Registration activation link rarely sends

[Innertraveller]

EDIT: If you're coming to this post for the first time on or after Mar 15 2025 you might wish to jump straight to the post I made on that date on Page 2 of the topic.
Hi guys

I've had a phpBB board for a few years now and everything was working well until recently. I've recently sent some test registrations from various email addresses i have and the activation link email isn't being received.

Recently my hosting service at Heart Internet messaged me to tell me that they'd changed to a new mail provider and had updated their SPF records and that I'd have to make some changes to the DNS settings. I suspect, but am not 100% certain, that this is where the problems began. I've taken the advice of their service desk who gave me settings to use on the SMTP form on the Board. Now prior to this i was using the native php settings, because I seem to remember when I originally installed the Board this was the preferred method, and they worked properly until recently. So the problem with the activation emails not being sent out arose before I took the advice of my host helpdesk and changed the settings to use their mailboxes with SMTP.

They did advise me to use my main web domain mailbox but i noticed that the php form was stripping the password down to eight characters after clicking submit; furthermore, there is a warning that the password would be visible as plain text in the database, so instead i created a new mailbox and used that.

Now here's the really weird thing: i tried about 20 registration attempts, using different user names and email addresses - and all but one failed. Yes, ONE registration attempt succeeded and sent out the email with the activation link, which duly registered the account as a new user.

I am admittedly using a fairly old instal of phpBB, 3.3.2, and have recently changed the PHP version up to 8.1 just in case either of these are of any relevance to the issue.

Any thoughts anyone?

Pete

[thecoalman]

We don't offer support for 3.2 anymore, update to 3.3.15 I'm not positive but 3.2 may not support php 8.1. Regardless you can use up to php 8.3 with phpBB 3.3.X

If you are using Cpanel and possibly some other hosting panels under email settings make sure Force from email address: is set to yes.

You can use this for testing outgoing email, simply register an account using the email they provide.

https://www.mail-tester.com/

This is likely a DNS/SPF/DKIM/DMARC issue unrelated to phpBB software.

[rxu]

instal of phpBB, 3.3.2, and have recently changed the PHP version up to 8.1

I feel like PHP 8.1 compatibility was added somewhere around phpBB 3.3.3-3.3.6, so unsure how correctly v.3.3.2 would operate with it.

[Innertraveller]

We don't offer support for 3.2 anymore, update to 3.3.15 I'm not positive but 3.2 may not support php 8.1. Regardless you can use up to php 8.3 with phpBB 3.3.X

If you are using Cpanel and possibly some other hosting panels under email settings make sure Force from email address: is set to yes.

You can use this for testing outgoing email, simply register an account using the email they provide.

https://www.mail-tester.com/

This is likely a DNS/SPF/DKIM/DMARC issue unrelated to phpBB software.

Hi, it's 3.3.2 i'm using, not 3.2, but thanks for your suggestions, I'm going to try them out.

[Innertraveller]

instal of phpBB, 3.3.2, and have recently changed the PHP version up to 8.1

I feel like PHP 8.1 compatibility was added somewhere around phpBB 3.3.3-3.3.6, so unsure how correctly v.3.3.2 would operate with it.

Ok, thanks, I'll try rolling back the php to 8.0 and if necessary 7.4 as a first port of call.

[Innertraveller]

Ok, I still haven't resolved the problem. I'm going to bite the bullet and update to the latest version of 3.3.

Can somebody remind me how I do this? I've only previously done one update. When I've downloaded the full update package and unzipped it and deleted the config file and three directories listed, how do I upload it to my host? I seem to remember having to download some ftp app, but i think that was on my last laptop.

[P_I]

The recommended approach for Minor Updates Within 3.3.x is to follow https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... ide/minor/ and choose the most appropriate update paths available depending on the types of edits you have made to your board.

If you have made no modifications to core files, the easiest approach is https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... date_full/

[Innertraveller]

The recommended approach for Minor Updates Within 3.3.x is to follow https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... ide/minor/ and choose the most appropriate update paths available depending on the types of edits you have made to your board.

If you have made no modifications to core files, the easiest approach is https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... date_full/

Hi, yes, i've seen that but i'm still not sure how i upload the update files to my host directories. Do i simply upload from the browser, because i seem to remember having to download some FTP interface software on my last laptop, possible Filezilla, when i last updated a few years back? The links you referenced don't make this too clear to a relative novice such as myself. I've done this once before successfully, but some years back so i can't remember the details, it's one of the reasons i've held back from updating for so long. I'm going to go for the full update package just in case some files have been corrupted.

PS I've just gone into my cPanel and in File Manager there's an Upload command button, so perhaps I just upload using that directly from the unzipped update files on my pc?

Furthermore, I've just done a File Permissions check on the current installation and the following folders have 777 permissions and are highlighted in red in the cPanel file list:
cache
files
store
Do these folders need to have 777 permission?

