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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
stranger
stranger
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14

Greetings --

Been pouring over this board looking for someone else who's encountered my problem. Closest I can find is the thread
Member Options Transfer Troubles[/B]
Which SEEMS to be close to what we've been experiencing. The last post in that above thread provides a link to
Quote
Answer found here.
but - even though it is a pointer to another UBBcentral thread / post - said link turns out to be a "Not Found" dead end.

Here's our situation: Message board owner had his site converted (by pros who know this package) from a 6.x.x(?) to 7.5.7, done earlier in 2013. Other than a few User Profile glitches (some answers now placed in wrong question fields), everything seemed to go smoothly. UNTIL NOW!!

One of our members - registered on our old site - is still with us. Try as we might, neither we nor that member can edit her profile. We started out by trying to edit the (member's) User's "Display Name" - trying to change one character within it to indicate that our member is 'still in good standing' for 2014. Keep getting a 404 error message no matter which field of the User's Profile that I attempt to change (I'm locked out as I write this, apparently for getting too many errors so I'll have to add the error msg text later. Msg said something about not having permission [B]...).

I know that the Display Name field is not exceeding any length spec because there are other User's fields that are longer, and we have modified those with no problem. (The modify consists of changing one character {an asterisk} in the DISPLAY NAME field to another character {a caret} - field length is unchanged.) I've tried other characters without success. Even the user cannot edit her own record.

So apparently this "troublesome user's" record was somehow locked either when she was first admitted to our message board (under the old UBB 'rules') or a lock bit was set during the conversion to 7.5.7.

Poke around as I might, I can't find the path to locking / unlocking this record so as to be able to modify it. I have Admin privileges, but even the site's owner can't find where the lock is set.

Your help is urgently needed.

Thanks for reading

RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D


RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,560
Likes: 78
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,560
Likes: 78
Well first, the UBB software does not lock you out after x number of bad attempts.
A message to that fact does not even exist.
Now it will say invalid etc.

And you can ban,delete a member.


But back to the issue.
The part about permissions error is probably the most critical needed info as well as what you actually changed and action performed..


Blue Man Group
There is no such thing as stupid questions. Just stupid answers
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SD Offline
Former Developer
Former Developer
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user table is really 3 tables.

my suspicion is that 1 of the 3 isn't properly filled in for that member.

some phpmyadmin / db diving solves this.

2c

Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
stranger
stranger
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by Ruben
Well first, the UBB software does not lock you out after x number of bad attempts.
A message to that fact does not even exist.
Now it will say invalid etc.

And you can ban,delete a member.


But back to the issue.
The part about permissions error is probably the most critical needed info as well as what you actually changed and action performed..

Ruben --

I've experienced these lockouts to our UBB board before. It's as if I'm being considered to be an intruder (do not know the correct terminology to use here).
Always the same scenario[/B]:[/B] Whatever I'm trying to do as an admin causes a number of error messages similar to the above
I use two computers, from two locations (one at home, the other at work), via two IP resources (Home=AT&T, Work=Earthlink). Both computers use Firefox browser, though they are at different levels (12.x and 23.x - Hate the latter browser so haven't changed the older version, FWIW.) Both sites are dynamic IP addresses.

In the past, just as recently, after generating X number of errors I cannot access the BB. I get timeouts when trying to bring up a new page, or even refresh the current page or even page backwards beyond the in-computer cache.

When I go to my other computer / network, no problem accessing our UBB. Don't know who is locking me out, but SOMEone is. Am guessing that UBB is the culprit. (Other browsing works perfectly after a lockout occurs.)



Not trying to ban or delete a member. To the best of my knowledge those functions work w/o a problem. DO NOT WANT TO TRY IT with the user's profile in question - too much to lose, too little to gain.

BACK TO THE ISSUE:

Her member number is 156 out of about 560 registrations.

What I actually changed:
Control Panel > Membership - Member Management > Member Number (156) > Member Information tab. Then alter ANY field on that screen and click on UPDATE MEMBER button at bottom of screen.

Get error message
Originally Posted by RECEIVED ERROR MESSAGE
Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /forum/admin/changeuser.php on this server.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Refreshed the page, made ZERO changes, clicked on the UPDATE MEMBER button at bottom of screen, again. Same error message.



Not wanting to push my luck and get locked out here, too, I'll not try any other alterations as I write this.

FWIW, I also went to the PERMISSIONS, FIELDS and PREFERENCES tabs at the top of the Member Management group. Here again, clicking on the UPDATE MEMBER button at bottom of screen caused the above-shown error message to appear, until I was finally "locked out" from ANY access to OUR message board. (Can get to UBBcentral message board w/ zero problems. Can also access other sites w/ zero problems. It's just OUR message board that I cannot {re}access.)

Don't know what else I can tell you. Reminder: you are dealing with a newbie here. And - I suspect - I do not have access to all of the files / options of our UBB message board installation. On the other side of the coin, the message board's owner is less software knowledgeable then I am, which why he gives me Admin permission.

Have I answered everything?

RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D


RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
stranger
stranger
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by SD
user table is really 3 tables.

my suspicion is that 1 of the 3 isn't properly filled in for that member.

some phpmyadmin / db diving solves this.

SD --

Please tell me where to find / how to access the USER TABLE. Are they buried on the server but not visible / accessible / alterable from the Control Panel?

IF "YES", table name(s) please, and what tool(s) do I use to access and edit it / them?

RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D


RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,940
Likes: 1
SD Offline
Former Developer
Former Developer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,940
Likes: 1
ubbt_USER_PROFILE, ubbt_USERS, ubbt_USER_DATA

are the tables and there is a record for each member in each table. usually, ubbt_USER_PROFILE is the culprit, but this is only based upon the statistics i gleaned empirically fixing this issue..

phpMyAdmin is a way to edit them, usually from your hosting control panel, there is a link.

if you are confused at this point, i'd recommend hiring a pro.

