Error when downloading files from Zen Cart

[jaha]

Hi,

I have an ecommerce site hosted at SiteGround using Zen Cart version 1.3.0 with the latest security patch. This site is a digital scrapping site that makes it possible to buy and download digital scrapping elements.

This site has been working ok for nearly three months with no errors but in the last days we are experience problems when customers are downloading files from the site. The files are ordinary zip files zipped in Winzip. The problem is different from browser to browser. If the customer has Internet Explorer he only get an index.txt file when downloading. If the customer has Opera or Firefox hi get the zip file but the zip file is corrupted. Some customers do not have any problems when downloading. If we download the files using FTP from SiteGrounds cPanel the files are ok.

We have been in contact with the support department at SiteGround and they don’t accept that there is a problem at they’re hosting service and are referring to Zen Cart. The ting that makes it a little bit difficult is that is has been working ok for several months but now it don’t work. SiteGround are telling us that they have not done anything that should make this happen.

This is big problem for us, we have been forced to shut down the shop until we find the cause of this problem.

Do anyone of you have any idea what can be wrong. I have been thinking of the MIME settings for zip files but SiteGround states that the settings in their Apache server are correct.

more /usr/local/apache/conf/mime.types |grep zip
application/x-gzip
application/zip zip

SiteGround are telling us to make our customer installing a download manager, but we can’t make our customer do that just to download files form our site.

We really hope someone have a solution to this problem that we think may be a bug in Zen Cart.

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards,
Jarle Hallingstad

[Merlinpa1969]

in admin setup your downloads to re-direct

[jaha]

Hello again,

This error have been escalated in the SiteGround support system and it looks like the error is at SiteGround and not Zen Cart.

I will be posting an update when I get the result from SiteGround.

Best Regards,
Jarle Hallingstad

[DebF]

I am having the identical issue with the same host - I have changed NOTHING, I don't touch anything much back there! but early this week, the same issue appeared - customers are receiving only a tiny part of the zip file before the server terminates the download. The ticket was escalated (?) with their support people BUT this is the response just received

quote - I've checked the issue with your web site and it appears to me that it has something to do with the configuration of the zen cart. I've tried to directly download a file from the server (about 40MB) and it went without any problems. I then used the download facility that comes with zencart and the file failed at the first kilobyte. I've checked the code in the several of zencart's php files it looks like symlink problem, however, symlinks are allowed on the server which puzzled me even more. There are no traces in the server's error logs either that can indicate a server issue. I am more than willing to solve this case but I am not a php developer and the zen cart is pretty complex software, for which I would like to ask you to consult with the zen cart's developers on what might be causing this problem. - end quote

being a total php dummy, I am clueless and most frustrated - I have not made any changes! Tuesday it was working fine, Wednesday (and every day since) it has NOT been working

any ideas? in small words and slowly please ;)

tia
Deb

[jaha]

Hi,

This is the same problem I have struggled with the last couple of days.

As mentioned in my previous post the ticket at Siteground was escalated and they fixed the problem earlier today. They did some configuration changes on the server. I did not get any details what changes they did.

Please try again now and see if you are able to download without problems. If not reopen the ticket at Siteground and refer to my ticket “catscrap.com”.

Best Regards,
Jarle Hallingstad

[DebF]

thanks Jarle
mentioning your case got them to take another look at it, and they have adjusted a php setting and all is working again!
Deb

[shannonlynch]

What was the php setting that they had to reconfigure? We're starting to have this problem as well on a different hosting company.

[jaha]

Hi,

I am enclosing the answer I got from SiteGround.

-->
Last week, there was a new vulnerability discovered that advised to have a specific function of the php engine disabled - symlinks. The severity of the vulnerability wasn't that big but we decided to disable the function and play it safe. However, it eventually turned out that many different pieces of software rely upon this function.
<--

I am sorry but I don’t have any more information than this. I hope you are able to solve the problem, it is really an annoying problem.

Best Regards,
Jarle Hallingstad

[schoolboy]

in admin setup your downloads to re-direct

Where do we set this, Merlin?

[DrByte]

from SiteGround.

-->
Last week, there was a new vulnerability discovered that advised to have a specific function of the php engine disabled - symlinks. The severity of the vulnerability wasn't that big but we decided to disable the function and play it safe. However, it eventually turned out that many different pieces of software rely upon this function.
<--

You will probably have to set it to Download by Streaming under Admin->Configuration->Attribute Settings
And turn off Download by redirect.