Godaddy Install 500 error

First, I didn't choose Godaddy for this site and no the client won't move to another host. So now that's out of the way.

I'm trying to use the Modx install.php script on a shiny new Godaddy account. I upload the script, run the install, select 2.5.0, a few moments later I get a 500 server error. The server is running PHP 5.4

I know if I call their tech support they'll tell me they don't support custom code and the problem is in the PHP script not their server.

Any suggestions?

It's highly unlikely that MODX (Revolution) will run without problems on a GoDaddy shared server no matter how you install it.

That said, go to https://modx.com/download/ and download the Traditional version. Upload that zip file to the GoDaddy server using their control panel's file manager. Unzip it and if necessary move the extracted files into the web root. Go to theirdomain.com/setup/ to run the setup.

Susan

Yep. That was my next step. I was hoping to save some time.

I'm posting because, I'm wondering if this isn't working, what else might fail? I expect future updates using the upgrade extra will fail, since it's based on the same code. I can't imagine that script is doing anything that out of the ordinary.

I have several client sites running Revolution on GD for years without any issues. Has something has changed?

I have a hard time explaining to clients that Modx won't work on GD when other CMS's, e.g WP, run just fine. Blaming it on the host makes it sound like Modx is defective/broken.

Do we know what the problem is? Is it permissions related, capacity, PHP settings? What kind of failures are we seeing?

Quote from: terrybarth at Jun 17, 2016, 01:51 PM

I have a hard time explaining to clients that Modx won't work on GD when other CMS's, e.g WP, run just fine. Blaming it on the host makes it sound like Modx is defective/broken.

Do we know what the problem is? Is it permissions related, capacity, PHP settings? What kind of failures are we seeing?

I'm no fan of Godaddy, but clients often are. So how do we explain that Modx and Godaddy don't play nice? Can we take steps to minimize problems?

Terry, have you tried turning off compress_js and compress_css in the modx_system_settings table in the DB, then deleting all the files in the core/cache directory? Those settings are a known issue with GoDaddy.

Three other possibilities:

1. Too small a memory limit on the server
2. Database user doesn't have full permissions for the DB
3. Folder and file permissions (my guess is they should be 755 and 644, respectively)

Also, I'm assuming that you haven't turned on FURLs yet, so there should be no .htaccess file (there will be the default ht.access file). See if GoDaddy has stuck its own .htaccess file in the MODX root or in public_html.

And take a look at the DB in cPanel and check the actual name of the DB against the name in core.config/config.inc.php (it appears twice there). If it's wrong, the DB username may be wrong as well. [ed. note: BobRay last edited this post 10 years, 3 months ago.]

Bob, thanks.

The css/js is off, memory is 1024mb, PHP ver is 5.4 but 5.6 is available. I'll have to check the DB, but I suspect this is not an issue. This new install of Modx itself is working without any issues. There are two items, which are not necessarily "Modx issues".

1. The install script that I attempted to use for the initial install failed with a 500 error. So I uploaded the zip file, unzipped, and the install ran normally.

2. The backup wizard failed with a server 500 error. Using the browser back button, I was returned to the dashboard. The wizard didn't show any files available for download, but the SQL and the "files" tar were both saved in the backup folder. The combined file was not there. I haven't yet verified these backup files are any good.

I assume based on these two failures, that the upgrade widget will also fail. Extra installer works fine.

I would think that these are both just fairly run-of-the-mill PHP scripts. What might cause these 500 errors? I called Godaddy tech support, the tech I spoke with seemed pretty sharp, but couldn't offer any explanation for these errors.

Both of these widgets are huge time savers and I'd really like them to work.

A server 500 error is a very general, very unhelpful error. It's often caused by something in .htaccess, but it can have many other causes. One that comes to mind, given your symptoms, is a problem unzipping files (or copying them via PHP).

It's remotely possible that the problem is mod_security. It would be interesting to have the host turn it off and try again.

I'll be curious to know if the UpgradeMODX widget has that same problem. It has a backup method for unzipping files. BTW, you can use it to "upgrade" to the current version if you set the snippet properties back to a previous version.

Bob

I can't get the upgrade widget properties settings to stick. I unlocked the properties, make the changes and save. They appear to be set. However, when I go back to the dashboard and then back into the widget properties, the have returned to the defaults.

Are you clicking on "Save Property Set" by any chance?

You need to save the widget snippet itself. If you are, maybe GoDaddy's mod_security rules don't like something in the snippet. Try adding a comment to the snippet and see if the snippet itself is actually saved:



If it doesn't save, try that with other snippets.