatever site management software that your web site offers.

Maybe that will be enough to get yourself working.

[Jim the Chin]

Thanks again. Tried that but still no luck. I'm trying this line now - viewtopic.php?f=429&t=276318

[Jooming]

Hi,

I can't believe I found a post that speaks of the exact same problem I am experiencing as of today!

I installed Joomla! 1.5.2 a couple of months ago and started building a site for a client. Everything worked great until this morning. I tried installing the Joomlashack Flash Rotator through the back-end and was met with an error that read: " Warning! - Failed to move file". I tried it again after clearing the cache, but got the same warning.

I thought that it was just some temporary problem... so I logged out of the back-end and then saw something I wasn't prepared for! The site was gone! The admin login page was gone! Everything was gone!!!

All that showed up in my browser window was a typed message that read something on the order of: "Cannot find the website; exiting...". What??? I couldn't believe this happened after everything I have had to go through to develop this website!

I FTP'd into the web directory using Filezilla, only to find that my configuration file was completely blank! luckily, I had recently done a backup of the site and had a recent version of the config file. I tried uploading it via Filezilla, but the server would not let it stick. I thought that maybe the file date was the problem, so I saved the file back to my machine to give it a more recent date and tried uploading it again. No luck!

I then contacted my host and he was able to fix things because he could replace the config file directly on the server. I thought that everything was fine! So, I tried to install the extension again and it broke the site again! Fortunately, I still had my host on the phone and he fixed it again. I then tried to search Google for this problem and I came upon a post that spoke about the internal FTP configuration. I went to check mine in Globals and found that the root path was wrong. I went in and changed it and when I tried to save the change, Joomla asked me if I wanted to save my password??? I didn't know what that was about so I clicked cancel. As soon as I did that, the site broke again!!!

I had my host on the phone at that moment, and so he fixed it again. He tried changing the FTP path directly on the server, but as soon as he saved it, the site broke again! He again fixed it. He explained to me that everything was setup properly on the server and that there was little he could do beyond what he had already done. I was just so very pleased that he got my site back in one piece!!

Unfortunately now though, I can no longer install ANY extensions into the back-end! If I knew how to install extensions manually through file manager or filezilla, I would gladly do that... but some of them are more complicated then others and need to be installed into several folders to work properly.

I don't know what I am going to do here! I have 5 days to complete this clients site! I am glad to hear that some of you have solved your issues, but I'm afraid that the solutions you found were not right for my situation.

Please help!!! I don't know what else to do!

[Jooming]

My gut tells me that I should backup my template (which I built from scratch) and delete the entire Joomla! install along with the database and start all over again. Believe me, I don't want to have to do this... I just don't know what else to do. If I can't ever again install extensions, and if my client can't author the site from the front-end or the back-end, it kind of defeats the whole purpose behind having a dynamic website!

I have checked out some other posts here that somewhat relate to my problem, but nothing specifically speaks to it. Starting all over again will be a lot of work to get everything back to where I had it, but what choice do I have?

Anyone??? I know there are lots of "very experienced" Joomla! experts on this forum. I sure can use some good advice right about now. I hope to hear from you!

Thanks,
Bill

[Jim the Chin]

Hi Bill

I'm no Joomla expert but, for what it's worth, experience has taught me to value those gut feelings. I'm at a similar place to you with this issue and fear the worst, which is that I have to ditch the site which won't work and start again with an old version. Hardly satisfactory but like you say, what can we do?

What puzzles me most about this issue is that I have some sites which work (ie allow extensions to be installed) ) and some which don't. The server settings haven't been altered ... my tiny expertise in that department means I leave that well alone. So what gives? Is it Joomla or is it server?

[ilox]

Jim, I have no idea but I think it is about time a guru or two piped up and let us into the secret of what the problem is and what the real cure for it is. You cant expect everybody to have root access to their sites like I do, and that's the only thing that allowed my site to get fixed.

[Jooming]

Hi guys!

Thanks so much for responding! I am going to be contacting my client today and asking if they would mind waiting a while longer to get their completed site. It seems like a lot to ask of them since they have been waiting so long already, but I don't want to supply them with a broken website.

