SID-00005: BlackList PlugIn Install Error

Status:	Answered	TWiki version:	4.1.2	Perl version:	5.008008 (linux)
Category:	BlackListPlugin	Server OS:	Ubuntu 8.04	Last update:	17 years ago

Hi:

I have not brought my install public yet and wanted to install the BlackList PlugIn first. I went to: http://localhost/cgi-bin/twiki/configure?action=FindMoreExtensions And then used the Install link.

This resulted in the error starting with the line below:

Fetching http://twiki.org/p/pub/Plugins/BlackListPlugin/BlackListPlugin.tgz...
Unpacking...
Archive::Tar is not installed; trying tar on the command-line
BlackListPlugin_installer data/ data/TWiki/ data/TWiki/BlackListPlugin.txt lib/ lib/TWiki/ lib/TWiki/Plugins/ lib/TWiki/Plugins/BlackListPlugin.pm pub/ pub/TWiki/ pub/TWiki/BlackListPlugin/ pub/TWiki/BlackListPlugin/.htaccess templates/ templates/oopsblacklist.tmpl templates/
templates/oopsblacklist.tmpl
pub/
pub/TWiki/
pub/TWiki/BlackListPlugin/
pub/TWiki/BlackListPlugin/.htaccess
BlackListPlugin_installer
data/
data/TWiki/
data/TWiki/BlackListPlugin.txt
lib/
lib/TWiki/
lib/TWiki/Plugins/
lib/TWiki/Plugins/BlackListPlugin.pm
Error: Failed to move file 'templates/oopsblacklist.tmpl' to /var/lib/twiki/templates/oopsblacklist.tmpl: Permission denied
Software error:
Installation terminated at /usr/share/perl5/TWiki/Configure/UIs/EXTEND.pm line 149.

I then went back and ran the configuration page and noted an error that was not there before, it was in the General path settings:

Directory where temporary files used by twiki are stored. Passthrough files are used by TWiki to work around the limitations of HTTP and session files (when enabled) which are files used to record data about active users - for example, whether they are logged in or not. Security Note: The directory must not be browseable from the web, otherwise it could be used to intercept parameters used when someone logs in! Additionally it is recommended to setup access rights to this directory so only the web server user can create files. Otherwise it could be used to mount an attack on the server!

Error: /tmp/twiki/ is not writable

It looks like I need to permit myself to install and write to directories. I apologize for my Linux Newb type question but appreciate any help on resolving this. Thanks in advance

-- ScottFreeman - 31 Dec 2008

Answer

The message "Failed to move file 'templates/oopsblacklist.tmpl' to /var/lib/twiki/templates/oopsblacklist.tmpl: Permission denied" is an indication that your twiki/templates directory is not writable by the webserver user. Run configure to find out what the webserver user is, and recursively change the file ownership to be owned by that user. Example, assuming apache user and apache group:

chown -R apache.apache /var/lib/twiki

-- PeterThoeny - 31 Dec 2008

I ran sudo chown -R www-data.www-data /var/lib/twiki but still get the same error. Looking at Configure in the CGI User block reveals: CGI useruserid = www-data groups = www-data,www-data.

I tried to install the TagMePlugin and received the error: Error: Failed to move file 'lib/' to /usr/lib/cgi-bin/lib: Permission denied.

In running Configure it also reveals an error in General Path Settings:TempfileDir that is: Error: /tmp/twiki/ is not writable

Thank you for your first suggestion and any further you might offer. Regards, Scott

PS - If it helps, I was researching chown, Apache docs, & the web for info on users/groups since you wrote. Sadly, I'm not just returning after a holiday. Thanks again.

-- ScottFreeman - 03 Jan 2009

Do a sudo chown -R www-data.www-data /tmp/twiki/

-- PeterThoeny - 03 Jan 2009

Thanks for the reply. The directory /tmp/twiki/ did not exist so I created it and this resolved the TempfileDir error. Using chown on /usr/lib/cgi-bin/ let the installers run but the plugins are NOT available in Configure. The installers are located in /usr/lib/cgi-bin/ and this is not one of the folders pointed to by @INC in the configure. Is it better to move the installers to a folder pointed to by @INC, add /usr/lib/cgi-bin/ to the those folders pointed to by @INC or some other approach?

