Possible Sentinel Issue

Worker Joined: Sep 09, 2004 Posts: 106 Location: Canada

Sorry if I am on the wrong spot but I tried to decided where to post but still not sure:

Running Ravennuke76.

I am not sure if my issue is related to sentinel but I have a feeling that it might just be so here is my problem.

A while back I added two (2) paypal payment subscription blocks to my site, made test payments and all went well.

Some days ago I added a third and find that while there is a successful payment to paypal, the results is not added to my earning database and have been fighting my head off for a fix until I read in a forum that while sentinel is very good it does try to block sites that post variables back to yours which is pretty bad for ecommerce sites since paypal has to post to your site.

My reason for wanting to agree with this statement, I tried to see if the previous two blocks would work but I now have that same issue as the recent one. Nothing is adding to the earning database.

I recently upgraded to NukeSentinel_2500_70-79 and did do some additional settings, which I have turned off and test the blocks but it’s the same issue.

Also, there were no subscriptions to my site for a while. Therefore, I won't be able to answer where did this all started to happen except that to say, the first two subscription blocks were adding to the earning table after a successful payment to paypal.

Any comments are welcome

Thanks

registered · Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:57 pm

I'm assuming you are using NukeTreasury 1.0?

I have had problems like this too, but I don't think it is Sentinel. I think there is a bug in the treasury script. When paypal "calls you back" to notify you of payment, I believe it hits the ipnppd.php script directly, and Sentinel isn't involved in this.

I've had about 18 donations and 2 of them have failed to update the database. Both of those were before I had Sentinel installed. I started to debug that script once, but it was pretty hairy.

Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:12 pm

Thanks Gremmie for that response, but No-Pee, sorry I am not using "NukeTreasury 1.0" and the paypalipn works OK. The data is just not getting recorded in my database table its like its being blocked from writing back to the site and as I said, the first two always worked. Therefore, since the only general update that I did was sentinel, I am rasing the issue that it might be the problem and I have to turn off some setting or settings.

Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:41 pm

Take a look at your blocker settings. You could try turning the blockers off, though only certain of them could come into play here. But for that matter you could turn them all off to test. I'm thinking that Sentinel is not coming into play here because you don't seem to be getting an email message notifying you about the block nor do you seem to be getting a blocked IP. In all cases that I know of Sentinel would give you this warning.

The sequence of events here in your initial post is also not clear. If you had Sentinel running and you had two blocks working and then you added the third and now nothing works I would be inclined to think that the third block caused the problems and I'd look there.

The other thing you could do is put some diagnostics into the script that runs when Paypal tries to notify you of a payment. One echo statement that tells you that the script is being run for instance and another that echoes out the values of any incoming variables alongside their names. Then test the status of your database update and capture and echo out any mysql errors if the update is not successful. Sometimes these errors can get buried.

Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:05 pm

OK, Thanks, fkelly,

The nuke paypal blocks are all independent and I have done many checks. The blocks are just simple payment plans for banners and subscribers to groups and all of these worked while sentinel was running because I started off this new site with Ravennuke76.

All payments a made successfully. I receive the conformation emails and all of the rest with correct information. Its just not writing back the info from paypal

I have also, turned off the blocking obtions and test but what I feel is that there might be a security issue with sentinel (not any bug of any kind) just writing back to my site from an external site. Therefore, it could be just a minior issue to take care of.

I am not sure if its OK to post the exact paypal payment blocks here in an effort to see if someone else might be using one of them and update sentinel lately.

I also, added the Paypal (Ebay) IP range so its not a block issue but a write back.

Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 9:01 am

I would be interested in the blocks you are using if you would post them here. I'll confess that I have started a Paypal block of my own on my own site but it's gotten backburned cause I've been working on Ravennuke and things keep coming up.

If you post the blocks please also post the table structure of the table(s) you are using. Just don't post (of course) any private Paypal number. I have a test paypal account that I can plug in and I'll give it a try on my testing site. I have a diagnostic block in there and I've got some "hooks" into sentinel to show what it's doing at any time. It's a lot easier to experiment on a test site than it is on a production one.

My intuition says "some kind of mysql error" maybe a mismatch between field names and what's getting updated but intuition gets you nowhere without a good test.

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2006 3:29 pm

OK, I can now confirm that my issue is NukeSentinel(tm) 2.5.00.

I took a brief chance and Disable Sentinel for about 2 minutes just to allow me enogh time to make a quick payment to paypal and all worked fine. The payment details were successfully added to my earning database.

Can I be advise how to correct this issue where after a successfull to paypal, the results are not been writen back to my site from the 20th when I upgraded to 2.5 because I am really stock with all of my paying options.

