Complete loss - works on 2 of 3 exact same servers - Admin does not Load

I have installed the zencart system on 3 exact servers within the same network and only two of three work fine. On the one machine that it does not work on, the front end works, but NO admin. I have the SSL disabled for catalog AND for admin access. I have ALL of the correct folder permissions, even removed ALL permissions and reset them and let them propogate back.I have uninstalled ALL oher services from the machine in question including mysql to help determine the problem. It's a windows 2003 server with php 5.2.10 , i have tried both zen cart 1.3.8 and 1.3.8a and no matter what I do, the front end works on all sites, but the backend (admin) will not work on the one server in question AT ALL. But works fine on the other two. The error debugging tool downloaded from the software add-ons DOES NOT work either. Neither in the front end that works nor the back end that does not load at all. It just hangs.

I have been trying for over a week and I am at a complete loss.

craigtrombly:

It just hangs.
I'm not sure I fully understand the symptoms.

When you go to your admin URL, is that where it hangs?
Or does it let you type in your login information first, and then it "hangs"?
What does "hang" mean? A blank screen? with or without an hourglass? Does the browser status bar say that it's trying to load the page, and just never update that status? Or does it quickly switch to a "loading page" message and then switch back to a normal status as if the page has finished loading?

craigtrombly:

I have installed the zencart system on 3 exact servers within the same network and only two of three work fine.
So, I know that the Zen Cart software is likely the same on all 3 servers, at least insomuch as it probably came from the same copy of the same zip file in all three cases.

I have to let you speak for your servers though. You said they're exactly the same. Let's hope so or I'm wasting my time if I try to debug what's wrong and it's really the server.

craigtrombly:

The error debugging tool downloaded from the software add-ons DOES NOT work either. Neither in the front end that works nor the back end that does not load at all.The debug logging utility which you say "DOES NOT work either" is intended to create a text file storing any PHP errors encountered during normal execution.

By saying "DOES NOT work", do you mean there's some sort of problem with it? Or do you just mean you're not seeing any log files and assuming from the lack of any errors being reported that that means the tool doesn't work?

DrByte:

I'm not sure I fully understand the symptoms.

When you go to your admin URL, is that where it hangs?
Or does it let you type in your login information first, and then it "hangs"?
What does "hang" mean? A blank screen? with or without an hourglass? Does the browser status bar say that it's trying to load the page, and just never update that status? Or does it quickly switch to a "loading page" message and then switch back to a normal status as if the page has finished loading?

It does not even load the login boxes or prompt to login in anyway shape or form. The entire page just hangs in the browser and never completes the response from IIS, nor does it even timeout from the server.

DrByte:

So, I know that the Zen Cart software is likely the same on all 3 servers, at least insomuch as it probably came from the same copy of the same zip file in all three cases.

I have to let you speak for your servers though. You said they're exactly the same. Let's hope so or I'm wasting my time if I try to debug what's wrong and it's really the server.

The debug logging utility which you say "DOES NOT work either" is intended to create a text file storing any PHP errors encountered during normal execution.

By saying "DOES NOT work", do you mean there's some sort of problem with it? Or do you just mean you're not seeing any log files and assuming from the lack of any errors being reported that that means the tool doesn't work?

When i say they are exactly the same, I mean they are all up to date Windows 2003 servers with just IIS and some websites on them, no Mysql, No SQL Server all other services are on other machines. All have PHP 5.2.10, all have a handful of web apps (ASP,C#) and php sites on them.

I am not seeing any logfiles from the debug tool, I am seeing session logs when I visit the front end in the cache folder. but no debug logs.

craigtrombly:

It does not even load the login boxes or prompt to login in anyway shape or form. The entire page just hangs in the browser and never completes the response from IIS, nor does it even timeout from the server.

Does it behave any differently if you go to (via browser) your /admin/index.php directly (instead of just /admin/ ) ?
What if you go to /admin/login.php directly?

craigtrombly:

I am not seeing any logfiles from the debug tool, I am seeing session logs when I visit the front end in the cache folder. but no debug logs.
Okay, so that indicates that there are no PHP errors being thrown, or else the PHP configuration is prohibiting its internal error reporting facility from functioning at all (unlikely unless you did that intentionally).

DrByte:

Does it behave any differently if you go to (via browser) your /admin/index.php directly (instead of just /admin/ ) ?
What if you go to /admin/login.php directly?

No it behaves the same, and if I query any other php page in the admin section. I checked my default doc in IIS and it is the index.php page. Any php page that is defined as the admin application hangs, I have even removed ALL IUSR_{machine_name} permissions and re-set them with propogation to ensure that it is not any kind of filesystem permission issue and I have even checked against other server installs to make sure ALL of the files are there from the download and install.

DrByte:

Okay, so that indicates that there are no PHP errors being thrown, or else the PHP configuration is prohibiting its internal error reporting facility from functioning at all (unlikely unless you did that intentionally).

No i would not do that, especially becuase i have been trying to get this working for weeks, i have clients ready to setup.

Okay, well, you're going to have to get your hands dirty and start looking at the code line-by-line, and adding some debug statements inside to see what does run, and where it hangs.

Is this server on the public internet? or only on a private internal network?

DrByte:

Okay, well, you're going to have to get your hands dirty and start looking at the code line-by-line, and adding some debug statements inside to see what does run, and where it hangs.

Is this server on the public internet? or only on a private internal network?

This is a public dedicated server, I have complete Remote Access to it. I have already written other PHP code for some related features for this cart for other of my clients and can easily make changes per your request.

"Remote Access" is handy, but does it have an FTP service running on it? If so, PM me and maybe we can work together on getting to the bottom of the problem.

It seems that IIS is doing some sort of extra redirect action, causing it to end up in a loop that finally times out.

Too many redirects occurred trying to open {url removed}. This might occur if you open a page that is redirected to open another page which then is redirected to open the original page.

The server that's not working is using PHP 5.2.4 ... which has a bug in its IIS version: http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74326

Upgrading to at least PHP 5.2.5 on your IIS server should resolve the problem.

craigtrombly:

When i say they are exactly the same, I mean they are all up to date Windows 2003 servers with just IIS and some websites on them, no Mysql, No SQL Server all other services are on other machines. All have PHP 5.2.10, all have a handful of web apps (ASP,C#) and php sites on them.Seems like your "3 exact same servers" ... aren't exactly the same :blush: