configure.php not writeable error

[lonestarvero]

Installing zen-cart v1.50 on CentOS 6.2. Directory structure copied to /var/www. Screen at step three of install, "Prerequistes" shows admin/includes/configure.php and includes/configure.php are not writable although their permissions have been chmod 0777 and an unprivileged user can in fact write to both those files. See terminal output below.

Copied from "Prerequisites" page.

admin configure.php is not writeable more info...
store configure.php is not writeable more info...

Terminal from my troubleshooting.

[LSF@mail includes]$ pwd
/var/www/includes
[LSF@mail includes]$ ls -l
total 128
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 529 Feb 27 11:46 application_bottom.php
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 6795 Feb 27 11:46 application_top.php
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 auto_loaders
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 4050 Feb 27 11:46 autoload_func.php
drwxrwxrwx 5 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 classes
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 2841 Feb 27 11:46 configure.php
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 2329 Feb 27 11:46 counter.php
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 6199 Feb 27 11:46 database_tables.php
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 extra_cart_actions
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 extra_configures
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 extra_datafiles
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 9894 Feb 27 11:46 filenames.php
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 6913 Feb 27 11:46 form_check.js.php
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 functions
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 5842 Feb 27 11:46 general.js
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 index_filters
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 111 Feb 27 11:46 index.html
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 init_includes
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 1486 Feb 27 11:46 initsystem.php
drwxrwxrwx 4 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 languages
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 2332 Feb 27 11:46 main_cart_actions.php
drwxrwxrwx 9 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 modules
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 5488 Feb 27 11:46 spiders.txt
drwxrwxrwx 4 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 templates
-rw-r--r-- 1 LSF LSF 980 Feb 27 11:46 version.php

[LSF@mail includes]$ cd /var/www/admin/includes
[LSF@mail includes]$ pwd
/var/www/admin/includes
[LSF@mail includes]$ ls -l
total 200
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 1034 Feb 27 11:46 admin_access.css
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 583 Feb 27 11:46 application_bottom.php
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 5896 Feb 27 11:46 application_top.php
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 41631 Feb 27 11:46 attributes_preview.php
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 auto_loaders
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 classes
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 705 Feb 27 11:46 column_left.php
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 4506 Feb 27 11:46 configure.php
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 284 Feb 27 11:46 cssjsmenuhover.css
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 extra_configures
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 extra_datafiles
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 1620 Feb 27 11:46 footer.php
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 functions
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 833 Feb 27 11:46 general.js
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 graphs
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 980 Feb 27 11:46 header_navigation.php
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 13552 Feb 27 11:46 header.php
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 1089 Feb 27 11:46 index.css
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 118 Feb 27 11:46 index.html
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 init_includes
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 1559 Feb 27 11:46 initsystem.php
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 javascript
drwxrwxrwx 3 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 languages
drwxrwxrwx 2 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 local
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 1480 Feb 27 11:46 menu.css
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 9641 Feb 27 11:46 menu.js
drwxrwxrwx 8 LSF LSF 4096 Feb 27 11:46 modules
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 9418 Feb 27 11:46 nde-basic.css
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 7037 Feb 27 11:46 stylesheet.css
-rwxrwxrwx 1 LSF LSF 437 Feb 27 11:46 stylesheet_print.css
[LSF@mail includes]$

[LSF@mail ~]$ echo "This is a test write to /var/www/includes/configure.php" >> /var/www/includes/configure.php

[LSF@mail ~]$ cd /var/www/admin/includes
[LSF@mail includes]$ pwd
/var/www/admin/includes
[LSF@mail includes]$ echo "This is a test write to /var/www/admin/includes/configure.php" >> /var/www/admin/includes/configure.php
[LSF@mail includes]$

cat output of config.php files truncated to sjhow write did in fact occur.

<snip>
// The next 2 "defines" are for SQL cache support.
// For SQL_CACHE_METHOD, you can select from: none, database, or file
// If you choose "file", then you need to set the DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE to a directory where your apache
// or webserver user has write privileges (chmod 666 or 777). We recommend using the "cache" folder inside the Zen Cart folder
// ie: /path/to/your/webspace/public_html/zen/cache -- leave no trailing slash
define('SQL_CACHE_METHOD', 'none');
define('DIR_FS_SQL_CACHE', '/enter/your/path/to/public_html_or_htdocs/and/zencart/here/zen/cache');
This is a test write to /var/www/includes/configure.php

<snip>
//Explanations of the webserver and path parameters:
// HTTP_SERVER is your Main webserver: eg-http://www.yourdomain.com
// HTTPS_SERVER is your Secure webserver: eg-https://www.yourdomain.com
// HTTP_CATALOG_SERVER is your Main webserver: eg-http://www.yourdomain.com
// HTTPS_CATALOG_SERVER is your Secure webserver: eg-https://www.yourdomain.com
/*
* URL's for your site will be built via:
* HTTP_SERVER plus DIR_WS_ADMIN or
* HTTPS_SERVER plus DIR_WS_HTTPS_ADMIN or
* HTTP_SERVER plus DIR_WS_CATALOG or
* HTTPS_SERVER plus DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG
* ...depending on your system configuration settings
*/This is a test write to /var/www/admin/includes/configure.php

[lonestarvero]

Replying to my own post. Forgot to mention this is a self hosted box so I have physical access to box with no intervening admin tools such as c-panel, etc.

[DrByte]

Zen Cart is only telling you that PHP is reporting that the files are not writable.

Your tests for your generic unprivileged user are not testing whether PHP is able to write.

Zen Cart can only report to you what the server is enforcing upon the software. And, if it's telling you the files are unwritable, then it has been unable to write when it attempted to do so.

You'll need to sort out the problems preventing PHP on your server from being able to open those files with write privileges.

[lonestarvero]

O.K., I guess that makes sense but if permissions are 0777, which they are, is there something in particular I should be looking for in php config?

[LSF@mail ~]$ rpm -q php
php-5.3.3-3.el6_2.6.x86_64

Thanks for the response.

[RescoCCC]

Try setting permissions to 755 and see what happens.

[lonestarvero]

Thanks for the suggestion but no joy. Had previously tried 0777 and 0666 per documentation. Tried 0755 per your suggestion but still get same 2 errors.

Anyone know what user/group are appropriate?

Thanks in advance.

[DrByte]

Anyone know what user/group are appropriate?

Yes: whatever user/group your PHP instance uses (and that's often determined by Apache).

Questions about configuring PHP and Apache and Operating System and File System permissions are best asked on websites devoted those topics.

As I said before, Zen Cart is merely the messenger, telling you that it's unable to open the files for writing purposes, and the filesystem along with PHP are sending back a failure response.

[lonestarvero]

Just to finish this thread, the "non writable " error messages were finally resolved by deleting the entire zen-cart install and starting over. Second time worked fine.

Also for those installing on RHEL 6/CentOS 6, don't forget to install php-mysql and php-gd packages and do a service httpd restart afterwords.

Now if I can just figure out how to build the store. ;-/

Thanks for everyone's input.