The strange thing about this whole matter is that going into it, I had chosen to keep my extensions to a great minimum, knowing that the more you deviate from the Joomla! core, the more can go wrong. With that said, I have only two additional extensions currently installed. The reason I chose to load the Flash Rotator was because the client wanted a custom Flash transition on the Front Page. I built them a Flash movie from scratch in Flash, but was unable to install it on the site. The thing is, even if I had wanted to install more extensions, the Joomla! core "should " be able to deal with it!

So, I guess I'm with you Jim. I will have to uninstall and start over again. To think that one of the only reasons I went with Joomla! in the first place, as opposed to building a CMS from scratch, was simply to save time and headaches. Mmmmm... so much for that!

Just for the record, here is my diagnostic info:

Server Information
PHP Built on: Linux server22.h-sphere.net 2.6.9-67.0.7.ELsmp #1 SMP Wed Feb 27 04:48:20 EST 2008 i686
Database Version: 5.0.51-log
Database Collation: utf8_general_ci
PHP Version: 5.2.5
Web Server: Apache/1.3.41 (Unix) PHP/5.2.5 mod_throttle/3.1.2 mod_psoft_traffic/0.2 mod_ssl/2.8.31 OpenSSL/0.9.7a
Web Server to PHP interface: apache
Joomla! Version: Joomla! 1.5.2 Production/Stable [ Woi ] 22-March-2008 22:00 GMT

PHP Settings
Safe Mode: Off Open basedir: None Display Errors: Off Short Open Tags: On File Uploads: On Magic Quotes: On Register Globals: Off Output Buffering: Off Session Save Path: None Session Auto Start: 0 XML Enabled: Yes Zlib Enabled: Yes Disabled Functions: None Mbstring Enabled: Yes Iconv Available: Yes WYSIWYG Editor: Editor - JCE 1.5.0

Directory Permissions
administrator/backups/ Writable
administrator/components/ Writable
administrator/language/ Writable
administrator/language/en-GB/ Writable
administrator/modules/ Writable
administrator/templates/ Writable
components/ Writable
images/ Writable
images/banners/ Writable
images/ Writable
language/ Writable
language/en-GB/ Writable
language/pdf_fonts/ Writable
modules/ Writable
plugins/ Writable
plugins/content/ Writable
plugins/editors/ Writable
plugins/editors-xtd/ Writable
plugins/search/ Writable
plugins/system/ Writable
plugins/user/ Writable
plugins/xmlrpc/ Writable
tmp/ Writable
templates/ Writable
Cache Directory Writable
Cache Directory Writable

I would post my FTP configuration settings, but unfortunately, I cannot access Global Configuration without the site breaking again. I wish that someone from Joomla! would seriously take a hard look at this problem because it obviously affects more then just myself. I hope that this does not happen again if I do start all over. That would be an absolute nightmare and I don't think my client will understand if I experience the same thing twice!

Jim, if I may ask, why do you have to revert back to an older version? Wouldn't that just multiply the problems? Or, is the older version less likely to do what 1.5.2/1.5.3 has done?

Thanks,
Bill

[Jim the Chin]

Bill, I'd revert to an older version only because I have sites where there's no problems with those versions. If you're reinstalling 1.5.3 I don't see why you won't hit the same problem.

Incidentally, if all you need is a flash transition, I've used monoslideshow http://www.monoslideshow.com/ on Joomla sites and it works fine, customisable, has great transitions and possible for your client to change images. Just a thought.

[Jim the Chin]

I've had some success ... after enabling ftp and modifying the path as suggested, I've got some extensions to install but still I get error messages such as "JFTP::store: Bad response Warning! - Failed to move file" and messages saying that the folder already exists so couldn't be written. So, I'm almost there!

[Jooming]

Hi Jim,

I was getting that exact warning: "JFTP::store: Bad response Warning! - Failed to move file" yesterday. I haven't even tried to install any extensions since the last break because I know it will break again and I can't fix it without my host. I also cannot update the FTP settings for the same reason.

My host told me today that he himself does not like Joomla! 1.5.x. He swears by Joomla! 1.0.x and says that 1.5 has not been around long enough to work out all of the bugs. I would like to take his advise and install the old version, but, what happens when Joomla! stops supporting it? I am building another CMS right now for a Real Estate client of mine and in that case I "had" to install the old version due to lack of Real Estate Apps. available for 1.5. I'm just very concerned about the future and don't want to have to update those sites by necessity later on. Hard to get the client to cover the costs of such an upgrade.

