Can't create accounts, or purchase anything from my store.

[pbicontact]

I have installed OS Commerce 2.2, and my customers can't create accounts. When they try to log in or create an account, they get the "page not found" error. Also, when even I go in and try to add things to the shopping cart, they either don't get there at all, or vanish as soon as you add the second item.

This is the third time I've posted regarding this issue, and I keep being told to give more info, but even when I have, I've still gotten no answers.

My server uses shared ssl, php v. 4.3.2, and Suse Linux v. 8.2.

I am not a programmer by any means, but I sure don't want to start over from scratch trying to find another piece of software to operate my catalog. My tech support at my server suggested OS Commerce, but, other than being able to build the catalog, I haven't been able to get much further, since my customers can't buy anything.

HELP HELP HELP HELP

[jpf]

Is this the same as when you have turn off SSL? More then likely it is an error in both of your configure.php files. Shared SSL are a bit of a pain to install on at first.

[pbicontact]

I honestly don't know. I know when I installed it, it asked if I wanted to activate SSL, and, since I'm trying to sell stuff over the web via credit card purchases, I said yes. However, I've looked all through the admin section, and I can't find any way to turn it off. I've spent weeks adding products to the store, but it's done me no good at all, since I can't sell it. Can anybody please tell me what to do? I'm so stuck. Like I said previously, I'm not a programmer. I guess I shouldn't have listened to my server's tech support without further investigation, but he told me I wouldn't need to know how to program to use OS Commerce. I'm so confused and stressed, since my boss wants to know what's happening, and I can't give him any valid answers. HELP HELP HELP HELP HELP PLEASE

[red_fraggle]

this is caused by one of two things.


1. Your host has SSL support disabled on your hosting account
(especially if cpanel)

or

2. If running PLESK, which uses seperate folders for http and https in which case you will need to get your hosting provider to symlink the directories, OR you must make a copy of your store in your httpsdocs folder. if you have SSH access you can do the symlink yourself. here are instructions:

SSL:
If you are on a C-Panel box your http and https sides are already symlinked and you must call your hosting provider to "enable SSL" on your account. You will know this is not turned on if going to https://yourdomainname gives you a 404 error or page not found. If you get your regular index.html or index.php you will know it is enabled.

If you are on a PLESK box, you will need SSL enabled, on plesk your secure documents are located in home/httpd/vhosts/yourdomainname/httpsdocs/

To prevent you having to have 2 duplicate copies of your installation and use twice the hard drive space, call your hosting provider and have them do a symlink between /httpdocs and /httpsdocs

If you have SSH access and can do it via command line yourself use these commands.

step 1. login to your box via SSH.
step 2. navigate to /home/httpd/vhosts/domainname.
step 3. ***make sure your httpsdocs folder is empty***
step 4. type rm -r -f httpsdocs (this will delete that folder) hit enter
step 5. type (this first char is a lower case L) ln -s httpsdocs httpdocs (this makes the link) hit enter
step 6. type (both of these chars are lower case L) ls -l hit enter (this will list the ownership of all files and directories, you will see "username.psaserv httpdocs>httpsdocs"

If yourusername.psaserv is your username good if its Root
go to next step

7. type chown yourusername.psaserv httpsdocs

You are now done, and when your store attempts to switch from http to https, you will not lose sessions, nor have files you cant find.

[pbicontact]

I asked these questions months ago, and just got my first sensible reply. I've tossed the software. I wouldn't use this piece of s**t if they paid me for it, and I'm telling every business acquaintance I have not to use it.

[fridgemags]

the software does not suck. It is a bit technical to use and definitely not something you want to undertake if you have no experience in web programming but the software definitely does not suck.

It is the most configurable ecommerce software you can get and on top of that does not cost a dime.

I would suggest that you hire a programmer before you end up with a heart attack !!!

Do not comment on something you know nothing about.

THANK YOU AND LATA !!

[jpf]

pbicontact:

You did not do as was suggested and/or did not reply with answers to my questions. How could I respond. If you had tried and said it works fine with SSL turned off then you would have gotten an answer long ago. "I don't know" is not much of an answer....

OSC is not a "piece of ****" since apparently if the problem was what 'red fraggle' suggested then it was of NO FAULT of OSC - but it was a problem with how your HOST was configured! This would have caused problems with any program that was to use SSL.....

OSC is the largest/most used OPEN SOURCE cart software out there and tens of thousands of people have installed/used/operated it - weather they have as little as 8 product to 10's of thousands - from a few sales per week to thousands per day. And has been installed on MANY types of servers with many types of OS with so many configurations...

"I don't know" is not MUCH of an answer! - Like try installing it again.....but without SSL....

If you don't know then maybe you should work with some one who knows more than you - like that "server's tech support" guy you spoke to...(chances are he would have figured out the problem as it was his server and should have know about its default SSL setting would cause this problem.)

Regargless - he was right - you don't need to know how to program to install/use OSC - On stright forward installs - 99% of the problems has to do with server setup problems (like SSL problems - which is normally above/beyond OSC support) or "installation" options not filled in properly (user error - which we can help).

If you did not get a (satitfactory) answer to a post- you could have always did a followup with more information.

With SO many posts - I don't personally have time to followup on old posts.

[Guile]

Hey Red Fraggle,

even though this dummy didn't appreciate your post, i just want to say thank you. it has helped me save half the webspace on this project. a very elegant solution to his question

[paulchow2k]

I also appreciate Red Fraggle's information. This is the best information on PLESK & OScommerce so far. I am running PLESK 7 and OSC MS 2.2 and just email my ISP regarding symlink. They also offered me another solution.

-----------------------------------------------
(Help Desk Technical Staff)
-----------------------------------------------
We do not allow symlinks on our shared servers as they are security risks. A hacker can follow symlinks and get access to the root of the server. However, our programmers have developed an html code that you can put in your httpdosc folder that will redirect visitors to your site and checkout store in your httpsdocs folder. Just upload everything to the httpsdocs folder and use the html code in your httpdocs folder and it will redirect to your httpsdocs folder where your site and store are located:

<HTML><HEAD><me ta HTTP-EQUIV="REFRESH" content="0; url=https://yourdomain.com">
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=white>
</BODY></HTML>

====================
I won't be able to make the changes until later tonight. So I'll let everyone know if this is indeed another solution.

Paul

[OSCGuy]

I give Red Fraggle's reply an A+! It may have just saved me HOURS of trobuleshooting over something that may turn out to be an on/off switch issue! I've only ever worked with full SSL Certs in the past, but the times are changing and shared is cheap!