Can't Change Attachment Storage Type

[matt3830]

I've been trying to switch my attachments to the file storage system. I have chmod the directory to 0777 and disabled php safe mode.

The full path to my forum is:
/var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/

The full path to my attachments directory is:
/var/www/vhosts/example.com/attachments/

I get this error message when changing the storage type:
We attempted to write a test file to /var/www/vhosts/example.com/attachments, but we were unsuccessful. Please verify that the web server has write/delete permissions for this path.

When I ran upload diagnostics, I got this result:
file_uploads: On
open_basedir: /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs:/tmp
safe_mode: Off
upload_tmp_dir: None
upload_max_filesize: 30.00 MB
No errors occurred while opening the uploaded file for reading.
The URL to Public phpinfo is:
http://www.example.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2&do=phpinfo

I've tried lot's of different combinations for the path to the attachments directy. Nothing seems to work. I believe it must be the way my server is configured, but I can't figure out what to check. Is there something in php.ini (besides safe mode), that I should look for? Any ideas?

[Colin F]

The open basedir settings restrict the script to this path:
/var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs

You're trying to write to a folder which is below that path (not in the /httpdocs directory).

[matt3830]

Will vbulletin permissions still work if I change the path to:
/var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/attachments/

[Steve Machol]

I don't know if this will work with open_basedir restrictions. My understanding is that this is like safe mode and you cannot use the file storage option if you have these restrictions.

If I'm wrong, I hope someone corrects me.

[matt3830]

Doesn't look like I have any settings enabled in my php.ini file for open_basedir. Any ideas of what it should equal?

; open_basedir, if set, limits all file operations to the defined directory
; and below. This directive makes most sense if used in a per-directory
; or per-virtualhost web server configuration file. This directive is
; *NOT* affected by whether Safe Mode is turned On or Off.
;open_basedir =

[Steve Machol]

You may be looking at the wrong php.ini file. As per the diagnostics:

When I ran upload diagnostics, I got this result:
file_uploads: On
open_basedir: /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs:/tmp

[matt3830]

I think it's the right php.ini file (I used this file to change the maximum upload size). Maybe I'm reaching the limits of my server knowledge, I didn't realize there were multiple php.ini files?

[Steve Machol]

Enable phpinfo in the Admin CP, then provide the URL to your forums. This may help us troubleshoot this problem.

Admin CP -> vBulletin Options -> Server Settings and Optimization Options -> Public phpinfo() Display Enabled

[Freddie Bingham]

Did you try using /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/attachments/ ?

[matt3830]

Enable phpinfo in the Admin CP, then provide the URL to your forums. This may help us troubleshoot this problem.

Admin CP -> vBulletin Options -> Server Settings and Optimization Options -> Public phpinfo() Display Enabled


I submitted a support ticket yesterday (I posted it to this forum to see if anyone else had any ideas).
http://www.vbulletin.com/issue.php?ticketid=449949

Did you try using /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/attachments/ ?


I tried this and got this error message:
We attempted to write a test file to /var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/attachments, but we were unsuccessful. Please verify that the web server has write/delete permissions for this path.

[Freddie Bingham]

Did you chmod the directory properly?

[Steve Machol]

According to your phpinfo, the correct file is here:

/etc/php.ini

It all has a section to scan for additional files in this directory:

/etc/php.d

And open_basedir restrictions are definitely turned on.

[matt3830]

OK, I've had some success using this directory:
/var/www/vhosts/example.com/attachments/

But, I don't think vbulletin will be able to use it's permission settings if I use this directory (anyone will be able to download the attachments).

[Freddie Bingham]

If you place the attachment directory within your www folder then you can protect it using .htaccess

[matt3830]

The problem was with the owner ship of the directories I was creating for the attachments. So now they seem to be working. Which is the better location for the place to store the attachments?

/var/www/vhosts/example.com/attachments/
or
/var/www/vhosts/example.com/forums/attachments/

Do I need to use the .htaccess file in either location?

[matt3830]

Do I need to use the .htaccess file if the attachments directory is under the forums directory?

/var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/attachments/

[Freddie Bingham]

Yes.

You should use the /var/www/vhosts/example.com/attachments/ whereas you will not need .htaccess.

[matt3830]

The only path I've been able to get to work is:

/var/www/vhosts/example.com/httpdocs/forums/attachments/

Can I download the .htacces file somewhere?