I will look into the mono slide show option. Is that Flash or JavaScript based? I prefer Flash because it is much smoother transition wise. But, at this point, I can't load either anyway until I start all over again.

Thanks again,
Bill

[gpspigeon]

Initially I set up a local system on a windows host machine to test a component I wanted to use. Everything went fine with the component loading as planned. When I went through a similar process on my linux servers to install the same component on two separate machines I encounted exactly the problem described on this forum.

The solution in my case was this.
Go to Site>>Global Configuration>>System>>System Settings and ensure that the "yes" button is active to "Enable Web Services. (This should be the default setting according to the documentation however this was not the case on my system.) The first of my two implementations now sprang into life. I had to enable the legacy plugin required by the component before I could install the component but once I had done so the installation was immediately successful.

When I tried the same process on my second system I again received errors. I checked for configuration differences between my two systems and soon homed in on the Server settings for FTP.

Goto Site>>Global Configuration>>Server>>FTP Settings....
Enable FTP "Yes" active
FTP Host 127.0.0.1
FTP Port 21
FTP Username.. I had to remove an entry and leave it blank
FTP Password.. I had to remove an entry and leave it blank
FTP Root.. The installation programme had correctly configured this for me so I left it unchanged.

After both of my systems were configured this way they both sprang into life..

I hope this helps to solve your problems.

Good luck

[gpspigeon]

Now that I have successfully installed a couple of components I have been fortunate in that one includes some diagnostic software which checks the running environment and reports on problems with configuration.

The root cause of the problem appears to be that during operation temporary files get written to /tmp which if I check in Joomla the directory get reported as writeable. The problem is that the diagnostic software for the installed component says that /tmp is not writeable at all and this causes a fatal error with my installed component. The Joomla software itself produces error messages that support the component diagnostic software.

I have direct access to the server so I manually configured /tmp to have all possible permissions enabled (permissions 777) so that all read write and execute functions were enabled for all parties. In spite of this the diagnostic software still reports not writeable and Joomla error messages agree. I simply do not understand why this happens but I do believe much of the current problem is related to the ability to successfully read and write /tmp/??? files

[Jooming]

Hi gpspigeon,

When I started, I read somewhere that certain components needed to have Web Services enabled. So I enabled that immediately - no problem. I had also setup the FTP layer during install. I never enabled legacy mode because I planned on using all native components. Everything worked perfectly right out of the box, except I noticed a strange behavior that occurred right away. Every time I accessed Global Configuration to check on my adjustments, when trying to leave that area, I dialog box popped up asking me if I wanted to save my password?? I never knew what that was about, so I would just click cancel and it would save my settings and let me out of there.

My problem started after 2.5 months of work when I tried to install a component (which until that point I had no problem doing), and I got the following message:

"JFTP::store: Bad response Warning!
Failed to move file"

This repeated itself two or three times and I couldn't find the problem. When I finally logged out, it completely wiped out my website!! I was later able to recover it, however.

I checked the configuration.php file to find out it contained no data. At that point I tried to install a backup of the config file over the one in the root, but each time I tried... the server immediately reset it back to 0. It was like Joomla! kept on rewriting it by itself in real time.

My host was able to access the config file and change my settings back. Apparently, it had also changed the destination of my site in the FTP layer, which was originally placed in a folder called "joomla" in my root directory. It changed it to the root instead.

More has happened since, but this is where (at least in my case) the problem seems to reside:

• The FTP Layer in Global Configuration: I read somewhere on this forum that it should be turned off. I would attempt that, but every time I access Global Config, my site disappears!

• I can no longer install any extensions and if I do, my site disappears.

• I am not in or using Legacy mode and that var attribute is not even mentioned in configuration.php.

• All of the required files and folders have the correct permissions set, but still won't work

I also saw somewhere a post talking about the tmp file, as you mention. My permissions there are now set to 755. I tried changing that to 777, but I still cannot install extensions. I also do not feel good about having any files or folders set to 777. This is just leaving myself wide open for trouble. I can see doing it temporarily if that's what it takes to install something, but it doesn't work in my case anyway.