-- ScottFreeman - 03 Jan 2009

You seem to have a special directory structure. Make sure your /usr/lib/cgi-bin/LocalLib.cfg point to your twiki/lib, that will fix your @INC path.

You can install plugins also manually. Unpack the package to a temporary directory, fix the file permissions, and move the files into the TWiki directory tree, while preserving the directory structure.

-- PeterThoeny - 03 Jan 2009

Thanks for the advice. The lack of horror in your response gives me the confidence to think this problem is answered. If I have used this forum inappropriately please let me know. Thanks again.

-- ScottFreeman - 03 Jan 2009

Well, is it resolved? Re-open with more details if needed.

-- PeterThoeny - 03 Jan 2009

Well it's not resolved yet. I still haven't decided if it is easier to do a manual install of the plugins or fix the @INC path. I can't understand why my directory structure doesn't correspond to what you expect.

The file: /usr/lib/cgi-bin/LocalLib.cfg turned out to be /usr/lib/cgi-bin/twiki/LocalLib.cfg and it wasn't clear to me how to add a path to where my plugins had been unpacked. If I try a manual install where is the "TWiki directory tree" and what "directory structure" do I have to make sure to preserve?

In looking at configure each time the system reboots, I notice that /tmp/twiki disappears and generates and error. It appears that only root has permissions in this directory on reboot. How can I keep this directory from disappearing?

Thanks, Scott

-- ScottFreeman - 04 Jan 2009

On /tmp dir, this is created in RAM on boot, e.g. it is not persistent. For TWiki, create a temporary directory outside /tmp, set the permissions accordingly, and point TWiki to it in configure's {TempfileDir} setting.

This is the standard TWiki directory tree, using example of /var/www/twiki as base directory, and adding the tmp dir:

/var/www/twiki/bin
/var/www/twiki/data
/var/www/twiki/lib
/var/www/twiki/locale
/var/www/twiki/pub
/var/www/twiki/templates
/var/www/twiki/tools
/var/www/twiki/tmp

If you unpack a plugin package you find the same directory structure in the plugin. Move the files into the /var/www/twiki/ directory tree, preserving the directory structure.

-- PeterThoeny - 04 Jan 2009

/var/www/twiki/ contains only folder /pub but no files or other directories These directories do not exist: /var/www/twiki/bin /var/www/twiki/data /var/www/twiki/lib /var/www/twiki/locale /var/www/twiki/templates /var/www/twiki/tools /var/www/twiki/tmp

I am beginning to wonder why it is running at all on my system. I found the installers in /usr/lib/cbi-bin and other plugin files with the extension .prn in /usr/share/perl5/Twiki/Plugins.

Is it time to start over?

-- ScottFreeman - 05 Jan 2009

Seems a non-standard TWiki install. Follow the TWikiInstallationGuide to get a standard directory structure. But it should be possible to run TWiki with non-standard path if configured properly with the configure script.

-- PeterThoeny - 05 Jan 2009

Thanks for continuing to work with me. I was able to edit LocalLib.cfg to make @INC point to where my .pm files where for the plugins. I am not sure where to put the installer files that are not in one of the folders that come with the archive. Does @INC have to point to the directory with the installers too? Thanks, Scott

-- ScottFreeman - 06 Jan 2009

In @INC you only need twiki/lib (wherever it is)

Find where the first 7 directories are I pointed out. Manually copy the plugin files into those directories, preserving the path.

-- PeterThoeny - 06 Jan 2009

I am ok copying the folders from the archive but the installer file is not within a folder in the archive. Is it needed to make the plugin available to enable?

-- ScottFreeman - 06 Jan 2009

Installer is not needed on manual install

-- PeterThoeny - 06 Jan 2009

Thanks for all the help. I moved the contents of the downloaded files the the directories mapped for my install. Both Plugins showed up as available and were enabled. If you need a laugh, I spent some time wondering why I couldn't copy .htaccess only to figure out that it was a hidden file and had copied ok. Ah, the learning curve. Thanks again. If I move to a new hardware with a clean install of both the OS & TWiki and save my data can I expect problems from the fact that my directory structure is not standard?

-- ScottFreeman - 07 Jan 2009

Just the twiki/data and twiki/pub directory equivalents are needed to backup for upgrade.

-- PeterThoeny - 07 Jan 2009

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