By NickWebman on

Hi everyone.

I was finally "comfortable" with Drupal, then BAM, I hit a wall.

For some reason, no matter which module I install at this point, i get the white screen of death for any/all admin pages. I've tried to install 5 totally different modules, and each time the WSOD rears its ugly head.

I'm wondering what my options are now...

If I remove the new modules via phpmyadmin, everything works well again... but of course I need the ability to add new modules when necessary.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Nick

⋅ Categories: Drupal 6.x

Comments

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

I really didn't expect my host to be helpful in anyway, but they totally fixed it and explained what was up. There's no way I'd ever ever figure this one out on my own.

Hope this helps someone else as well...

The issue you experienced is most commonly caused by the update module for Drupal. Why is this? Here is what happens when you try to access the admin backend.

1. The Update module tries to connect to all web sites listed as update locations for your installed modules and the Drupal installation itself.
2. It is common that one or more of those web sites are not accessible at that point (or are replying too slow). Most commonly it is an issue with third party scripts.
3. The Update modules tries to retrieve the information and since it does not succeed in more than 10 seconds - the scripts times out - a blank page is displayed.

I have now disabled the Update module so your Drupal administrator backend will load without any troubles. You can check it.

Please note that any module which needs such functionality and uses it, might cause the exact same issue. In such situation the only resolution if you need to use these modules is upgrading to a dedicated solution

eve_blak’s picture

eve_blak commented

Oh thank you thank you thank you!!!!
I went through soooo many different methods in order to fix that stupid error and nothing helped!!! I was literally going mad! And then I found your post:D Thank you very much for your time. It is really appreciated from the bottom of my heart:)

hailaz’s picture

hailaz commented

Have you tried increasing your php memory limit? I have done that in my htaccess file and it has resolved a lot of issues:

More info here:

http://drupal.org/node/207036

tpainton’s picture

tpainton commented

This has ALWAYS been due to me not having enough memory allocated.. never due to html timeouts. Increasing memory always solves it.. Increase your memory.. http://drupal.org/node/207036 and reinstall your updates module.. The updates module is VERY handy.

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

I will definitely need the updates module at some point... crap. I'll try the memory thing once I get there.

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

I asked my host if it was a memory thing, and they said "No". Once we disabled the update module, everything worked fine.

tpainton’s picture

tpainton commented

Why not try increasing your memory. It won't hurt anything and will LIKELY solve your problem AND you get to keep the updates module. Frankly, I don't ever trust my host. Chances are they just don't want you increasing your memory. Have you thought about the chance that by disabling ANY module you are making it work because you decreasing your memory requirements? That is what is probably going on. If you can't increase your memory, you probably want a new host. I have not had a website yet that didn't require an increase in memory. Your call.

I would do a search and if you can't find another person with your similar problem then the issue is not the updates module. Besides.. the update module queries the same locations for everyone.. I would think you would not be the only one with this problem.. Everyone would have it. No, likely, by disabling the updates module, you are decreasing your memory requirements. I bet you have this same problem in a few weeks after you add more modules. THe updates module is great, trust me, it is a royal pain to go through the drupal site and check every module you have looking for updates.. important updates, like security patches. You really want the updates module working.

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

I follow. Do hosts charge for increasing memory? I currently have 100 megs.

Adam S’s picture

Adam S commented

Your host might have a max memory that exceeds what you might need. Here are three was to change it locally http://www.ducea.com/2008/02/14/increase-php-memory-limit/.

You really need to learn how to check your php log for errors. If you are running out of memory it will tell you.

Adam S’s picture

Adam S commented

It's not any of the new modules that are causing it. It's a module that you have already installed. What was the last module you installed before this started to happen. I don't remember which module caused this for me, but it happened a couple of months ago. What happens when you hit install modules without clicking any.... you get the problem? That is what happened to me.

Open up your php error log and copy / paste the error into this thread so that we can see what's going on.

tpainton’s picture

tpainton commented

"no matter what module I install at this point"

I have had this problem many times. Everything is working well. You upload a new module, go to the modules page, select the module, hit enter, and WSOD. Everything works great until you install "any" module. It has always 100% of the time (for me) been solved by increasing my memory.

Is it possible there is another problem? Yes, if you hear hoof beats outside your window could it be a Zebra? Yes. More likely a horse.