Many Thanks

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 7:50 pm

I was wondering if it could be pointed out which of the forums that the creater of Sentinel monitors.

Its important for me since Paypal is not writing back to my site from the 20th of July went I upgrated to 2.5 and I am posting around forums for suggestions how to fix this issued and to date can't get a solution.

Please some help on this one. Should I think of going back and will this cause problems and lesson my security.

And fkelly, any progress on the links that I sent to you? And provide with an email address.

Many Thanks.

Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:54 pm

Well it seems that I am the only one at the moment with this issues of paypal not being able to write back to my site after I upgraded to Sentinel 2.5.

I wish that I knew what to look for but I don't. I have turn off all script blocking options but still the same.

There has to be a simple fix.

Which file or files in NukeSentinel (tm) having to do with monitoring writing back to your site?

Thanks

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 6:14 pm

Sorry, for being the pain but I am still at zero with my problem. The paypal blocks are for WS. Wsdonate, wssubscription and wsbanner.

I have been reading all the other issues, which users are reporting and anywhere there is a fix I am adding the new codes whether I am not experiencing the same issues they, are having.

PLEASE note that I have no errors with sentinel neither are the blocks brining up errors nothing just is not writing back after a successful payment to paypal.

Thanks. Any help would be welcome because I am at a stand still since there can't be any updating to my earning database.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:15 pm

OK, so everything is working except that the payment details are not getting updated to the database?
I find it hard to figure why Sentinel might cause this but without a copy of the script to test it, tracking down the problem might be difficult.
I beleive the WS Subscription module is a paid for script?

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:15 pm

Sorry you are still experiencing this. Maybe someone with more Paypal experience than I can look in here and diagnose your problem easier. But without your blocks or the ability to simulate what you are doing and without seeing the code it is difficult to figure this out.

My understanding is that you tell Paypal the name of a php program to execute on your site after the payment process is complete. Paypal then sends some information back to your program which uses it to update the database. If this is true, can you put some echoes in to see if that PHP program is being executed? And maybe echo out the names and values of the variables as well as the contents of any SQL that's in that program. That would at least tell you whether information is being passed back from Paypal. If it is, then you would move to seeing if there's problems with the SQL.

You can also put echoes in Sentinel to try to "trap" where it may be interfering. There is a section where it validates POST strings and you can put echoes in there to see what their value is and whether they are being trapped by Sentinel. You may need to look in a number of the sections of Sentinel to find the area that's blocking your data, if that's in fact what's happening.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:55 pm

fkelly, Thanks for this response:

You might have missed this post earlier;

OK, I can now confirm that my issue is NukeSentinel(tm) 2.5.00.

I took a brief chance and Disable Sentinel for about 2 minutes just to allow me enogh time to make a quick payment to paypal and all worked fine. The payment details were successfully added to my earning database.

Can I be advise how to correct this issue where after a successfull to paypal, the results are not been writen back to my site from the 20th when I upgraded to 2.5 because I am really stock with all of my paying options.

Many Thanks

Its from the upgrade to 2.5.0 this issue started. Therefore, it has to be new codes causing this problem and what I was hoping is that if it could only pin-point what new additions could possibe cause this problem.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:16 pm

Guardian2003 wrote:

OK, so everything is working except that the payment details are not getting updated to the database?
I find it hard to figure why Sentinel might cause this but without a copy of the script to test it, tracking down the problem might be difficult.
I beleive the WS Subscription module is a paid for script?

Well, not exaually paid for because if you do enough post to the site you can have access to the download section or if you do not want to wait, then you subscribe to the site but not the particular script, or scripts.

I activated the NSN PayPal Subscription which I used before and now its the same issue. The group is not updating while the payment goes through.

And as I said in the opening of this thread, there was no issues until I upgraded to 2.5. I dissable Sentinel, the database was updated sucessfully. Therefore, it has to be protection with sentinel.

However, I am thankfull for the respones and just have to keep look at where to find the fix.

And I could email the block to you because I really need to get this going. WS is also looking into the issue but I know that you guys have your own lifes to live lol and I am thankfull for the many help I get from these forums but when your business starts to suffer, you just have to keep trying.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:26 pm

No problem, I can appreciate you need to get this resolved.

registered · Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 10:54 pm

I would try and find out what IP address (or range) that Paypal is using to post back the information and make sure it is not banned. If it is banned, it might at least point us to what is blocking it. From a blocker standpoint, the only ones which may have any relevance whatsoever could be: Harvester (if for some reason their user agent is on the list), Referer blocker (if for some reason they are on this list), Request blocker (if you've added anything that they are trying to use), or String blocker. Of course, it could also possibly be the "Invalid IP" issue and so make sure your IP2C db is up to the latest (new updates were posted with the 2.5.1 release of NS yesterday).

