Help! Cannot install 1.5 RC4 - Error 500

[bradleyphillip]

Hi, all

I'm interested in installing EE 1.5 RC4, but after carefully following Pekka's CLEAN INSTALL instructions, I get an error 500 when pointing my browser at my test site's full_15rc4.php file. (http://www.gibsononline.net/gallery/rc4_installers/full_15rc4.php)

Immediately, I get:
500 Server Error
The web server encountered an error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request. If this error persists, please contact the webmaster, and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

Yes, I've checked and rechecked both my folder permissions and my connect.php database credentials. Both are correct.

Perhaps my webspace provider is not providing the right version of some tool? Is there a utility I can run to verify I have everything I need to do the install?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide,
-brad

[picman]

I don't think this is an EE issue, after typing 'http://www.gibsononline.net/' into my browser I get the following message;

"Fatal error: Table 'gibsononlinedb.variable' doesn't exist query: SELECT * FROM variable in /home/gibsonon/www/www/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 69"

You may need to speak to your service provider.

Picman

[UncleDoug]

Could this be related to MySQL set-up????

[Pekka]

Yes this looks like a big server config error. Does not look like even PHP runs, because you get the same error on e.g. http://www.gibsononline.net/gallery/index.php

Fatal error: Table 'gibsononlinedb.variable' doesn't exist query: SELECT * FROM variable in /home/gibsonon/www/www/includes/database.mysql.inc on line 69

is not EE error at all, the error would suggest there is no database installed at all. Only server admin can check this out and make a working PHP/MySQL installation.

And before you try again, rename your installer folder to something else to avoid someone else running clean install after you get it to work. PM me if you need me to verify anything from URL on your site.

[bradleyphillip]

Thanks, guys.

Picman, I nuked my mysql database to see if having tables from other content management systems was the problem. The error you're getting when you go to the gibsononline.net root URL is code from the Drupal content management system complaining its database has been wiped out. (Which I did deliberatly). It's not EE, nor is it a problem with the EE install.

Whether I run .../full15rc4.php or .../index.php from the EE installation, I just get the error 500... Strange thing is, I have run Mambo, Drupal, and PHPNuke CMS's (all use MySQL back-end) with this account.

PHP is running, because I can create a php file and execute it by pointing my browser at it-- for example <?php phpinfo() ?> works just fine...

If anyone has any other thoughts or suggestions, please let me know... I'm running low on ideas... :(

-brad

[bradleyphillip]

Update--

The issue seems to have at least something to do with folder permissions. I wrote a simple phpinfo() script, and it ran fine in the gallery folder, but refused to run in the gallery/rc4_installer folder. The only difference I could find was the folder permissions. When I chmoded the rc4_installer folder to 775, the script inside it would then run.

So I changed all my folders under gallery to 775 (find . -name "*" -type d -exec chmod 775 "{}" \;) just to see if that would fix the problem. The ...full15rc4.php script took longer to run this time, but eventually returned the dreaded error 500 once again.

There are still no tables in the database.

-brad

[bradleyphillip]

Thanks Warren.

Yes, as I mentioned above, I've wiped out my MySQL database and started it from scratch. I have verified that it is working with phpMyAdmin.

At Pekka's suggestion I verified that PHP was functioning by creating the phpinfo() script. I knew there was a problem when it would only execute from certain folders (presumably a security policy with my webspace provider). I made sure that the folders that Pekka's instructions call out were put back to 777.

I have followed the clean install directions a few times now, but no dice--something must be different with my webspace provider's configuration. I just have no way of knowing what the culprit might be..........

Thanks for the help!
-brad

[Pekka]

At Pekka's suggestion I verified that PHP was functioning by creating the phpinfo() script. I knew there was a problem when it would only execute from certain folders (presumably a security policy with my webspace provider). I made sure that the folders that Pekka's instructions call out were put back to 777.

Those 777 folder permissions are need for a running installation of EE, installer does not require them. If you can only run php from certain folders then you should go to shell (in you have UNIX server, hopefully you have shell access) and go to your www root, there give command

ls -la

which gets you a directory listing with users and groups. If you can run a PHP script (with phpinfo()) in certain folder only, check the user and group for the folder and change your gallery folder to same user and group. You can change users with

chown -R newusername /gallery

and usergroups with

chgrp -R newgroupname /gallery

(above commands apply to whole folder structure inside folder /gallery ).

First step is to get simple phpinfo() work, then see from it that PHP has MySQL installed, then you can get somewhere... :)

[bradleyphillip]

Success!!

Pekka took a look at the account and found that the .php script permissions needed to be set to 755 (seven-five-five) to execute properly. Executing a chmod -R 755 *.php in each of the EE installation folders fixed the problem, and EE installed itself without a hitch.

Thanks so much Pekka! I really appreciate your help!
-brad