You cannot run the script as nobody

Worker Joined: Dec 03, 2005 Posts: 153

Hi all

After installing RavenNuke76 v2.02.02 for http://www.neverdiealone.alphafrag.net/. When a memeber makes an account, at the end it says it sent an e-mail, however, the e-mail is not sent out. everything else works fine. We sent an e-mail to the support asking why the e-mails was not being sent, this is the reply we got.

Your emails script within the php nuke package must use the username and password for the account. You cannot run the script as nobody, as we have disabled the “nobody” account on the webserver. Please refer to the phpnuke site for information on how to do this.

Total lost on this, any advise or what do they mean?

Scorp

registered · Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:35 am

Well, you need to reply back to them that the script that is being used is using the PHP mail() function and so it is how PHP is set up which you personally have no control over. They need to tell you whether mail() is going to work or not.

It is amazing to me that they would support PHP and not one of its core functions! Sounds to me like they are being lazy with their server set up, as they may be concerned about spamming...

Sells PC To Pay For Divorce Joined: Posts: 5661

so its running on a sub of a hosting company ?

Theme Guru Joined: Nov 01, 2003 Posts: 1006

If your host is unable to turn mail on for you then you have a big problem. You, as far as I know, cannot do anything to change a core function of the cms. You may need a new host if they are unable to resolve this. I am sure that either Raven or myself would be happy to host you and allow you to run mail Smile

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 5:01 pm

There are work arounds available as well.

Ask your host to do this with your account under apache conf.:
<VirtualHost> directive:
php_admin_value sendmail_path "/usr/sbin/sendmail -t -i -f webmaster@example.com"

this should set the default return-path for mail from that virtual host.

OR I believe there is a sendmail directive located in the Sentinel panel, I get e-mails declared from me all the time, perhaps that will help.

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:41 am

Hi All

Many thanks on your replys and help, I sent the support a e-mail as follows:

Dear Sir/Madam

I installed phpnuke version RavenNuke76 v2.02.02 complete with nuke sentinel for http://neverdiealone.alphafrag.net/ however, Members do not receive the account activation e-mail. A fellow admin have been intouch with your support about this problem and did receive the following reply:

Hi there,

My apologies for the lateness of this reply.

Firstly it is correct to use “localhost” as the ip identifier if the database is located locally on our webserver

Secondly your emails script within the php nuke package must use the username and password for the account. You cannot run the script as nobody, as we have disabled the “nobody” account on the webserver. Please refer to the phpnuke site for information on how to do this.

Regards Support@AlphaFrag.com
Alpha Team

Alphafrag.Ltd

For phpnuke to work all a user have to do is fill in the information in config.php file with the following
dbhost, dbuname, dbpass and dbname.
Then run the install script which in stalls the phpnuke, I have researched into the reply from your support team, by asking in the forums that support phpnuke this is just one reply I have had stating the same thing:

Quote "You need to reply back to them that the script that is being used is using the PHP mail() function and so it is how PHP is set up which you personally have no control over. They need to tell you whether mail() is going to work or not." end Quote

When I have Installed RavenNuke76 v2.02.02 on other servers we have had no problem with the e-email, I have noticed that you offer phpnuke in the Fantastico in the control panel, so if we installed this version will it work straight away?

What username and password are your support team referring to? is the php mail function working or been disabled if so how can we send e-mails from phpnuke ?

Hopefully we can resolve this matter quickly so we can get the website up and running

Many thanks

Hi there,

As I had stated in the previous inquiry, the function for email is used by account only. Most web servers will allow the user “nobody” to send email. This makes it very difficult to track spam scripts to any specific account. To prevent this we have disabled the user “nobody” on the webserver. In order for your script to work is must work as the respective account and not just an arbitrary php script with no assigned user. I am not sure how your particular script allows for this; however I am sure that php nuke would allow for a more detailed use of the mail function ie bound to the accounts user id. I will do some investigation on making this easier to achieve and get back to you.

Ummm guess we have to wait for a reply now.

I installed RavenNuke76 v2.02.02 for another clan not mine, mine worked as soon as I installed it with my webhost.

Many thanks
Scorp

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:36 pm

Im Gonna test something Real fast and see if it works and reply with a possible fix, is your host on a linux box?

This will help in what I advise for a fix.

Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:15 pm

Sorry, but that approach requires that you do it at the server level and not the site level. Ill work on a fix to stop sending as user nobody, but I could not find a workable approach in my research. So Ill continue to search on it.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:06 am

Hi All

I posted in the alphafrag.com forums and here is the reply I had within minuites:

hi there, firstly you are right in the fact that phpnuke does use the php mail() function, that is not in despute. the problem is that any script ran from any account has to have a user assigned to it..or the system does not allow the script to utilize the system funtions (like mail). ordinarily the system would assign the user "nobody" to any non manually assigned script. But as i stated before, this makes it very difficult to track malicious scripts installed in the system. So as a matter of course we now disable the "nobody" feature. We are preparing to implement something called "PHPsuexec" this will allow all scripts to work as normal and will assign the respective user to the script (i.e. your account username) and this will make it possible for us to track any illeagal activities by unautherized scripts.
However implementing such a protocol is not without its problems. it will mean that permissions to every files on the system will have to be changed...manualy. As you can imagine this will take a long time as we currently have over 300 users, and none of them want down time. So inorder to get this protocol in place we are currently installing a new webserver with it on and we will be manually moving accounts over one by one. once this is comeplete your script will work, untill then the system will have continue as is.

Scorp

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:08 am

it sounds to me that if you want a working nuke site now and in the near future you will need to change your host. If that is what you decide please consider hosting with either raven or myself. We both support all nuke features. I wish you the best of luck with this.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:30 am

Are you telling me that your host wont even apply the directive Ive mentioned?

If thats the case, Then I sudjest you look towards another host. You have no idea how much this bothers me. As a host I see this and I wonder, and Im working so hard why? First off, 300 or 3,000,000 I can change the permissions on my server in seconds without transfering, but a good idea to test it on another system.

Also, You need to research the changes your host is making and see if thats for you. And if they are trying phpSuExec now for the first time, are you prepared to thick it out with them.

Listen, I hate to see this, Its so offensive to me, Please seek a better host.
Raven is one Ill recomend, Ive heard good things of Jaded and others, and myself added to that list but Im not here to advertise my hosting and niether is anyone else, This is honest advice.

Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 12:09 pm

Agreed totally with darklord. You are stuck at this point with no clear indication of when your nuke site will function correctly. Several of us host nuke sites without issue. None of us are "out to get you as a client" but we do offer an alternative. No one wants to stay with a host who is unwilling to help a client have a working website.