Order Shipped Emails Error

[saucysal]

I have upgraded all my sites from SD2016 to SD2018. They are working fine. On one of my sites, hosted by Host-It, the emails work when clicking Test in the web settings, and I receive the test emails. The automatic order received emails also work - they send and are received (I have SD set to send me a copy of each as a precaution, and I have done test orders). However, when clicking on an order to send an "Order Shipped" email, the email does not send, and I receive a lengthy error message:

"SellerDeck received a request forbidden error from the web server. The server is not properly configured to allow SellerDeck to run CGI scripts from the cgi-bin. Run Web | Configure Web Site Details... to review your web site configuration

Suggestions:
- Check that this folder exists on your server in the place specified in your 'Web | Network Setup' screen and that scripts are allowed to run in it (you may need to contact your host).

- Check the permissions:

On Linux/Unix based servers the permissions should be:
cgi-bin (755) – drwxr-xr-x
Online Store Folder (755) – drwxr-xr-x
On Windows based servers (need to be checked with the hosting company):
IIS
cgi-bin = read/execute
Online Store Folder = read/write/execute
NTFS
cgi-bin = Catalog's FTP account needs 'Change' permissions on the directory
Online Store Folder = Catalog's FTP account needs 'Change' permissions on the directory AND the IUSR_<servername> account needs to have 'Change' permissions on the directory

- There could be a setting in your firewall that could cause this problem. To test this try turning off your firewall while you perform the upload. If the upload goes through ok then you will need to find the setting that is causing the problem."

I do not understand how the other emails send fine but not this one. The settings are obviously correct otherwise the others would not send. Any suggestions?

Sarah

[Mike Hughes]

Hi Sarah,

Can you send the other emails from the desktop? and will the order shipped email send if you sent it to a different email address?

[saucysal]

Hello Mike. The error comes up with all the emails when trying to send via the Mail tab of customers' order, all email addresses, and on all the sites hosted by Host It, but not on any sites hosted by 1and1. I don't understand how the automatic order received emails, and the test emails, work OK with the Host It sites, but not manually via the customers' orders. Everything, regardless of host, was working fine in SD2016.

[Mike Hughes]

It is odd. I've only tested it on 1and1 which works so that won't help.


I'd assume the problems isn't likely to be with your PC as it works on 1and1 so the only suggestions I can make are:

1. Check your permissions on the cgi-bin are set to 755.
2. Maybe ask Host-it to look in their logs and see if they can see if something is blocking the connection on their side. They might want to know a time when the problem occurred so it would help them if you make a new attempt and keep a note of the time you did it.

[saucysal]

I contacted Host It - surprisingly somebody was working on Saturday afternoon. They changed the permissions as you suggested to 755, but I am still getting the same error message, after re-publishing.

[saucysal]

Sorted. Host It found that one of the security systems used to protect the site from malicious activity was also blocking requests, to protect against spamming, so they entered an exception to the rule. Now emails sending OK from SD orders.