Return-Path: Delivered-To: apmail-httpd-users-archive@www.apache.org Received: (qmail 4635 invoked from network); 28 Jan 2009 22:43:33 -0000 Received: from hermes.apache.org (HELO mail.apache.org) (140.211.11.2) by minotaur.apache.org with SMTP; 28 Jan 2009 22:43:33 -0000 Received: (qmail 3935 invoked by uid 500); 28 Jan 2009 22:43:19 -0000 Delivered-To: apmail-httpd-users-archive@httpd.apache.org Received: (qmail 3914 invoked by uid 500); 28 Jan 2009 22:43:19 -0000 Mailing-List: contact users-help@httpd.apache.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk Reply-To: users@httpd.apache.org list-help: list-unsubscribe: List-Post: List-Id: Delivered-To: mailing list users@httpd.apache.org Received: (qmail 3905 invoked by uid 99); 28 Jan 2009 22:43:19 -0000 Received: from athena.apache.org (HELO athena.apache.org) (140.211.11.136) by apache.org (qpsmtpd/0.29) with ESMTP; Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:43:19 -0800 X-ASF-Spam-Status: No, hits=2.2 required=10.0 tests=HTML_MESSAGE,RCVD_DOUBLE_IP_LOOSE,SPF_PASS X-Spam-Check-By: apache.org Received-SPF: pass (athena.apache.org: domain of ian@cyber-sea.com designates 65.182.195.61 as permitted sender) Received: from [65.182.195.61] (HELO dls102.sdf.hosting.com) (65.182.195.61) by apache.org (qpsmtpd/0.29) with ESMTP; Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:43:09 +0000 Received: from [192.168.56.61] by [192.168.56.1] with ESMTP; Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:18:58 -0500 Received: from music.cyber-sea.com (75-151-97-1-Washington.hfc.comcastbusiness.net [75.151.97.1] (may be forged)) by dls102.sdf.hosting.com (8.14.1/8.13.7) with ESMTP id n0SMgljl009638 for ; Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:42:47 -0500 Message-Id: <200901282242.n0SMgljl009638@dls102.sdf.hosting.com> X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 7.1.0.9 Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:42:29 -0800 To: users@httpd.apache.org From: Ian Lauder In-Reply-To: <4980CF50.1020708@ice-sa.com> References: <200901282106.n0SL5xaL007120@dls102.sdf.hosting.com> <4980C984.60202@gmail.com> <20090128211600.C706C140D1C@espphotography.com> <200901282124.n0SLOhua007622@dls102.sdf.hosting.com> <4980CF50.1020708@ice-sa.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=====================_791334843==.ALT" X-Virus-Checked: Checked by ClamAV on apache.org Subject: Re: [users@httpd] Unable to access sites on an Apache server from Internet Explorer --=====================_791334843==.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed The one customer I am working on this problem with is a developer at an ISP thankfully, but he doesn't know Apache or Linux. He does have friendly errors turned off and he is getting the message: Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage I'm still trying to get his IP address to compare to my Apache server logs for more details, and I've got a call into Hosting.com to check our "DNS Caching" settings. My sites are all plain HTML text and graphics with a little javascript, nothing fancy they have the Meta tag: In the header of every page too (didn't make a difference with or without that). So there shouldn't be any problem with the site design as was suggested by someone. At 01:34 PM 1/28/2009, you wrote: >Hi. >You may or may not know that there is a particularity in IE about >showing error pages. >IE has some option called "show friendly error messages", in the >advanced settings somewhere, which has the effect of not displaying >many HTTP server's sent error pages, but instead displaying a >built-in IE error page. The pain with that, is that this internal >error page is so specific as to completely hide whatever the server >is sending as an error. In addition, IE shows this page for just >about any kind of error at all, even when it has nothing to do with >the webserver. >So the user's report ends up being pretty useless, because you never >know where the error came from. >To a certain extent, you can override this at the server side, by >making sure the error pages sent by the webserver have at least a >certain size, which (sic) varies according to the error type, but as >I recall 1025 bytes should about cover them all. >I believe if you google for "IE friendly error", you may get some >additional info. > > >Ian Lauder wrote: >>Thanks for the comments. I'm in the early stages of trying to >>track down this problem and its not something I can replicate. >>All I know is that when I send out a mass mailing to 20,000 >>customers, I get on average 2 to 4 people saying the site is down >>and when I talk to them it turns out they are all using I.E. >>browsers, and when they switch to Firefox it works. My hosting >>company Hosting.com swears its not a server or DNS problem. My >>DNS server is managed by Hosting.com and its not on my Apache >>server, which is a dedicated server. >>I seem to recall there were web server configuration settings that >>could remedy access problems or I.E. specific connection problems, >>but its been so long I cant recall where I came across it. >>Just hoping if this was a common or known problem I'd get some tips >>on where to look if its a server issue. >> >>At 01:16 PM 1/28/2009, you wrote: >>>At 01:09 PM 1/28/2009, you wrote: >>> >>>>A "Page not Found" error is a DNS resolution issue. Since apache >>>>does not provide DNS resolution, make sure that DNS servers in >>>>place on that machine are reliable, and if possible, disable DNS caching. >>> >>>Good catch... forgot that. IE of course has some of the worst >>>'error reporting' I've seen. :) >>> >>>--------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>The official User-To-User support forum of the Apache HTTP Server Project. >>>See for more info. >>>To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org >>> " from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org >>>For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@httpd.apache.org >> >>Best regards, >>Ian >>Cyber Sea Inc. >> >>Cyber Sea APPROVEEMAIL (to ensure your email is approved by our >>filters, leave this notice intact). >> >>--------------------------------------------------------------------- >>The official User-To-User support forum of the Apache HTTP Server Project. >>See for more info. >>To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org >> " from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org >>For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@httpd.apache.org > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >The official User-To-User support forum of the Apache HTTP Server Project. >See for more info. >To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org > " from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org >For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@httpd.apache.org Best regards, Ian Cyber Sea Inc. Cyber Sea APPROVEEMAIL (to ensure your email is approved by our filters, leave this notice intact). --=====================_791334843==.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" The one customer I am working on this problem with is a developer at an ISP thankfully, but he doesn't know Apache or Linux.

