phpMyAdmin won't run -- apparently a PHP bug

I just tried to install phpMyAdmin on my system, and I can't get it to
work. When I tried to run the setup procedure (setup.php) I got the
following message:

Fatal error: session_start() [<a
href='function.session-start'>function.session-start</a>]: Failed to
initialize storage module: user (path: C:\...\Temp\php\session) in
D\...\phpMyAdmin\libraries\session.inc.php on line 86

I set up the config file by hand, then tried to run phpMyAdmin and got
the same error.

I searched for references to the error message on php.net and found a
bug report from which I gather that the cause is actually a PHP bug.
(See the reference to phpMyAdmin in the last message on the page.)

http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=32330

I searched the phpMyAdmin bug lists and FAQ, but I did not see any
reference to this.

There must be a workaround for this problem -- if not, phpMyAdmin
would be dead in the water for some significant fraction of users.
Can anyone tell me what it is, or where to look?

The configuration is: OS, Windows XP SP2; Apache, v.2.2.8; PHP,
v.5.2.5; MySQL, v.5.0.51; phpMyAdmin, v.2.11.4.

Jonathan Sachs wrote:
> I just tried to install phpMyAdmin on my system, and I can't get it to
> work. When I tried to run the setup procedure (setup.php) I got the
> following message:
>
> Fatal error: session_start() [<a
> href='function.session-start'>function.session-start</a>]: Failed to
> initialize storage module: user (path: C:\...\Temp\php\session) in
> D\...\phpMyAdmin\libraries\session.inc.php on line 86
>
> I set up the config file by hand, then tried to run phpMyAdmin and got
> the same error.
>
> I searched for references to the error message on php.net and found a
> bug report from which I gather that the cause is actually a PHP bug.
> (See the reference to phpMyAdmin in the last message on the page.)
>
> http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=32330
>
> I searched the phpMyAdmin bug lists and FAQ, but I did not see any
> reference to this.
>
> There must be a workaround for this problem -- if not, phpMyAdmin
> would be dead in the water for some significant fraction of users.
> Can anyone tell me what it is, or where to look?
>
> The configuration is: OS, Windows XP SP2; Apache, v.2.2.8; PHP,
> v.5.2.5; MySQL, v.5.0.51; phpMyAdmin, v.2.11.4.
>

Sounds like you have a problem with your php.ini file. What do you have
for your session_save_path and session_save_handler?

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:54:03 +0100, Jonathan Sachs
<js070717@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> I just tried to install phpMyAdmin on my system, and I can't get it to
> work. When I tried to run the setup procedure (setup.php) I got the
> following message:
>
> Fatal error: session_start() [<a
> href='function.session-start'>function.session-start</a>]: Failed to
> initialize storage module: user (path: C:\...\Temp\php\session) in
> D\...\phpMyAdmin\libraries\session.inc.php on line 86
>
> I set up the config file by hand, then tried to run phpMyAdmin and got
> the same error.
>
> I searched for references to the error message on php.net and found a
> bug report from which I gather that the cause is actually a PHP bug.
> (See the reference to phpMyAdmin in the last message on the page.)
>
> http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=32330

PHPMyAdmin doesn't destroy sessions by default, I don't think this bug is
relevant.

THe only problem I had a while back on Windows was that the path
('C:\...\Temp\php\session') did not exist. After creating it (easier then
to figure out where to set it) no more problems.
--
Rik Wasmus

Greetings, Jonathan Sachs.
In reply to Your message dated Thursday, February 21, 2008, 06:54:03,

> I just tried to install phpMyAdmin on my system, and I can't get it to
> work. When I tried to run the setup procedure (setup.php) I got the
> following message:

> Fatal error: session_start() [<a
> href='function.session-start'>function.session-start</a>]: Failed to
> initialize storage module: user (path: C:\...\Temp\php\session) in

Why the hell You use "user" storage?

> D\...\phpMyAdmin\libraries\session.inc.php on line 86

> I set up the config file by hand, then tried to run phpMyAdmin and got
> the same error.

> I searched for references to the error message on php.net and found a
> bug report from which I gather that the cause is actually a PHP bug.
> (See the reference to phpMyAdmin in the last message on the page.)

> http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=32330

> I searched the phpMyAdmin bug lists and FAQ, but I did not see any
> reference to this.

> There must be a workaround for this problem -- if not, phpMyAdmin
> would be dead in the water for some significant fraction of users.
> Can anyone tell me what it is, or where to look?

> The configuration is: OS, Windows XP SP2; Apache, v.2.2.8; PHP,
> v.5.2.5; MySQL, v.5.0.51; phpMyAdmin, v.2.11.4.



--
Sincerely Yours, AnrDaemon <anrdaemon@freemail.ru>

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:17:24 +0100, "Rik Wasmus"
<luiheidsgoeroe@hotmail.com> wrote:

>THe only problem I had a while back on Windows was that the path
>('C:\...\Temp\php\session') did not exist. After creating it (easier then
>to figure out where to set it) no more problems.

That's a constructive suggestion -- unfortunately, it's not the
problem here. That path does exist on my system.

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:38:28 +0300, AnrDaemon <anrdaemon@freemail.ru>
wrote:

>> Fatal error: session_start() [<a
>> href='function.session-start'>function.session-start</a>]: Failed to
>> initialize storage module: user (path: C:\...\Temp\php\session) in
>
>Why the hell You use "user" storage?

