Issues with built in cPanel PHP

[cPanelBilly]

If you are having troubles with PHP in cPanel/WHM then run the following:
LINUX
chattr -i /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/etc/php.ini
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/checkphpini

FREEBSD
chflags noschg /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/etc/php.ini
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/checkphpini

This will fix the issues, this is caused by people "chattr +i" or "chflags schg" to the file "/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/etc/php.ini".
We have been told that a number of 3rdparty software vendors are telling people to do this. DO NOT DO THIS. It will break a number of programs including the 3rdparty programs requesting this or doing it on their own.

We recommend never changing a cPanel system file, no matter what any 3rd party vendor tells you. All 3rd party software should be crafted to work around cPanel, and should not change any cPanel files.

If you chattr +i or chflags schg any cPanel system file, we will be unable to provide technical support. Once again we strongly urge all users to never do this.

 

[kosmo]

cPanelBilly/thaphantom,

are you a member of the CPanel support staff? If yes, will you please add my email address (kosmo at netenberg dot com) to the "3rd Party Developers" database so you can notify us directly when such important announcements are made?

I think with our small power we provide additional reason for end users to chose cpanel. There is no reason for important things to be announced through newspapers and I believe that a direct communication would benefit both parties.

By the way, can you elaborate how exactly it will "break a number of programs" (which ones and how???) "including the 3rdparty programs requesting this or doing it on their own" and why exactly you will be unable to provide technical support in such cases?

kosmo

 

[dgbaker]

Hmmm... http://forums.cpanel.net/showpost.php?p=144224&postcount=24

 

[Elikster]

Yup....

I agree with others. What Billy said is kinda of dumb if he don't know what he is saying about the Cpanel itself. Provided if it is just for adding few things into the PHP itself for it to work properly like the SourceGuardian which is required for Fantastico, considering that port 2082 to 2096 is a perl script which goes into CPanel's webserver with it own PHP binary for excuting the webpages and scripts.

Any good system admin can recognize this and say, Billy is full of it,if it is just to add few things for PHP to use for backend functions. So I don't see how it is breaking things when the guidelines that is posted by Fantastico is made specificially made to deal with this issue to make it work.

So Billy, I suggest you step back and rewrite your response on this since it shows how clueless you are when it comes to dealing with the Fantastico issue since it is the way to make it work and you saying it don't.

Updated: Okie..this new checkphpini finally works properly compared to the past versions. So I take that part back for now.

 

[nickn]

Maybe the third party developers should put an effort in to stay up to date with cPanel? I knew about this, and I don't work for cPanel. Fantastico, you make a living off of cPanel, is it that hard to open a ticket and ask them about this? I don't see a big "change" being made here...It's always easier to blame someone else

If the checkphpini did not work in the past, you should have put a ticket in, i did, and well, I know how to fix it.

The /tmp solution was just poor, and Kosmo, you said yourself, you don't know Linux very well. When you put things in /tmp they get erased on reboot at minimum, sometimes more often....

When I base my living off of a product, and without that product, couldn't make a living, I make sure to put an effort to make sure it's the best possible product and I'm familar with all the changes that might affect it....

 

[cPanelNick]

Here is the problem: The latest releases have php 4.3.9. Many people have their php.ini chattr +i and have modules (in fantastico's case sourceguardian) that are for 4.3.8. Once updated to 4.3.9, the module for 4.3.8 was still being loaded based on php.ini which couldn't be modified because of the chattr. In order to provide an unbroken update, we have to chattr it -i.

 

[huffdata]

Since the chattr +i seems to be an issue, why not have cPanel check before/when it updates an set it -i?

 

[StevenC]

Why should cpanel bother? Fantastico is not their software they shouldnt have to give two shits.

 

[huffdata]

Steven, while I agree they shouldn't need to modify their software for the most part; I have seen people set chattr +i for other odd reasons. Seems the damage is already done, so it seems the change would be minimal and if it helps resolve an issue(s) for a large cPanel userbase it can not be that bad right?


