Blank Screen After Install / IIS 5 / PHP4 / Self-Hosted

[tantley]

Using The Following (Self-hosted) :
CPG 1.4.4
IIS 5 / PHP 4.4.0 / MySQL 4.1 / phpBB 2.0.19 Bulletin Board
CPG starts at http://xitearth.kicks-ass.org/media_server
phpInfo as http://xitearth.kicks-ass.org/projects/phpinfo.php
Full Site Name : http://xitearth.kicks-ass.org

Synopsis:
I attempted to follow the upgrade path to 1.4.4 which resulted in the blank login screen. I flushed the cache and deleted all cookies in IE on two computers with the blank login screen still displaying.

'index.php' is a default page loaded through IIS. I use phpBB 2.0.19, which was bridged with CPG 1.4.3. User rights assigned properly for IUSR browser on the server. Also, I use PHP as an ISAPI (not CGI) application.

After the failure above, I twice reinstalled CPG 1.4.4 entirely (two downloads from separate locations). I have reviewed 'blank page' through the support forum here, trying many different suggestions, but have not found any suitable resolution for this issue.

I deleted the MySQL schema for CPG, allowing 'install' to recreate the tables, to no avail. I've installed over empty directories, ran 'update.php', checked themes, double-checked user rights, RTFM, tried to load ?theme=classic from the URL, and just can not fix this problem.

I fail to see any problem with my configuration, as it previously worked without problems. I would have thought the complete reinstallation from scratch as a stand-alone gallery (versus intergrated with phpbb) would solve this issue... no such luck.

There should be sufficient info listed above for support, but I will provide any additional info on request. Thanks in advance.

[Joachim Müller]

you posted a good report of what you did and have; I wish all users would follow advices as thoroughly as you. The only thing I could think of is:
a) one (or more) files got corrupted during upload. Re-download the coppermine package from another mirror, make sure to FTP-upload using the proper mode
2) you have spaces where no spaces are suppossed to be. Did you edit any files? What FTP-app did you use?

[tantley]

I will try another mirror; this will make three different downloads altogether, though. I have not edited any files, as I am just trying to get anything to show up, and I'll reconfigure once it works.

I'm not having to FTP the files, as they are on my server here on my LAN. I'm extracting from the ZIP to the actual file directories through Windows XP, changing the user rights, but with no success after the install script runs.

Thanks for the 'good report' as I know support for such a problem is usually offered more quickly when all of the factors are known from the start. I do like CPG as it is a great application and intergrates well with what I have set up already, which is why I'm reaching out for a solution instead of looking elsewhere.

What's more important, I believe, is to have this problem resolved and documented well enough with the pertinent factors that can a 'sticky' or otherwise searchable solution. Again, thanks.

[Joachim Müller]

does the IUSR_hostname account have execute permissions on the coppermine root folder and everything within it?

[tantley]

does the IUSR_hostname account have execute permissions on the coppermine root folder and everything within it?

Yes it does. I've checked just now with properties, and believe since the install and other scripts initially work, this is an error within an include file.

As you can see in the phpinfo, I've actually placed the exact path to the CPG include directory within the php.ini file that is being read. I also know that this is the correct php.ini file being read after making temporary changes that are reflected in the phpinfo script.

The HTML source is simply the header and body statements of the php script-generated code when you browse to the location. Other non-CPG php scripts work fine in this directory; running the phpinfo.php results in a blank page, most likely due to the flush statements. My script, http://xitearth.kicks-ass.org/media_server/phpinfo_simple.php runs fine, so I'm inclined to say it is not an user rights problem for that directory or any sub-directories/files within.

I seem to remember some type of troubles in the past with php flush statements. Does this help point anyone in the right direction?

[Joachim Müller]

yes, this may be the case - coppermine uses output buffering and flush extensively.

[tantley]

yes, this may be the case - coppermine uses output buffering and flush extensively.

Would this be a problem in php that I will have to resolve? As is, I'm at a loss for a solution, other than look at other packages. (Which I very much do not want to do!)

[Joachim Müller]

split unrelated reply by doodoofan into separate thread

[tantley]

Solution Found: 

I believe the source of this error is in the 'include_path' variable set in the server's php.ini file.

I set the path explicitly to the true path for the CPG include directory- rather than "." (although I remember somewhere having this as "./" as per a previous tip.) Now the variable is set as ".;c:\php-4.4.0-win32;c:\php-4.4.0-win32\pear", using a semicolon to separate the directories.

Once I placed "." in the variable path, everything worked immediately after a server reboot. (Don't just restart the WWW service!)

Whether or not this helps others, CPG is now displaying the gallery on my server. Apparently, the install script does not rely on the include directory, which is why it and any other test scripts I made worked, but all of CPG's login/admin/etc scripts did not.

Good luck, everyone.

[Joachim Müller]

erm, yes - thanks for pointing this out. It is indeed mandatory to have the dot in the include path. I should have thought of this before and told you so, sorry. There are other apps that need the include path set up the same way, so it's best practise for all webserver setups (not only for those who want to use coppermine) to have the dot in their include path setting in php.ini.