If you think about it, the answer should be obvious: I did not do any
such thing. All I did was install a widely used and respected
application on my computer. Its use of directories is determined by
its creators. If you have to swear at somebody, swear at them.

I'd like to see if we can salvage something useful from your post. Is
there reason to believe that moving the directory will help? If so,
is there a way to do it without going in and mucking with the code? I
think that would be far more likely to complicate the problem than
solve it.

I just discovered something odd which may be be related to this
problem.

The PHP book I am reading says that MySQL recommends downloading and
installing the latest PHP connectors, mysql.dll and mysqli.dll, and it
gives instructions for doing so. The reason it gives is that the
MySQL site's connectors will always be current, while those downloaded
with a PHP distribution may be a few weeks old.

I thought I'd do this to eliminate old connectors as a possible cause
of the phpMyAdmin problem, but I found that:

1. Only the mysql connector was installed with PHP -- mysqli was not.

2. The mysql connector was version 5.0.45, and my MySQL (the latest
stable version, as of a few weeks ago) is 5.0.51a.

3. The latest mysql and mysqli connectors on the MySQL web site are
even older than the mysql connector from the PHP distribution --
5.0.27. This conflicts with what the book advised me, and is rather
surprising!

I'd like to ask for advice before I start trying various combinations
of connectors more or less at random. Is this situation likely to be
related to my phpMyAdmin problem? If so, what is a good strategy for
cleaning it up?

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:54:31 +0100, Jonathan Sachs
<js070717@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> I just discovered something odd which may be be related to this
> problem.
>
> The PHP book I am reading says that MySQL recommends downloading and
> installing the latest PHP connectors, mysql.dll and mysqli.dll, and it
> gives instructions for doing so. The reason it gives is that the
> MySQL site's connectors will always be current, while those downloaded
> with a PHP distribution may be a few weeks old.
>
> I thought I'd do this to eliminate old connectors as a possible cause
> of the phpMyAdmin problem,

Nope, afaik, the starting/reading/writing of a session in PHPMyAdmin has
nothing to do with database access.

> but I found that:
> 1. Only the mysql connector was installed with PHP -- mysqli was not.

Pretty standard on 'older' setups, PHPMyAdmin requires only one of the
two, not necessarily both

> 2. The mysql connector was version 5.0.45, and my MySQL (the latest
> stable version, as of a few weeks ago) is 5.0.51a.
>
> 3. The latest mysql and mysqli connectors on the MySQL web site are
> even older than the mysql connector from the PHP distribution --
> 5.0.27. This conflicts with what the book advised me, and is rather
> surprising!
>
> I'd like to ask for advice before I start trying various combinations
> of connectors more or less at random. Is this situation likely to be
> related to my phpMyAdmin problem?

About 99% sure it is totally unrelated, and the version of your dll's is
probably not even a problem at all.

Most likely there's still something wrong with the session managment at a
whole. What if you try to use sessions in a simple test page, and what
does a phpinfo() tell you about the session settings. Is the directory for
sessions writeable for instance?
--
Rik Wasmus

Jonathan Sachs wrote:
> On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:38:28 +0300, AnrDaemon <anrdaemon@freemail.ru>
> wrote:
>
>>> Fatal error: session_start() [<a
>>> href='function.session-start'>function.session-start</a>]: Failed to
>>> initialize storage module: user (path: C:\...\Temp\php\session) in
>> Why the hell You use "user" storage?
>
> If you think about it, the answer should be obvious: I did not do any
> such thing. All I did was install a widely used and respected
> application on my computer. Its use of directories is determined by
> its creators. If you have to swear at somebody, swear at them.
>
> I'd like to see if we can salvage something useful from your post. Is
> there reason to believe that moving the directory will help? If so,
> is there a way to do it without going in and mucking with the code? I
> think that would be far more likely to complicate the problem than
> solve it.
>

That's not all you did. To quote you: "I set up the config file by
hand..."

Again, what do you have in your php.ini file for session_save_path and
session_save_handler?

--
==================
Remove the "x" from my email address
Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:32:46 +0100, "Rik Wasmus"
<luiheidsgoeroe@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Most likely there's still something wrong with the session managment at a
>whole. What if you try to use sessions in a simple test page, and what
>does a phpinfo() tell you about the session settings. Is the directory for
>sessions writeable for instance?

I am just beginning to study the chapter on sessions in my PHP book,
so I'm not in a position to answer the whole question yet. I'm
reproducing the session info from phpinfo() below. If that doesn't
move us forward I'll respond to the first part of the question in
another day or two.

Session Support enabled
Registered save handlers files user
Registered serializer handlers php php_binary wddx

Directive Local Value Master Value
session.auto_start Off Off
session.bug_compat_42 Off Off
session.bug_compat_warn On On
session.cache_expire 180 180
session.cache_limiter no value no value
session.cookie_domain no value no value
session.cookie_httponly Off Off
session.cookie_lifetime 0 0
session.cookie_path / /
session.cookie_secure Off Off
session.entropy_file no value no value
session.entropy_length 0 0
session.gc_divisor 1000 1000
session.gc_maxlifetime 1440 1440
session.gc_probability 1 1
session.hash_bits_per_character 5 5
session.hash_function 0 0
session.name PHPSESSID PHPSESSID
session.referer_check no value no value
session.save_handler user user
session.save_path C:\DOCUME~1\JONATH~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\php\session

C:\DOCUME~1\JONATH~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\php\session
session.serialize_handler php php
session.use_cookies On On
session.use_only_cookies Off Off
session.use_trans_sid 0 0