[warmweer]

Hi, yes, i've seen that but i'm still not sure how i upload the update files to my host directories. Do i simply upload from the browser, because i seem to remember having to download some FTP interface software on my last laptop, possible Filezilla, when i last updated a few years back? The links you referenced don't make this too clear to a relative novice such as myself. I've done this once before successfully, but some years back so i can't remember the details, it's one of the reasons i've held back from updating for so long. I'm going to go for the full update package just in case some files have been corrupted.

PS I've just gone into my cPanel and in File Manager there's an Upload command button, so perhaps I just upload using that directly from the unzipped update files on my pc?

FTP

Furthermore, I've just done a File Permissions check on the current installation and the following folders have 777 permissions and are highlighted in red in the cPanel file list:
cache
files
store
Do these folders need to have 777 permission?

phpBB3 Chmod Permissions

[Innertraveller]

Thanks. I've discovered i already have Filezilla on my pc and it's all coming back..... coming back to me now. I think i more or less know what i'm doing now, although not too sure about the updating of the database at the end. The avatar upload directory is presumably not native to 3.3.2 because i never saw that. I will hopefully be doing the necessary update to 3.3.14 sometime this evening.

[Innertraveller]

I've now done a full update of my forum board from 3.3.2 to 3.3.14 and have run into problems.

The Board url returns an error:


SQL ERROR [ mysqli ]

Unknown column 'user_last_active' in 'field list' [1054]

An SQL error occurred while fetching this page. Please contact the Board Administrator if this problem persists.


The Board itself is not visible.

I don't understand the final instruction in the installation instructions here: https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... date_full/
8. Update the database.

How do i do this? How do I update and then point the database to the Board? My database is located in my hosting cPanel and is a My SQL Maria DB database.

Any thoughts people?

[warmweer]

I don't understand the final instruction in the installation instructions here: https://www.phpbb.com/support/docs/en/3 ... date_full/
8. Update the database.

How do i do this? How do I update and then point the database to the Board? My database is located in my hosting cPanel and is a My SQL Maria DB database.

Any thoughts people?

Full Package

Update the database:
Tip

For large boards, you may wish to update via the command line instead of using a web browser. From your board's root, execute the following command: php ./bin/phpbbcli.php db:migrate --safe-mode

Using your web browser, visit /install/app.php/update in your board's root (e.g. http://www.example.com/yourforum/install/app.php/update). You will see the following warning message: No valid update directory was found, please make sure you uploaded the relevant files. This is expected and not an error.

Select "Update database only" and click Submit ( note: in many cases this will be the only option.

Wait for the progress bar to reach 100% and for a message indicating that the update has completed

Depending on your previous version this will make a number of database changes. You may receive FAILURES during this procedure. They should not be a cause for concern unless you see an actual ERROR, in which case the script will stop (in this case you should seek help via our forums).

and just in case:

Important

If you have previously abandoned an update attempt to try a different method, you will need to remove the following files from the server:
store/install_config.php
store/io_lock.lock

[Innertraveller]

and just in case:

Important

If you have previously abandoned an update attempt to try a different method, you will need to remove the following files from the server:
store/install_config.php
store/io_lock.lock

Thanks for your help. I had misinterpreted the explanatory text on the update page that you quoted and thought that all the information from 'Tip
For large boards, you may wish to update via the command line instead of using a web browser' etc. was information relating to an alternative method for the entire Board update rather than the database. D'oh! Next time I won't leave for so long to update and I might remember what I'm doing!

So, now I have my Board back, updated to 3.3.14, and I've updated the php to 8.1 (the highest my host provides). But..... the activation mails still aren't sending.

Re. your text I've quoted above: I've looked in my Store directory and the install_config.php file doesn't exist, but the io_lock.lock one does. Should this be deleted?

[warmweer]

Re. your text I've quoted above: I've looked in my Store directory and the install_config.php file doesn't exist, but the io_lock.lock one does. Should this be deleted?

It can be deleted safely.
It may reappear but that shouldn't hamper the board's functioning.

However, when updating later, remove it before starting the update.

[Innertraveller]

Re. your text I've quoted above: I've looked in my Store directory and the install_config.php file doesn't exist, but the io_lock.lock one does. Should this be deleted?

It can be deleted safely.
It may reappear but that shouldn't hamper the board's functioning.

However, when updating later, remove it before starting the update.

Thanks, I'll do that. Shouldn't that be added to the Board update instructions then?

I'm currently looking for the default mail settings for non-SMTP because I'm getting no joy with the Help Desk of my host at present for their recommended SMTP settings. I think the problems with the activation link not being sent out began when they shifted to a different mail provider (Soverin). From memory, the default mail settings are in the set-up process for a clean instal so I'm just going to take a look.