Since checking for a horse is so easy, it makes no sense to go on a zebra hunt. That said, it's your time. Increasing your memory will take about 30 seconds. A very simple and possible curative solution has been offered. You will never know if it solves the issue unless you try. Then again, if you just like taking time to hunt a zebra, go for it.

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

tpainton: point taken. Thing is, I did what my host said - "kill the update module"-, and the problem has been gone ever since. But yea, now I have no update module :) - As soon as I can, I'll enable update, hit the WSOD, increase memory, and report back.

Thanks.

ssm2017 Binder’s picture

ssm2017 Binder commented

i had this problem with a module that had files converted as UTF8, i converted them to ANSI and the problem dissapeared

mlosee222’s picture

mlosee222 commented

I was just about to post the exact same question until I saw this.

My provider is siteground. A year or so ago someone on the forums pointed out that 64m of phph memory was inadaquate, and then they upped it to 96m a few days later (which they seem to be very proud of). I'm going to post in the forums that 96m isn't enough too. How much do you think is the minimum to run drupal correctly?

I tried disabling my update module and it also fixed it for me. Thanks for that OP! A couple questions for you all though:

Can I disable all the modules, enable only the update module, update drupal, then set the modules how i had it before without losing any data?

Or

Can I just update Drupal via cPanel/Fantastico?

tpainton’s picture

tpainton commented

And, you need the update module. "Disable your update module" == "We are not able to provide your server needs."

Honestly, I cannot believe a provider would blame timeouts caused by the updates module as a cause of of a WSOD. If there is anything I have learned, it is that providers will lie through their teeth to try and keep customers. Trust me, I have gone through 5 providers in 5 years with Drupal alone.

If the update module timing out was the cause of the WSOD then it would be a critical problem with a drupal core module.

when you disable the update module, you decrease your memory requirements. This is a classic case of the fallacy of "Post hoc ergo propter hoc". Just because you disable the updates module and the problem is solved doesn't mean it's the updates module.

Considering how much of a pain it is to manually check every module every month for updates, vs. simply changing one line in your config file, I guess I am stumped as to why this thread is so long. If your provider will not allocate more than 64 to you personally, then get a new provider.

Once again, that all said, it MIGHT NOT be the lack of memory. There are 1 or 2 things in a drupal site that can cause WSOD, check your error log, etc, but common things happen commonly.

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

I'm on siteground too. Their default memory allocation is 96.

I now fully understand what tpainton is saying here, and totally agree.

Let me ask this though. I disabled update two months ago, and have added quite a few modules since then (probably too many, actually). If it were memory, wouldn't I be white screening?

Not trying to be a boner here, just want to understand.

Thanks.

tpainton’s picture

tpainton commented

It's quite possible that memory isn't the problem but siteground and update module are then the next most likely culprit. Did you do a search for siteground and update? Update alone really should not be the problem.

mlosee222’s picture

mlosee222 commented

I know this thread was forever ago but I wanted to post an update...

siteground is a terrible drupal host. they won't let you run the update module (for some reason) and their support is nonexistent. The only way to talk to them is if you call the sales line, the only support offered is an online knowledgebase offered to public.

I switched to CirtexHosting last week and am very much enjoying them. They have excellent 24/7 support, 128M of PHP memory, and FFMPEG for $2.99/month. FFMPEG on a shared host is impressive by itself, but the 24/7 tech support is what blows my mind. I've used the live help at 1AM and still get prompt help.

I think I paid like 6.99/month for my siteground account, and now I'm paying less than half that. Cirtex is the best imo :)

tpainton’s picture

tpainton commented

I suspected as much. If you burn out there, rackspace cloud service is excellent. Little more pricey but you get what you pay for. I have had a few "No Suitable Nodes Available" but typically, they are quick to post on the status page that they have a problem and are working on it. I don't mind that at all. It's when a provider LIES and tries to tell me that the problem is on my end. Think about all the time you would have saved if siteground had just said, "Look we don't allow the Updates Module to run." Instead, they tried to place the blame on a module that functions perfectly, when it's allowed to run. You really should send them a bill for all the time of yours they simply flushed down the toilet.

NickWebman’s picture

NickWebman commented

Yea, you definitely can't get siteground support on the phone, but their email support is quick and normally useful. They have fixed issues for me that were 100% just me being dumb.