500 Internal Server Error: NOW FIXED

[sensei]

Are you getting this error message thrown when you submit a response to a topic or trying to send a PM? This is evidently a bug in the new forum configuration, probably lurking in the new server rather than in the software being used to generate and maintain the forum. So we can rout it out, the Team would appreciate your reporting when you had this error thrown and what you were doing at the time.

It's unlikely to be caused by individual users' configurations, but just in case, let us know what computer, OS, and browser program you were using.

And, obviously, if you're finding other forum capabilities malfunctioning, please let the Team know at once.

[JWR]

The host is working on this, In the meantime you can still post. You will get the Server error message, just hit the back button(do not hit submit again or you will double post) then the Quick links dropdown then hit new posts. You will see that your post is visible.

[sensei]

The server host is aware of this continuing problem, and between their IT staff and the mod/admin team we are still working on the issue. The problem is that there does not seem to be an identifiable trigger for this error message, and the problem recurs at odd times and resolves spontaneously, then recurs again. It has appeared both when submitting posts to a forum and also when sending PMs.

Bottom line, though, is that it appears to be no more than a nuisance and not a genuine error. Despite the content of the error notice, your message has in fact been posted to the forum or sent to the Beta user.

You can check this by backtracking to the forum or to your PM page and checking. Obviously, the message will be visible now on the forum, and you can find your PM by looking in "Outbox." (Remember, "Outbox" contains messages that you have sent but have not been opened by the recipient. As soon as your message is read, it will automatically move to "Sent Messages." So if you expect the person you're PMing to be on Beta when you send it, look in both places to confirm that it did go out.)

[sensei]

A brief update: the Team, along with the new server's IT staff, continue to try to diagnose why these "500 Internal Server Error" messages are being thrown. It is an intermittent fault, i.e., one that is not caused by any single factor but by an essentially random combination of factors. These are extremely difficult to troubleshoot, but we can now confirm the following:

• 1. No error is in fact occurring per the error logs kept on the server.
  2. Beta is working properly per repeated checks to ensure that posts were made and PMs sent.

Presumably this is an issue with configuration of the phpBB software with the host, and not a problem with either system on its own. That means that the cause will be very tricky to diagnose, so patience is needed.

In the mean time, the error message can be considered a harmless nuisance (similar to others Beta has suffered through in the past, like the "Connection was Reset" message from this past Spring/Summer) and it can be safely ignored. Simply go back a page or two, refresh if you like to make sure that the message went through, and continue browsing the site as usual.

Further updates as we learn more about the intermittent causing this issue.

[sensei]

A non-essential function that was operating in the background of Beta's operations has been detected and deleted as a possible cause for this error message. None of the ordinary features of the site should be affected in any way by this deletion. The Team has since tested the posting and PM functions thoroughly with no problems, so it is likely that this problem is now fixed.

That said, as it was an intermittent, we may just have been lucky. If anyone experiences this problem from this point on, please notify The Team at once, with details and if possible a screen grab of the error message.

Otherwise, the site now appears to be operating normally and without problems. Our apologies for the nuisance and our thanks for your patience and support of Anime-Beta.