I would also check your Apache error and access logs to see if you can find anything relevant to the paypal attempt to "write back". I think we need to know the user agent, referrer, and get string to figure this out.

Quite honestly, I think we are going to need more information, more clues if you will, in order to track this down.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:20 pm

montego, Thanks. I added the Ebay range to the protected batabase but still no change and today I updated the IP2C.

What you have responed with here are heads up for me. I did turn off all of these options when I first realize the issue from a payment notification and did not see the reflection.

I started thinking and seeing the only upgrade that I did was 2.5, I started checking so I quicky go to Sentinel, disable it, do a quick test payment and all work fine as before so the focus has to be there. So whatever, happened to cause this it was added in 2.5.

Thanks again and I do not it its any bug but all part of security issues.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:33 pm

Quote:

I would also check your Apache error and access logs to see if you can find anything relevant to the paypal attempt to "write back". I think we need to know the user agent, referrer, and get string to figure this out.

We are still going to need this. You need to research this more from your end as you need to be our "eyes and ears" so-to-speak on this. Without the information that I have requested from you, I just think we're going to all waste our time here.

Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:49 pm

I am looking at the log right now but its very big lol too big to download in a hurry. I am trying to find the relavant paypal IP but many IP request is pointing to food control.

Will be back. Thanks

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:22 am

Sorry I missed that earlier and the tips from Montego and Guardian are headed in the right direction. I think all of us are just need confirmation that it's a Sentinel issue because usually the symptoms of that are a little different and you'd see more of a message.

I don't have Sentinel 2.5.0 installed but if you are comfortable messing with code you could try this. Find the block_ip function and add the following echoes and then rerun your Paypal test and see and post back here what happens.

Code:

function block_ip($blocker_row, $abmatch="") {


  global $ab_config, $nuke_config, $db, $prefix, $user_prefix, $nsnst_const;


  echo 'got to block ip ' . $nsnst_const['remote_ip'] . '<br>';


  echo 'blocker_row block type ' . $blocker_row['block_type'] . '<br>';

This may tell us if Sentinel is in fact blocking your update and if so what the reason is. We could then go look at that particular blocker to narrow it down.

While you are at it I'd stick the following echo in right after the site disable switch up around line 50 or so:

Code:

// NEW Disable Switch


if($ab_config['disable_switch'] > 0) { return; }


echo 'in nuke sentinel at start <br>';

This will confirm that you are in Nuke Sentinel. I recommend that because we've found in other cases that some edits in mainfile were kicking things out where we suspected the cause was Sentinel.

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 7:45 am

Morning to you guys. Just had to go to bed the brain could not take any more.

I have posted to both you fkelly and montego PM box results from my log because I am not sure if this is safe to post in the opening.

Activity on the site was just too much and the log was confusing me. Therefore, I went to bed at 3:45 AM and just got up and do test spend sentinel or and on.

Thanks

I will wait for your response before trying the last sugestion seeing that I have to get off to church.

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 11:41 am

I looked at the logs you sent in your private message. It does appear that with or without Sentinel activated paypal is sending back what you need as a GET string. Unless Montego or Guardian has a better idea I think you are just going to need to track down where in Sentinel this thing is getting blocked and then implement a temporary fix while we inform the Sentinel authors about it and see if they can make more permanent suggestions.

Several of us are going to be out of town or unavailable in the near future but I have about 24 hours left before I leave personally. If you aren't comfortable putting the echo statements into Sentinel then I really am at wits end what to suggest.

There's a thread I started: Only registered users can see links on this board! Get registered or login!

about collecting and displaying diagnostics but it might be overkill for your immediate needs. But it might give you some idea about how to approach this. I use what amounts to the 20 Questions game approach on something like this: first verify the general area where the problem occurs, then incrementally narrow it down until you know exactly what string is getting kicked out and why and then finally figure out a fix.

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:44 pm

OK, many Thanks. I just got back from church and will add the code that you suggest but at the moment I am not sure which file to look for but when I settle down and my brain rested will try and figure it out.

Again Thanks

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 2:25 pm

/includes/nukesentinel.php. I'd suggest that you make a copy of the file before you edit it ... called it something like Aug6saved_nukesentinel.php or whatever so if the edits go haywire and you start getting blank screens you can rename it back.

Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:38 pm

Hi fkelly, In the event that you are still around, all that I am getting is a white screen. I ture on error reporting in my config but still no results or error shown and I check the log nothing strange in there. Unless that I did not add it right.