2c

edit: and after re-reading the problems you are having, i'd suspect maybe your server / hosting environment might be a bit too touchy on security as well... maybe mod_security?

not sure... but if you can actually pull up a user profile and see it, then it's not misaligned user tables..

sorry for my not reading carefully

regardless: it might take a pro to really flesh out the problem 2c

Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
stranger
stranger
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by SD
... not sure... but if you can actually pull up a user profile and see it, then it's not misaligned user tables..

Yep, no problem seeing the user's profile, and all fields APPEAR to be properly aligned in the profile 'mask.'

Sounds like I'll have to convince the owner to give me access to his server, something I do not currently have.

Over and out for tonight. Thanks for your responses, folks.

RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D


RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 16,292
Likes: 116
UBB.threads Developer
UBB.threads Developer
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Judging from the error:
Quote
You don't have permission to access /forum/admin/changeuser.php on this server.

I'm wondering what the permissions are on that file; are you able to preform this same activity on other members? Are there any items showing up in your web server error log when you're getting this forbidden message?

The forbidden message is generated by your web server and isn't generated by the UBB; we simply need to figure out WHY it's generating the error message.


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As SD stated it is probably mod-security.
The forbidden message is generated by your server.
Meaning you server is not allowing changeuser.php to run.

it could be you have other issues but first is to eliminate the obvious.
Is mod_security blocking the script.
Which is something your web host installs.
Sometimes you are allowed to modify it or disable it.

Then file folder permissions as I stated before.
But you also eed to check the owner/group for each file/folder.
I have seen it happen to myself after a host upgraded the server when I had the correct permissions set on the file/folders.
But the owner/group was set to something that I did not have access to.

If all this is way over your head.
You may need to hire someone to resolve.
They probably will need full access to the site not just ubb, but your host control panel as well and possibly your host trouble ticket system, to submit a trouble ticket for them to resolve.

Or simply change hosts.
Since we don't know the url or who your host is.



Blue Man Group
There is no such thing as stupid questions. Just stupid answers
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
stranger
stranger
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by Gizmo
... I'm wondering what the permissions are on that file; are you able to preform this same activity on other members? Are there any items showing up in your web server error log when you're getting this forbidden message? ...

Gizmo -

Cannot answer all of your questions at this time. Regarding your question "are you able to preform this same activity on other members?" the answer is "YES". No problem editing other members' records, to date. (Same character change to 'affected' members.)

That's all I can tell you, so far. I'm acting as the 'go between' you-all and the site's owner, at his request. (He thinks I'm tech savvy. Little does he know.)
At the moment I don't have access to the server, nor do I have knowledge as to where it is.

I should add, Gizmo, a comment about the quote you picked off,
"You don't have permission to access /forum/admin/changeuser.php on this server."
The site's owner is getting the identical message while attempting to update the same record. Now if HE doesn't have permission, . . .

=================

Reuben -
You state "I have seen it happen to myself after a host upgraded the server"
In this case, I've been told that the message board was installed on a new / different host & server. Don't know if that makes a difference.

Both sites were running simultaneously until the installer was fairly certain that it was safe to cut over from one to the other.

The conversion was done by the people at Virtual Night Club (Found them via this msg board. I started the communication with James, there.) Conversion took place around June, 2013. Also, conversion was from 6.5.2 to 7.5.7, FWIW.
(My hat is off to James. He was VERY responsive.)

Probably would still be on that older release if it weren't for spiders revealing content of (what's SUPPOSED to be) a closed message board. Owner wanted to get it locked down, but I couldn't find any method after searching this msg board. Always close, but never got the cigar.



RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 16,292
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UBB.threads Developer
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Well, if it only affects some members, and the web server gives you that error, it's some sort of security apparatus on the server, likely mod_security; the error logs on the server and/or the mod_security logs will list WHY this particular user is locked (likely it's some word randomly used in their profile).

BTW, I be James tongue


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stranger
stranger
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 14
Originally Posted by Gizmo
. . .
BTW, I be James tongue

THE James??
IF so, hope I gave you a decent plug. Have to tell you that Jon and I were really happy with the results, as well as the fast responses to my initial ( from CliffClavenF..(at)....., May, 2012) and our subsequent communications.


FWIW, there was/is another member (of our board), "C", who had been booted out (J's 'lack of participation' rule) then rejoined, several times. Her original member number was still good and active when the following happened.

C Was using her account on a regular basis. One day she tried to log in as she usually did, but found that she was locked out. After several failed attempts, she called Jon to ask if he might have locked her out. "No" said Jon.

Jon tried - unsuccessfully - to reactivate C's account. He finally had to create a new member record, number, et al. This all happened while the old (6.5.2) message board was active, and - I suspect - Jon's inability to reactivate her MAY have been caused by the same problem(s) described here for B's account.


I just called B (whose problem record triggered this thread) asking if - at any point - she had dropped off the board then, later, came back on. "Negatory" she replied. So that idea is out of the window.

Guess either Jon or myself will have to go through some of the server records you folks are recommending, to see what we can see.



RIck- ("Rick" with a dash - the 'other Rick')

8^D
Joined: Jun 2006
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UBB.threads Developer
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Yeah, I'm "The" James you speak of tongue lol... And I quite enjoyed reading it; gave me warm fuzzies that put a smile on my face, and I kind of needed one at the time...

Well, the error message you provided is generated by Apache (the web server) so in order to really figure out why we'd have to see the logs associated with the time that member was accessed; the site's error log should be sufficient, if it doesn't hold useful data then the mod_security error log would have to be looked at and your webhost may be the only one with the ability to do so.


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