Donovan
RootManage.com / Huff Data
http://www.RootManage.com

 

[StevenC]

chattr +i is not supported by cpanel so why should they bother with it? Its not cpanels problem fantastico cannot code something that works correctly.

 

[Sheldon]

Why should cpanel bother? Fantastico is not their software they shouldnt have to give two shits.

I agree ...

 

[cPanelBilly]

cPanelBilly/thaphantom,

are you a member of the CPanel support staff? If yes, will you please add my email address (kosmo at netenberg dot com) to the "3rd Party Developers" database so you can notify us directly when such important announcements are made?

kosmo

I would add you but we do not have a development non-disclosure agreement on file from you.
Please open a support ticket to my attention and I will be more than happy to get this all sorted out for you.


Note from cpaneljosh: Non-disclosure agreements are only requested when a developer needs more advanced development information than the usual level of product development.

 

[SarcNBit]

Why should cpanel bother? Fantastico is not their software they shouldnt have to give two shits.

Seems like it could save them a few support tickets. They remove the immutable properties from other files during updates, so what is the big deal. I would sympathize with your argument more if it was 'cPanel should not be chattr -i any files I set immutable'.

Netenberg may have been the most widely used software package telling cPanel hosts to set this file +i (and people have expressed their concerns about this in their forums), but it does not make it strictly a Fantastico support issue. As huffdata said it might have been for any of a number of 'odd reasons'.

People should keep track of changes they have made to their server configurations, and cPanel should not have to support their changes. Lets be realistic, some 'admins' are going to follow some howto they found online and six months (or six minutes) later are going to forget the steps they performed. When they run into problems updating cPanel they may not even recall using the howto. All they know is that their cPanel is not updating correctly. This will often times end up in cPanels lap. There is no reason why cPanel should not issue a statement saying 'do not set this file +i', but by the same token how difficult would it be to add a few lines of code (to cover all systems) to make sure they don;t have to deal with the support ticket?

 

[cPanelNick]

Since I was a bit vague earlier. We are 'chattr -i'ing the php.ini (the one that is installed by cpanel) so we can install the latest sourceguardian support.

(This is done in 9.9.2+)

 

[[email protected]]

Cpanel has the ability to unchattr the php.ini if they wanted.

The problem with fantastico is that they do not have a dynamic ixed version loading (not sure if thats the correct terms). But yeah in short the problem lies in loading a specific version of loader in php.ini. When Cpanel updates the PHP the loaded ixed files will break because of the incompatible version. chattring the php.ini is not a solution.
Sorry, Ilias. :D

Solution 1: Cpanel notify Ilias whenever there is a change in the Cpanel PHP so he can send a massmail to his users.

Solution 2: Ilias educating his users about the php.ini and SG dynamic loading.
Yeah his product broke on my server too. But knowing how it works allows me to solve the problem within 1 minute. Just do a phpinfo() and find out the correct PHP version and set it to load in php.ini. Ilias should educate his users by explaining the architecture in his manual.
Get a webdesigner or flash animator to animate the process if possible. :D
Well, it is not a foolproof solution because people nowadays just don't read the manual.

Thelinuxguy, it is not true that Cpanel doesn't give a **** about Fantastico.
They included the integration tags in x skin itself. Cpanel is so popular because of their excellent architecture to support third party developers. They provide excellent support too.
My support tickets regarding third party development issues are always handled in a prompt and professional way. OK, enough ass kissing. :D . But honestly, thats what I think of Cpanel.

Although I agree that CpanelBilly is clueless about servers/linux/PHP :D (judging from his previous posts), I do agree with him that php.ini should not be modified. My product is guilty of that too but I am spending one week to rewrite it so we don't have to mess around with php.ini.

Moral of the story:Cpanel's php.ini should be left unchattred.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[ThunderHostingDotCom]

Can't we all just get along?

 

[[email protected]]

Well it is human nature to get into conflicts.
Have you found any history book that doesn't cover the topic of wars?
:D

 

[ThunderHostingDotCom]

Yes I have & I love boxing, football & even served in the Army so I find wars thrilling also.