I really appreciate your help and suggestions... I just wish that they worked for me. The more I read on this forum about this problem, the more I can see that it affects everyone in a slightly different manner. That is probably why there is no one solid solution yet.

Currently I am trying to install backups of my DB and Joomla! install. If that works, I will try and turn-off the FTP layer. Again, I don't know if that will do anything at all. I am glad however, that you have seemed to find the answer for yourself. I wish that it was that clear-cut for me too!

Thanks,
Bill

[gpspigeon]

Bill, I really feel for you and also the others experiencing these difficulties. Even though I am able to run the particular component I have installed I know that gremlins are just beneath the surface. I get inconsistent error messages and have problems with FTP. Because I have direct access to the server, (it's only an armlength away) I am able to circumvent FTP completely by accessing things over a local network a luxury not available to everyone. It's not a fix but a work-around for my situation.

Your problems seem very strange. Initially you were able to install components and modules and after some time (2.5months) it has all fallen in a heap. I cannot help but feel that something has gone astray to corrupt/compromise things.

I am sorry not to have been of greater assistance. Joomla is a fantastic tool however there appear to be some very serious wrinkles yet to be ironed out. For now my sytem seems to operate reliably on the front end however I am very cautious about trying to change things in the backend.

While fiddling with permissions on my /tmp folder all articles disappeared and the system reported an internal server error. Once the permissions were something Joomla was happy with my articles returned. This sugests that /tmp must be writeable even though the diagnostic software mention in my previous post said otherwise. Maybe this is a clue for someone closer to the underlying code to assist in finding a gremlin or two.

[Jooming]

gpspigeon, Instead of reinstalling from backups, as I said I would try in my last post, I have been spending hours on end reading similar posts in this forum. There are literally dozens and dozens of people who are experiencing this same exact problem, and have been since the middle of last year! But, try as I might, I have not run across ANYONE with the BIG solution.

Yes, it is true that several people have figured out (to some extent) how to fix their problem... but most have not. I cannot believe that on such a large forum, there are no answers for this?? My situation is far from an isolated incident. The only differences that I can see from one person to another, is that they all have slight differences in their platforms, options, servers, etc., but still all have the same core problem: "They cannot install extensions!"

You have mentioned the tmp file a couple of times now and I agree, I believe that is where the problem originates. I've noticed that the tmp folder on my installation "still" contains ALL of the empty zip folders from extensions I have previously installed. Is this normal? When you install software on a computer, it is always wise to empty the setup files from the temp folder. Why would this be any different? What good are those folders to Joomla! if they are all empty?

The more I search for an answer to this, the more questions I seem to find! I know one thing for sure though... everyone of the threads that discuss this problem are absolutely filled with individuals begging for the core Joomla team to help them, but have gotten no response whatsoever. I must say that after spending the better part of a week trying to find the solution myself, I can feel their pain. If I can't fix this soon, I will have to abandon this whole project and return my client their money.

[Jooming]

Jim;
gpspigeon;

Do either of you guys have any experience with Mambo or Drupal? I haven't tried either one of these, but started looking into them seriously today. Do you have any info on them (good or bad) I should know about? I need to find a good CMS for my existing client. After spending almost three months now with Joomla!, I cannot afford any more downtime. I have several more CMS websites to build for other clients in the next few months and I need to find a reliable CMS.

If you have any knowledge of these, please let me know.

Thanks!
Bill

[Jim the Chin]

Bill, I can't help you with Drupal or Mambo I'm afraid. .net magazine has an article about choosing a free CMS in the current issue (ISSUE 177). I hear (my trusted hosts recommend) textpattern is worth considering too

[Jooming]

Thanks Jim! I appreciate your quick response! I will definitely look into that article you mentioned. After all the reading I have done in recent weeks, I've never even heard of textpattern?? I'll have to look into that one as well.

It must be obvious to you that I seriously need to fix this problem ASAP, since I am working on the weekend to try and find a solution! I am so very eager to get this site completed so I can move on with my other work... it's just so frustrating to be stuck and not have any way to move forward. I had really wanted to work with Joomla because I believed it would actually be fun setting things up! Unfortunately, things didn't work out as I thought they would.

Thanks again Jim! I hope you have found solutions for the issues you had and good luck to you in the future!

Bill