i think as some of us have gathered, SFN has been down - however i got the strangest message when i tried to load a thread:

 

Security Alert! The PHP CGI cannot be accessed directly.

This PHP CGI binary was compiled with force-cgi-redirect enabled. This means that a page will only be served up if the REDIRECT_STATUS CGI variable is set' date=' e.g. via an Apache Action directive.

For more information as to why this behaviour exists, see the manual page for CGI security.

For more information about changing this behaviour or re-enabling this webserver, consult the installation file that came with this distribution, or visit the manual page.[/quote']

this is opposed to a blank screen or message saying that there were DB probs [when the main page was accessed]

 

so i just wondered what that strange message was or meant - i did some research and it seemed to just be stuff about PHP scripting and stuff, so why did the message appear in the first place - when the problem was with the server.

Because it was the server reporting a problem, which is completely normal behaviour for a server that has a problem.

 

Mystery solved.

but why did this part of the message appear?:

 

This PHP CGI binary was compiled with force-cgi-redirect enabled. This means that a page will only be served up if the REDIRECT_STATUS CGI variable is set, e.g. via an Apache Action directive

 

ok, so SFN uses a PHP CGI, but why the stuff about how it was compiled and that the conditions of when it would be served?

Because the PHP config on the server was set to give diagnostic responses to problems, in order to help the person who was fixing it?

 

That would be my guess, what with the server being borked and all.

the server generated an error number, that number took you to the "most likely" of reasons for that code number, nothing else

 

well I say "Nothing else" it`s was damn frustrating !

ok, so SFN uses a PHP CGI, but why the stuff about how it was compiled and that the conditions of when it would be served?

 

Generally speaking, it's a "bad idea" to run PHP as a CGI client when you have the entire libphp module that can be built into apache2. The main reasons for this are the obvious ones: security and performance.

 

That message was just php telling people that it'd been misconfigured. It would be rather annoying if it just said "something's wrong, deal with it."

It would be rather annoying if it just said "something's wrong, deal with it."

lolly roffles!

(yes i have seen your sig)

 

thanks though.... (to all of you)

 

when the message came up i did some research, seemingly it is a REALLY BAD idea to run PHP as a CGI, i knew it was a not so good way of doing it.... but apparently security is quite a big issue, or a least, bigger than i thought.

For some reason my sfn bookmark no longer works...

http://www.scienceforums.net

 

hit that then add to faves.

 

 

as for WHY it did that???? maybe you use a different url? p`haps linking to a specific page?

http://www.scienceforums.net/ <---- Bookmark url

 

Your URL didn’t work either! This is so weird.

Does it give you an error? What does it say? Try clearing your cache..

if MY url doesn`t work (as in my personal one) then it`s certainly something YOUR end (

how can a bookmark not work? its just a link to a site..... sounds like your computer's dodgy

Try clearing your cache..

 

That worked. Thanks Blike.

Unfortunately that means there are still people who are getting that page when they point their browser here.

my cache never does that kinda thing.... coz whenever i go to a page, even if its stored in my cache, the internet tries to refresh the page or look for updates, consequently lance's problem couldnt happen to me.

 

why does the cache not update itself like mine does?

i thought it was default to act like mine and refresh the page

 

whats the point in not updating the cache?, if its so you dont need to go online, surely you can select 'work offline' and THEN the cache shouldnt update.

Whenever I try to access SFN it wants to open a Picture-It! document. I hit cancel.

The only way I got here was searching Google for it, looking at the cache, and clicking a link there.

why does the cache not update itself like mine does?

i thought it was default to act like mine and refresh the page

 

whats the point in not updating the cache?' date=' if its so you dont need to go online, surely you can select 'work offline' and THEN the cache shouldnt update.[/quote']

The point of a cache is to store common files so that you don't need to download as many components to view a commonly-accessed page.

 

Even if a browser checks automatically to see if the page is new, if the file it is checking has a .htm or .html extension (as the holding page does), it may decide the content is not going to have changed since HTML is not dynamic.

 

Depends on the browser and the specific settings.

Whenever I try to access SFN it wants to open a Picture-It! document. I hit cancel.

The only way I got here was searching Google for it' date=' looking at the cache, and clicking a link there.[/quote']

try editing your picture-it not to open automatically when images are opened.... or not to open images in a website.

 

Depends on the browser and the specific settings.

ok then

try editing your picture-it not to open automatically when images are opened.... or not to open images in a website.

No, I'm running Firefox, so it asks me what I'd like to open the Picture-It! document with.

yes but i also have firefox, although im not currently using it, when i do use it (just done this now as a test) then i do not get that message. what im trying to say is that your problem is a problem with Picture-It! not with your browser, just go into the advance options or the file opening options and you should be able to change it.

No.

 

Puketure-It! does not control the way Firefox reacts to a picit document. Firefox does.

 

Although I do only have 0.9.3, since I'd rather wait to the full 1.0 release to update and deal with Norton again... stupid norton.

well, whatever does it, surely you can disable it?

 

...... problem solved, but i must be missing something, whats the catch?

No, the only way I can get here is through Google cache... I'll try clearing mine.

 

edit: Now it works, after I cleared it. Only problem is it'll take longer to load pages for a while.

and why can you only get through it that way???

 

because picture-it tries to open the whole time? from what i gather...

 

so what im saying is disable picture-it from opening and then you wouldnt have the problem any more.