Problems with root... still!

[Matt]

Here's the deal.

For the past four days now, the website on our server has been down. It's an internet message forum and part of a very popular community. The site went down because Apache stopped responding.

I have submitted two support tickets in the last few days asking firstly for the root passes to be changed, which they were and they didn't work.

The second ticket I submitted asked for passes to be changed again and additionally for:

Also, can you please flush the iptables, and run "locate apf" and paste the results here. We are unable to access the server via SSH and cannot do anything ourselves. At one point, when we first ordered the server, a firewall was installed, but it was deleted and the iptables were flushed. It is highly unlikely that the firewall is stopping us from accessing this server remotely. Although, I won't say it is not possible.

The reply we got was:


I've been working on your server off and on all night. Something seems to be wrong with apache. There is an error about apache not being able to serve pages as root. I checked your
/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf file and the Group and User were set for 'apache', not root....so I don't know what the problem is. I'll get somebody else on this asap. Email us back if you can give us any hints, or if you have any questions.


I re-asked the question about iptables again and got a reply this morning saying that the root pass was changed and that the firewall rules had been flushed from the server.

BUT, myself and my guys still can't access root.


Tomorrow's pay day for the server, day five of the downtime and I'm eager for this problem to be sorted somehow by someone at ServerBeach. No one can access the server via root my end, so I believe we need serious help from SB.

The reason I'm stating this publically is because (a) someone might have some advice and (b) We're desperate... People are really starting to complain to us about the lack of a message forum.


Please help.

[charlie]

well... i think i'll speak for most to say that it's going to be rather difficult to help you without that much detail. we'll take some guesses...

definitely look at your iptables or any firewall software that might be installed. i'm not sure why the focus is so much on apache, when you can't get in via ssh and other methods. this would probably suggest that the problem is not just with apache alone.

what is the url? what kind of error message do you receive? what firewall did you install?

i would try to get ssh working asap first so you can at least get to your server. i know apache running is most important, but apache's not too much of a mystery and fixing ssh may fix your apache problem.

[Matt]

Originally posted by charlie
definitely look at your iptables or any firewall software that might be installed. i'm not sure why the focus is so much on apache, when you can't get in via ssh and other methods. this would probably suggest that the problem is not just with apache alone.

Well a firewall was removed from the server one week, then when we went in again for ssh, it wouldn't let us in. I submitted the support tickets and had the root pass changed and had the firewall rules flushed and still no luck.

what is the url? what kind of error message do you receive? what firewall did you install?

www.cosforums.com - people are getting Page Cannot Be Displayed error messages.

As for firewall, I'll find out later today. I took over the server AFTER the last firewall was installed and then removed.

i would try to get ssh working asap first so you can at least get to your server. i know apache running is most important, but apache's not too much of a mystery and fixing ssh may fix your apache problem.

We have tried to get ssh working, but absolutely nothing is happening for us at our end. We've had the passwords changed three times in the last week and nothing.

I agree with you, Charlie that apache won't be a problem if we can get ssh working, but as I said we don't have the means because all our passes are being denied.


For the record, I've submitted two support tickets over the last five days and although people are helping us, we don't appear to be getting passed this ssh problem, which is why I believe it requires someone at SBs end to help us even more. :(

[Matt]

The problem has now been fixed. :)


Thanks to all those who offered help.