# error message when starting new thread



## linsj (Feb 13, 2011)

For two days I've tried to start a new thread in the Wyndham forum but keep getting this message:

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, webmaster@tugbbs.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.


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## TUGBrian (Feb 13, 2011)

when was the most recent time you got this message?

we had some maint done on the server last night and today, but no issues have been reported since early this evening when the last changes were made.


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## linsj (Feb 14, 2011)

I just tried again and got the same message. (I've had limited Internet access the past few days.)


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## TUGBrian (Feb 14, 2011)

quite bizarre as you were able to start this thread without issue?

its only in the marriott forum?


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## linsj (Feb 14, 2011)

TUGBrian said:


> quite bizarre as you were able to start this thread without issue?
> 
> its only in the marriott forum?



I know. It's only in the Wyndham forum. I tried two browsers and clearing the cache. Still getting that error message.


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## TUGBrian (Feb 14, 2011)

just post your new thread here and Ill (or another mod) will move it to the wyndham forum as a workaround for now.


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## linsj (Feb 15, 2011)

TUGBrian said:


> just post your new thread here and Ill (or another mod) will move it to the wyndham forum as a workaround for now.



I just tried this but got the same error message here. So I'll wait until I get back home and hope it works then. This is so weird.


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## Makai Guy (Feb 15, 2011)

Have heard from another user who was unable to start a new thread, this time in the US Eastern forum.  She received the identical error message.


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## TUGBrian (Feb 15, 2011)

can you (or anyone else having the issue) attempt to just start a very basic thread...

like "this is a test thread" for the subject line, with the same item in the thread content.

given the nature of these errors, it has to be something within the content of whats being posted.


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## linsj (Feb 16, 2011)

*test thread*

oops. I didn't mean to put it in this thread.


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## Makai Guy (Feb 16, 2011)

In exploring the problem with the poster in the US Eastern forum, it seems there was one particular sentence in her post that was causing the problem.  It took quite a bit of playing around with trial and error posts, removing first one paragraph then another, and then one sentence and then another, to isolate the problem.  After several attempts at rewording that one sentence, the problem went away.  

I have no clue as to what the actual root cause is.  There was nothing unusual about the 'problem' sentence that I could see.  But neither she nor I could post that sentence, so I don't think it was a user account specific problem.


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## linsj (Feb 21, 2011)

*thread that won't post*

*Makai Guy or TUGBrian,* I've tried sending the post to Makai Guy via private message and email, as well as posting it in this thread; but I keep getting the same error message. Will one of you please send me an email message, so I can send the post outside of TUG to see if you can figure out why it's triggering an error? This is _really_ frustrating. Thanks.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

Could it be a censored word?


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## TUGBrian (Feb 21, 2011)

in what ive seen, it regards capital letters.

try removing all capital letters, especially if you have some that are two or 3 letters in a row capitalized (like abbreviations)

in regards to lins' post, doug emailed you with the information that would allow you to post the message, please check your spam/junk folder if you did not get it in your inbox.

removing the first paragraph of your post allowed the rest of the post to get submitted just fine.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

Hmm, that's INTERESTING.  (Just testing.)


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## Makai Guy (Feb 21, 2011)

Brian and I had a few emails and PMs going back and forth regarding the second poster's problem, but I don't recall any emails on linsj's specifically.

You can always email us at admin@tugbbs.com.

As we don't understand the cause of the problem we can't tell you a whole lot about how to fix it.  It seems to have started with some additional security settings implemented by our server, but that may be a coincidence.

I outlined in a post above the method I used to troubleshoot the other post.  That's all I can suggest for you, too.

Here is the previous 'problem sentence' with a space between each letter to allow it to post.   As you can see, there is nothing particularly odd about that sentence (placed in code tags so that the spaces are not removed by the html display):

```
T h e   a l t e r n a t i v e   i s   t o   d r o p   t h e   c a r   b a c k   o f f   a t    t h e   r e g i o n a l   a i r p o r t   a n d   f l y   C a p e   A i r   b a c k   t   o   B o s t o n   t o   f l y   h o m e   f r o m   t h e r e .
```
When reworded to:
The alternative is to return the car to the regional airport, return to Boston via Cape Air, then fly home from there.​.. it posted okay.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

That's really strange.

FWIW, if you use "Preview Post", it gives them same error (but doesn't post if you don't get the error).

