Infinite install loop

[Matteo]

I am installing Froxlor 10 on Debian 10 with MySQL and Apache2 on a home web server.

I get to the installation screen by going to localhost/froxlor and I get

"Welcome to Froxlor"

"It seems that Froxlor has not been installed yet."
"Click on the link below to start the installation."

I click "Start Install" and get to this page:

Checking system requirements...

All requirements are satisfied [green] and this is at the bottom:

All requirements are satisfied

 

Clicking the link to continue takes me to:

Database connection

MySQL-Hostname:

Database name:

Username for the unprivileged MySQL-account:

Password for the unprivileged MySQL-account:

Username for the MySQL-root-account:

Password for the MySQL-root-account:

 

Administrator Account

Administrator Username:

Administrator Password:

Administrator-Password (confirm):

Enable the official newsfeed
(https://inside.froxlor.org/news/):

 

Server settings

Server name (FQDN, no ip-address):

Server IP:

Webserver Apache 2.4:

HTTP username:

HTTP groupname:

 

[With all the correct fields and passwords filled in...]

Clicking the [continue] button takes me to the success screen...:

Froxlor install - setup

Checking MySQL-root access...	OK
Creating backup of old database...	OK
Preparing database...	OK
Creating database and username...	OK
Testing if database and user have been created correctly...	OK
Importing data...	OK
Adjusting settings...	OK
Inserting new values...	OK
Creating admin-account...	OK
Creating configfile...	File was saved in /...

Froxlor was installed successfully.

 

Clicking the login button takes me to this:

"Welcome to Froxlor"

"It seems that Froxlor has not been installed yet."
"Click on the link below to start the installation."

And the process starts all over again...

It doesn't matter which browser I use - Chrome, Firefox - the result is the same.

I am a new Linux user, so some help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Ravi]

On 5/1/2020 at 9:42 PM, Matteo said:

I looked under /tmp/ first, that is why I said nothing was there.  I then went and searched the entire file structure and the file is under /tmp/***apache2***/  <-- really long directory name here...  The directory under which you find the file in question is difficult to locate since it isn't identified as a Froxlor directory, but rather it is namespaced under apache2.

Also, every time you rerun the initialization script, it will generate a new file name under this pseudo-apache2 directory.

Moving it to the specified folder fixed the problem as /var/www/example/froxlor/userdata.inc.php

Thanks

I am facing the same issue. I did try to locate the file but in vain as you have mentioned. It is really difficult to locate. Can you help me with step by step process and commands used to find and move the file to  help me fix the problem at my end.

[d00p]

Well, the messages clearly state what you should do. What else do you need?

[d00p]

So you're not reading correctly, section "Creating configfile" has clearly not a green result, you should pay attention to what's written there and follow instructions displayed

[Matteo]

6 hours ago, d00p said:

So you're not reading correctly, section "Creating configfile" has clearly not a green result, you should pay attention to what's written there and follow instructions displayed

Ok, I see my mistake.  I re-run the installer and see this in yellow (which I presume doesn't mean "failed" as that would be red, but "caution, do this", which in fact is what it is telling me to do):

File was saved in /tmp/fx7ROK0g, please move to /var/www/example/froxlor/lib/userdata.inc.php

A quick check of my system shows no file or directory named "fx7ROK0g' anywhere in the file manager.  So while it is telling me to move a file that was created, it was never created.  I have checked for hidden files and everything under '/var/*" and there is no file with that name.

Please advise...

[d00p]

under /var/???? it CLEARLY says it's stored in /tmp/

Or just chown your /var/www/froxlor directory with user "www-data" (or which ever applies to your system's webserver user) and be gone with that problem

[Ravi]

6 hours ago, d00p said:

Well, the messages clearly state what you should do. What else do you need?

I am not able to locate the file or apache2 folder to enable it to be moved to var/www/html/froxlor....

Please help

[Matteo]

1 hour ago, d00p said:

under /var/???? it CLEARLY says it's stored in /tmp/

Or just chown your /var/www/froxlor directory with user "www-data" (or which ever applies to your system's webserver user) and be gone with that problem

I looked under /tmp/ first, that is why I said nothing was there.  I then went and searched the entire file structure and the file is under /tmp/***apache2***/  <-- really long directory name here...  The directory under which you find the file in question is difficult to locate since it isn't identified as a Froxlor directory, but rather it is namespaced under apache2.

Also, every time you rerun the initialization script, it will generate a new file name under this pseudo-apache2 directory.

Moving it to the specified folder fixed the problem as /var/www/example/froxlor/userdata.inc.php

Thanks

[d00p]

No idea what you guys do. Just chown /var/www/froxlor to www-data and the installation will be able to create the file right away at the correct destination. Anything else is just fallback. And if the Webserver is not able to create files in /tmp/ which should be world writable then i can't help it

[d00p]

1 minute ago, Matteo said:

Also, every time you rerun the initialization script, it will generate a new file name under this pseudo-apache2 directory.

1) sure it generates a new file name, it uses tempnam() and sys_get_temp_dir()

2) even if the file is somehow generated in another temp_dir (as said, we're using php's sys_get_temp_dir() function) then it would TELL you where to find that file and in your case it said /tmp/ 

3) again: if the ownership of the froxlor files is correctly set to the webserver user you won't even be in that situation because then the installer is allowed to write its config file to /var/www/froxlor/lib/ itself

5 minutes ago, Matteo said:

Moving it to the specified folder fixed the problem as /var/www/example/froxlor/userdata.inc.php

of course it does...that's the whole point of the message that is being displayed