File Corruptions

[laura]

I seem to be getting file corruptions with increasing frequency. I cant see any reason why this has suddenly started - its not due to any changes that have been introduced. The corruption seems to be occurrring during the transfer from the PC to the server.

What happens is that files that are OK on the PC are not being properly transferred up to the server. The main affected files seem to be ".cat" although sometimes its a ".html" - and there is no apparent pattern to which files(s) get affected at which point in time. So a file might be fine, then we download orders and upload as normal, a file is corrupted in the transfer to the server, there is no warning or error message that a problem has occurred. We only find out because a customer tells us or an error appears in the server error log or we happen to check a page and find it. We upload again and the same file is fine but perhaps another one has now been impacted or maybe everything is fine for a few download/uploads before a problem happens again.

Of course most customers dont tell us of an error they just go elsewhere .

Since it appears to be random and since we only find out there's a problem when someone tries to access that page, this issue is driving me to distraction - of course most customers dont tell us of an error they just go elsewhere.

Has anyone come across this before?
Any suggestions how to fix it?

All help would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks,

Laura

[guccij]

Who is your host?

[laura]

We are hosted by TotalChoiceHosting.

The Lembrassa site has been hosted there for about 18 months and we have not had any major problems.

Thanks,

Laura

[leehack]

A few days ago one of my customers had the script injection virus on his site, yet he was not seeing it his end, my anti-virus picked it up. He has now upgraded to malwarebytes and kaspersly as i have and the infection was found and gotten rid of. Perhaps this is similar, check your system and then change ftp and smtp passwords. I'd consider cleaning down the server and refreshing the whole thing again.

[laura]

Lee thanks for the suggestions.

We are already using Kaspersky and it is not showing anything that might casue this problem. We also downloaded and ran MalwareBytes and it gave the PC a clean bill of health.

We have cleared out the server and re-published the whole site on a few occasions recently to try and get rid of the problem. However, following that whenever we download orders and upload again one or more file corruptions may occur and so we are back in trouble again.

Thanks for taking an interest in this.

Laura

[leehack]

Hmmm...if you've changed passwords too, that kind of exhausts most of my ideas. My last one would be to change host, if that doesn't solve it, at the very least you've narrowed it down to either your system or actinic.

[laura]

Lee,

I think changing hosts would be a last resort for us and one we would be very reluctant to do. As you said there is no guarantee that that would even solve the problem.

We could download and re-install Actinic, but I thought perhaps someone else might have come across the same type of problem before and that it might be a known issue for Actinic under certain circumstances. In that case at least we might be able to change something and avoid those circumstances.

Thanks,

Laura

[guccij]

Have you been in contact with your hosts about this?

I see they have had some vulnerability issues of their own in the past.

So I'd echo what Lee suggests - changing hosts. I know you think it's a last resort, but believe me, bringining your website "home" to a UK host could help you massively for all sorts of reasons.

[laura]

Guccij,

We are in touch with our hosting company, but it is difficult asking them to look for a needle in a haystack when the needle might not even be in their haystack at all.

As for bringing the site "home", a significant proportion of our sales are to non-UK customers, so I am not sure what benefits there would actually be in going to a UK host rather than a USA host.

And to make such a change and then find the problem still exists would be such a waste of time and effort - and would leave us no better off.

Still hoping that someone else has encountered something similar and either has overcome it or at least knows what caused it.

Thanks,

Laura

[leehack]

Sounds like you are delaying the inevitable Laura. The cost to try a different host, weighed up against your time trying to solve this and far more importantly the possible loss of sales is surely not even a contest?

I wish you the best of luck, just make sure your decisions aren't based on stubbornness or a refusal to change, it really is a quick process nowadays. It's never guaranteed of course, but i'd bet a large amount on you being completely live on a new package by 4pm at the latest if you actioned the change now.

[laura]

Lee,

Surely it's only inevitable if the problem is caused by the host? So far I can't see any evidence that that is the case. In fact everything so far, including the suggestions on this thread, seems to point to something in Actinic.

I am puzzled why re-hosting became a solution? To me it just seems like a desperation move with no indication of any benefits.

Laura

[leehack]

I am puzzled why re-hosting became a solution? To me it just seems like a desperation move with no indication of any benefits.

A desperation move is surely sitting there hoping for some random miracle to appear from a poster on a public forum, that sounds a bit more deperate than proactively trying something.

You're right, it's not guaranteed to fix it, but it is guaranteed at worst to eliminate a possible problem, which in itself is progress. When you stalemate on a problem, you have to keep trying to solve it in my eyes, fingers crossed and a cup of tea won't do that.

Your system is virus free, you've changed passwords, you've cleaned down and refreshed the server, you pass a network test. All you have left is hoping for a miracle or trying a host change. Which one you choose, is completely inconsequential to me, just trying to move you forward on the problem solving road. Everything points to hosting for me, not actinic.

[leehack]

http://www.lembrassa.com/acatalog/error.err - lots of time errors showing, maybe your expiry period needs increasing, perhaps the cross pond hosting is causing an issue with time?

[pinbrook]

I seem to be getting file corruptions with increasing frequency.

in order to offer other suggestion rather than a change of host it would be helpful if you explained exactly what file corruptions you are seeing, ie how is the file corrupted? when is it corrupted, and what is the result for your site visitors?

[laura]

Lee, I appreciate all suggestions and of course this forum is not the only route we are using to try and find a cure. In terms of the timing issue you refer to, there has been an lot of correspondence on that on another thread and it doesn't seem to be related to the geography of the host. People hosted in the UK are experiencing it also.

Pinbrook, I think Lee has included a link to the error log in his last mail but here is a typical message we are seeing:-

Program = SHOPCART, Program version = 22725 , HTTP Server = Apache/2.2.11 (Unix) mod_ssl/2, Return code = 999 , Date and Time = 2010/01/19 16:46, Internal Errors = /home/mxqpsmoa/public_html/acatalog/A00081.cat is corrupt. The signature is invalid.

only the affected file varies unpredictably - differing ".cat" file, sometimes ".html", sometimes other types.

Thanks again for all the feedback. It is just as important to rule things out so that we can narrow down where the problem lies.

Thanks,

Laura