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Bill Ziemer - bug in feedback.pl (version 1.7)

Bill Ziemer - bug in feedback.pl (version 1.7)

by Arnold Pizer -
Number of replies: 0
inactiveTopicbug in feedback.pl (version 1.7) topic started 2/6/2002; 6:27:19 PM
last post 2/7/2002; 2:08:38 PM
userBill Ziemer - bug in feedback.pl (version 1.7)  blueArrow
2/6/2002; 6:27:19 PM (reads: 1158, responses: 2)
sub internal_error, second line. &log("ERROR: $msg");

sub log, second line. open(LOGFILE,">>$LOGFILE")||&internal_error(...

This generates an infinite loop between the two routines. (which is how I noticed the bug: Hmmm boy is the system slow...out of memory, what!)

$LOGFILE is /var/www/webwork/system/logs/webwork-feedback.log which is NOT world writable, and the group ownership is wwadmin,to which the web server doesn't belong.

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userThomas R. Shemanske - Re: bug in feedback.pl (version 1.7)  blueArrow
2/7/2002; 11:48:02 AM (reads: 1419, responses: 0)
I thought the webserver was supposed to be a member of wwadmin. It is on my setup.

Tom

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userArnold K. Pizer - Re: bug in feedback.pl (version 1.7)  blueArrow
2/7/2002; 2:08:38 PM (reads: 1409, responses: 0)
Hi,

This bug has been fixed but we have not yet put another release together containing this bug fix and a few other small bug fixes and enhansements. Note that this bug (the infinite loop) only occurs if there is an error in writing to the log file. This will not happen if the set up directions are followed explicitly but many people (especially old hands in installing WeBWorK, including ourselves) don't follow every little direction --- see below.

You can download the new version of feedback.pl from the experimental CVS for WeBWorK link

http://webwork.math.rochester.edu/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/

With this version of feedback.pl you will also see student's answers filled in if you click on the link at the bottom of the feedback email. Currently, to see these answers, you have to go back to the student's problem list page and check the "Show my old answers" checkbox.

To answer Tom's question. The webserver is not supposed to be a member of wwadmin but is supposed to be a member of wwserver. The directions for setting up the system state:

 

In order to use logging, you need to give the web server write access to the logs directory and its files . As root:

# chgrp -R wwserver /usr/local/webwork/system/logs

If this is done, one should not have any problem even with the buggy version of feedback.pl

Arnie

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