Upgrade has warnings when open_basedir is in effect

[Oded]

With open_basedir set in PHP to not include where the PHP error log is stored, the database upgrade process shows two PHP warnings (in red with full stack traces - not user friendly at all):

---8<-----
( ! ) Warning: is_writable() [function.is-writable]: open_basedir restriction in effect. File(/var/log/httpd/php-errors_log) is not within the allowed path(s): (/usr/lib/pear:/usr/share/pear/:/usr/share/php-adodb/:/usr/share/php-jaffa/:/var/www:/var/tmp/:/tmp:/vhosts/coil/geek/public_html) in /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 500
Call Stack
# Time Function Location
1 0.0020 {main}() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/upgrade.php:0
2 0.9184 wp_upgrade() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/upgrade.php:68
3 0.9213 make_db_current_silent() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php:149
4 0.9214 dbDelta() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php:1109
5 1.0854 wpdb->query() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php:1090
6 1.0957 wpdb->print_error() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php:616
7 1.0963 is_writable () /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php:500

( ! ) Warning: is_writable() [function.is-writable]: open_basedir restriction in effect. File(/var/log/httpd/php-errors_log) is not within the allowed path(s): (/usr/lib/pear:/usr/share/pear/:/usr/share/php-adodb/:/usr/share/php-jaffa/:/var/www:/var/tmp/:/tmp:/vhosts/coil/geek/public_html) in /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 500
Call Stack
# Time Function Location
1 0.0020 {main}() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/upgrade.php:0
2 0.9184 wp_upgrade() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/upgrade.php:68
3 0.9213 make_db_current_silent() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php:149
4 0.9214 dbDelta() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php:1109
5 1.0982 wpdb->query() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php:1090
6 1.0994 wpdb->print_error() /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php:616
7 1.0999 is_writable () /vhosts/coil/geek/public_html/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php:500
---8<-----

The fix should be simple - in wp-includes/wp-db.php, line 500, use the "don't show warnings" syntax in the call to is_writable, changing that line to:

if ( !empty($log_file) && ('syslog' != $log_file) && !@is_writable($log_file) )

[santosj]

I think the cause should be corrected instead of covering up the symptom.

[Otto42]

is_writable is not particularly reliable, so using it would be a bad move, IMO.

Basically, the error stems from attempting to use the standard PHP error_log function when the host has implemented security such that the default error log is not allowed to be written to.

You could fix this by setting the error_log setting to a writable file (using ini_set). Alternatively, you could just turn off error logging by setting log_errors to false (also using ini_set).

[ryan]

ini_set would also need to be silenced because hosts disable it too.

[santosj]

I think it is disabled during safe_mode is on.

[santosj]

You know, I created a ticket and a patch that can be used to log errors.

[santosj]

#5669

[ryan]

(In [9199]) silence is_writable() warnings. see #7640

[ryan]

I papered over the problem for now. Moving this ticket to 2.8 for a more thoughtful fix.

[mrmist]

According to the forum you also hit this with Post edits so it could be a bigger issue. ​http://wordpress.org/support/topic/224372?replies=2#post-921404

[DD32]

According to the forum you also hit this with Post edits so it could be a bigger issue. ​http://wordpress.org/support/topic/224372?replies=2#post-921404

That appears to be realpath() breaking & returning false.. Bloody nuisance that function is.. I dont think its completely related to this ticket though.

[Denis-de-Bernardy]

Could we just not make WP die with an angry error message (i.e. Get a real host!) when safe_mode and similar restrictions are on? After all, they're getting deprecated... :-)

[DD32]

Could we just not make WP die with an angry error message (i.e. Get a real host!) when safe_mode and similar restrictions are on? After all, they're getting deprecated... :-)

Unfortunately thats against WordPress's (and most developers) instincts of supporting users :)

[Denis-de-Bernardy]

sending this to the oubliette, then...

[Denis-de-Bernardy]

see also: #5953 (end of ticket related to realpath())

[hakre]

The reporter of this ticket is in error. First of all the messages he is reporting are beautified by xdebug. secondly it's the server configuration that is misleading here. error logging of php is logging into a file where open basedir does not allow it. so this is a configuration issue.

I will close the ticket as invalid now.

[dd32]

Closing as fixed as the is_writable() warnings were silenced. Which as hakre has pointed out, Is about the most one can expect from this due to it being a bad PHP configuration.