URGENT: Startpage disappears - white and blank

I wonder if a service like http://aremysitesup.com/ detects the problem or maybe The Notify 404 snippet can be used to detect the black page.

...or maybe a plugin can be written specially for this case, in case the problem is found.

If you lose the db connection and the the page is not yet cached, then that explains it. Not sure there is much you can do, though you might try use cache_db to reduce the strain on your not-so-reliable database.

Also, you really should NOT use the same Resource for error_page/unauthorized_page as you do for site_start.

Otherwise, nothing here convinces me this is anything but hosting issues.

What about permissions? Is anyone using any access controls (Resource Group, Element Categories, etc.) in the web Context (or other front-end Contexts) that might be affecting how their site_start is being cached when accessed by certain users?

Any PHP (or MODX) error log trapping errors when this is occurring?

I’ve never heard of anyone being happy with GoDaddy hosting for MODX, until they move off of it. I think you’re in for a never ending and frustrating experience.

Definitely set up dedicated unauthorized and non found pages that are separate from the site start.

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

Otherwise, nothing here convinces me this is anything but hosting issues.

Wow I really hope that is not an accurate statement - it could be a potential relationship-breaker with MODx since migrating to new hosting is not an option for me

EDIT: All of my hosted MODx sites are through Verio.

Quote from: cyclissmo at Jan 30, 2011, 02:42 PM

Wow I really hope that is not an accurate statement - it could be a potential relationship-breaker with MODx since migrating to new hosting is not an option for me

EDIT: All of my hosted MODx sites are through Verio.

If on Verio and on anything but a dedicated or non-over provisioned VPS, you’ll likely permanently fight sporadic and non-repeatable problems. If you do have a VPS or dedicated box, you need to tune your server and hope for the best. Not having any more information about your configuration and versions of Apache/MySQL/PHP (and how) makes it impossible to offer any advice otherwise.

To all having similar issues:

There’s absolutely no way to figure out a solution without having a consistently repeatable way to reproduce the problem. That means you’ll need to have access to your server admins and get help from them. You should start monitoring your site with a third-party tool to figure out when the page blanks out, then start looking at what’s happening in the Apache and MySQL logs around that time, and in the Manager log and System Event inside MODX.

Advice will likely come back along the lines of make sure you’re running the latest version of Revo, PHP and MySQL—with each release everything tends to get more efficient. All reports we’ve seen typically point to an overloaded shared server, overprovisioned bandwidth and other similar symptoms. Starved server/network/IO while the cache is created can lead to bad things like what your’e seeing happen.

We’re working on improving the caching mechanisms, but at this time you’ll likely have more luck with hosts that simply don’t have reports of these types of problems (I’ve not heard any reports on the hosts advertising on MODX).

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

If you lose the db connection and the the page is not yet cached, then that explains it. Not sure there is much you can do, though you might try use cache_db to reduce the strain on your not-so-reliable database.

That is, at with me, not the problem, because the startpage was cached and not edited (my customer was on vacation). It somehow just blanked.

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

Also, you really should NOT use the same Resource for error_page/unauthorized_page as you do for site_start.

OK, that’s a good point to start. Since MODX shippes with all these pages set to id=1 the user might think that this is intended and not such a bad idea at all, because you can avoid an error page and just make a fresh beginning at the startpage.

Is creating a weblink-page as an error-page OK? Would give the same result (no error page, just a fresh start) and avoid the cache problem.

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

Otherwise, nothing here convinces me this is anything but hosting issues.

Maybe, maybe not. Switching a long and good hosting relationship because of MODX makes it hard to convince people of it’s benefits. Finding the cause of the problem should either way be the most important thing. Then one can decide was is to be don to keep MODX in the play.

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

What about permissions? Is anyone using any access controls (Resource Group, Element Categories, etc.) in the web Context (or other front-end Contexts) that might be affecting how their site_start is being cached when accessed by certain users?

Simple out of the box. Admin+1 User with identical rights.

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

Any PHP (or MODX) error log trapping errors when this is occurring?

I will monitor that.

The realy funny thing is that THIS make a HUGE difference when the startpage has blanked:

Calling A just brings the blank startpage, whereas B displays the page PERFECTLY. Funny: A+B work perfect on any other id than 1, causing identical outputs with no flaws. Any idea why that may be so?


I am just setting up a test-site running on the same webpack my most affected customer is using. Just another folder. With a support-ticket I will give you full access to the manager. In the meantime I will try to fire a bunch of wgets to make a little stress on the site. Hopefully it will blank at some point. We gotta take that BUG down! ;-)

Thanks for taking care!!!
Oliver

Oliver: if you can get it to be reproducible, I bet we can figure it out. I would definitely make dedicated, non-weblink, 404 and unauthorized pages.

Quote from: mindeffects at Jan 31, 2011, 04:49 AM

Quote from: OpenGeek at Jan 30, 2011, 01:36 PM

Otherwise, nothing here convinces me this is anything but hosting issues.

Maybe, maybe not. Switching a long and good hosting relationship because of MODX makes it hard to convince people of it’s benefits. Finding the cause of the problem should either way be the most important thing. Then one can decide was is to be don to keep MODX in the play.

By the same token you might weigh the costs of a hosting partner that doesn’t have any issues vs. one that costs you hours of time and uncertainty every month because of some obscure configuration parameter. Revo taxes a lot more of PHP than most apps due to xPDO and other things it’s doing compared to may of the old procedural scripts of old that just use a small subset of the PHP API.

Quote from: rthrash at Jan 31, 2011, 08:12 AM

Oliver: if you can get it to be reproducible, I bet we can figure it out.

I will do my best to find out, what’s causing the blank page!

My test system is up and running. You want access? The manager is open for you and your team so you can look for system things I cannot see. Maybe somethings "jumps" to you and brings light into this thing.
There is also an ftp-account ready and an externel MySQL-access on port 3306 - of course also a phpmyadmin.

Quote from: rthrash at Jan 31, 2011, 08:12 AM

I would definitely make dedicated, non-weblink, 404 and unauthorized pages.

OK. Is a meta-refresh a problem in case I do not want the visitors to "see" that pages?

Could "Suhosin" cause the blank problem?

These are the all PHP-server-settings I can control:

PHP-Errors
PHP-RegisterGlobals
PHP-mbstring.func_overload
PHP-allow_url_fopen
PHP-allow_url_include
PHP-Magic-Quotes-GPC
PHP-Zend-ZE1-Compatibility
PHP-Register-Long-Arrays
PHP-Session-Use-Trans-SID
PHP-Allow-Call-Time-Pass-Reference
PHP-MySQL-Secure-Login
PHP Suhosin Executor Allow Symlink
PHP Suhosin Session Encryption
PHP Suhosin Mail Protection
PHP Suhosin RPG Max Vars

Are any of the "suspicious"?