Merged Last post date "42 years ago" - access denied to topic - database errors

Here's what's in the database:

INSERT INTO `fmj_kunena_topics` (`id`, `category_id`, `subject`, `icon_id`, `locked`, `hold`, `ordering`, `posts`, `hits`, `attachments`, `poll_id`, `moved_id`, `first_post_id`, `first_post_time`, `first_post_userid`, `first_post_message`, `first_post_guest_name`, `last_post_id`, `last_post_time`, `last_post_userid`, `last_post_message`, `last_post_guest_name`, `params`) VALUES
(200, 41, '2012 Sunday Night Transcripts', 4, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, ''),
(201, 41, '2012 Sunday Night Transcripts', 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL, NULL, '')

Even with changing the date, the message is missing.

I went through the apache logs and found these POST calls from the specific user. The first set was successful (create, then the topic name), but the second set shows two creates instead of the second filename. The fifth is her using the contact us to send the admins a message about the false record. Though there is no Post with the name, but rather a second topic/create, it should not have saved anything. Instead, it saved the above. There are no messages in the Apache error log that indicate a problem in that timeframe. And nothing in the PHP error log either.

17/Oct/2012:19:04:42 -0700 "POST |PATH|/index.php/forum HTTP/1.1" 303 310 "|HTTP_Path|/index.php/forum/think-tank-archives/topic/create" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)"
17/Oct/2012:19:05:50 -0700 "POST |PATH|/index.php/forum HTTP/1.1" 303 310 "|HTTP_Path|/index.php/forum/think-tank-archives/199-2012-friday-night-transcripts" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)"
17/Oct/2012:19:06:34 -0700 "POST |PATH|/index.php/forum HTTP/1.1" 303 285 "|HTTP_Path|/index.php/forum/think-tank-archives/topic/create" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)"
17/Oct/2012:19:08:17 -0700 "POST |PATH|/index.php/forum HTTP/1.1" 303 285 "|HTTP_Path|/index.php/forum/think-tank-archives/topic/create" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)"
17/Oct/2012:19:12:07 -0700 "POST |PATH|/index.php/contact-us HTTP/1.1" 303 283 "|HTTP_Path|/index.php/contact-us" "Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0)"

Matias wrote: Looks like you've had database error when someone created that topic. Can you delete the topic from category by selecting it from there?

That's what I thought when it happened on a website I look after. I deleted the entries but now they are back.

It's happening in the Kunena forums too at www.kunena.org/forum/K-2-0-General-Questions?start=270 (see attached image).

It's also happening to many other websites. Too many to put this down to database corruption:

www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&as_q=kunena&as_epq=42+years

I am using Joomla 2.5.7 and Kunena 2.0.2 and sh404SEF.

Neil.

I have the same issue with Joomla 2.5.7/Kunena 2.0.2/sh404SEF.

As per the post at www.kunena.org/forum/K-2-0-Support/12382...access-denied#135229 this is happening in these Kunena forums and on many other websites too (do a search in Google on Kunena and 42 years).

I don't think it's database corruption.

Neil.

ozneilau wrote: It's happening in the Kunena forums too at www.kunena.org/forum/K-2-0-General-Questions?start=270 (see attached image).

There's a database issue (referential integrity) here in the quoted example. Occasionally we see these issues in a non-transactional database - MYSQL is an example of a non-transanctional database - as well as when there are latency issues or simply because there's some data element that fails to validate properly. These things happen, sometimes without rhyme or reason..

The question is, how to you fix them (and, just as importantly, are these issues important enough to be worth the cost of fixing them)? You fix problems like these by looking into the database. You fix them by correcting the "bad" data, or reinstate referential integrity - create missing records or delete existing records, as may be the requirement.

Why do these things happen on websites? Is the source of these errors solely attributable to Kunena? Can we all agree which is the best beer in the world? These are questions that I do not think we will always find the answers to or, even if we find the answers, will everyone agree with them.

What is significant about a date that is some "42 years ago"? The date, 1 January 1970, is represented in MySQL with the value of zero. In other words, if you look at the database records where these symptoms appear, you will find that some data columns are missing "meaningful" data. I hope that helps.

ozneilau wrote: It's also happening to many other websites. Too many to put this down to database corruption...

Not necessarily. There are many more sites where it does NOT happen. Mine for one. So clearly what is required is an understanding about what is common to the sites where it DOES happen.

I don't have enough data to make that judgement, but I do note your comment:

ozneilau wrote: I am using Joomla 2.5.7 and Kunena 2.0.2 and sh404SEF.

I don't use sh404SEF. Could that therefore be the common denominator on sites that do have this problem? There's no doubting that we read of a LOT of issues that plugin seems to cause.

Thanks for your response! I realise this is not easy to fix and Kunena may not be the cause of the problem, but merely where it is showing up.

sozzled wrote: Occasionally we see these issues in a non-transactional database

Nearly 200,000 instances is a bit more than occasionally! (See attached Google Search).

Neil.