I took words out of the problem text until I found the smallest group of words that causes the error.  The following combination of words causes the error, but removing any one of the words will work fine:


```
d r o p   f l y   h o m e   f r o m   t h e r e
```

Really strange.


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## TUGBrian (Feb 21, 2011)

definately up there on my weirdometer thats for sure.


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## linsj (Feb 21, 2011)

I didn't get an email from Makai Guy; even checked my junk folder. I sent the message via email to the address above.

I had VIP in the title; took that out but still wouldn't go through. No censored words in it. Just bizarre.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

FWIW, here's an even smaller snippet that causes the error:


```
d r o p   y   h   f r o m   t
```
Any letter removed from that and it works.  The y and h can be swapped and still get the error, but many other rearranging of the words/letters works okay.

I hope you let us know when you figure this out.  My curiousity has the best of me.


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## TUGBrian (Feb 21, 2011)

perhaps im just losing my mind


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

Do you know where/how to check your server logs? The web site error log should have enough information to at least point you in the right direction.


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## TUGBrian (Feb 21, 2011)

eh, been fighting little bugs like this for awahile ever since we added a bunch of security "tweaks" to the site.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

That kind of makes sense, now that I look at the words that are causing problems...

DROP * FROM *

That looks like SQL code. The security software probably thinks that we're trying to inject SQL code.

(Sure enough, this wouldn't post. Had to edit it a bit.)


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## Makai Guy (Feb 21, 2011)

linsj said:


> I didn't get an email from Makai Guy; even checked my junk folder. I sent the message via email to the address above.



Email received, and replied to.

It didn't like the first sentence:

```
A   f r i e n d   a t t e n d e d   a n   o w n e r ' s   u p d a t e   a n d   i s   n o w   t h i n k i n g   a b o u t   p u t t i n g   h e r   P a h i o   d e e d   i n t o   W y n d h a m   p o i n t s .
```

Posts okay when reworded to:

After attending an owner's update, a friend is now thinking about putting her Pahio deed into Wyndham points.


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## Makai Guy (Feb 21, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> That kind of makes sense, now that I look at the words that are causing problems...
> 
> DROP * FROM *
> 
> ...



I believe Brian said the server logs do report these as SQL access prohibited errors.


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## MichaelColey (Feb 21, 2011)

The second example has SQL keywords in it, too:

INSERT * INTO *

Yep, wouldn't let me post that without editing it.  (I inserted BBCODE to turn bold on and off in the middle of one of the words.)


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## Makai Guy (Feb 21, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> The second example has SQL keywords in it, too:
> 
> INSERT * INTO *
> 
> Yep, wouldn't let me post that without editing it.  (I inserted BBCODE to turn bold on and off in the middle of one of the words.)



Don't see INSERT in the original one anywhere (?)

PUT maybe?


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## MichaelColey (Feb 22, 2011)

Sorry, it was UPDATE. But INSERT triggers it, too.

It's definitely the security trying to prevent SQL injections.  Individual words doesn't do it, but the right pairs of words on the same line cause the error.


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## TUGBrian (Mar 1, 2011)

ok. latest tech claims to have a solution for all this nonsense...please let me know if you recieve any more errors like the kind above when starting new threads or replying to existing ones!


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## Makai Guy (Mar 1, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> Sorry, it was UPDATE. But INSERT triggers it, too.
> 
> It's definitely the security trying to prevent SQL injections.  Individual words doesn't do it, but the right pairs of words on the same line cause the error.



Not sure the words even have to be on the same line.  Just ran into one where if I removed either of two different paragraphs it would post, so it could be that the parameter which follows the operational keyword may not even have to be on the same line.

BTW, in this case the 'trigger' word was, indeed UPDATE, although I was surprised to see that 'updates' (plural) was what was actually triggering it.  Using your trick and changing it to '[noparse]updates[/noparse]' allowed it to post.

Also interesting, the OP was able to send his text to me in a Private Message via the bbs, which I would never had guessed would go through.


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## Makai Guy (Mar 1, 2011)

TUGBrian said:


> ok. latest tech claims to have a solution for all this nonsense...please let me know if you recieve any more errors like the kind above when starting new threads or replying to existing ones!



Looks good, so far.  I tried posting the most recent 'problem' message in my test forum, where it would NOT post earlier today, and it posted without difficulty.

Keep yer phalanges overlapped...


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