He does have friendly errors turned off and he is getting the message:

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

I'm still trying to get his IP address to compare to my Apache server logs for more details, and I've got a call into Hosting.com to check our "DNS Caching" settings.

My sites are all plain HTML text and graphics with a little javascript, nothing fancy they have the Meta tag:

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">

In the header of every page too (didn't make a difference with or without that). So there shouldn't be any problem with the site design as was suggested by someone.

At 01:34 PM 1/28/2009, you wrote:

Hi.
You may or may not know that there is a particularity in IE about showing error pages.
IE has some option called "show friendly error messages", in the advanced settings somewhere, which has the effect of not displaying many HTTP server's sent error pages, but instead displaying a built-in IE error page. The pain with that, is that this internal error page is so specific as to completely hide whatever the server is sending as an error. In addition, IE shows this page for just about any kind of error at all, even when it has nothing to do with the webserver.
So the user's report ends up being pretty useless, because you never know where the error came from.
To a certain extent, you can override this at the server side, by making sure the error pages sent by the webserver have at least a certain size, which (sic) varies according to the error type, but as I recall 1025 bytes should about cover them all.
I believe if you google for "IE friendly error", you may get some additional info.

Ian Lauder wrote:

Thanks for the comments. I'm in the early stages of trying to track down this problem and its not something I can replicate.
All I know is that when I send out a mass mailing to 20,000 customers, I get on average 2 to 4 people saying the site is down and when I talk to them it turns out they are all using I.E. browsers, and when they switch to Firefox it works.   My hosting company Hosting.com swears its not a server or DNS problem.   My DNS server is managed by Hosting.com and its not on my Apache server, which is a dedicated server.
I seem to recall there were web server configuration settings that could remedy access problems or I.E. specific connection problems, but its been so long I cant recall where I came across it.
Just hoping if this was a common or known problem I'd get some tips on where to look if its a server issue.

At 01:16 PM 1/28/2009, you wrote:

At 01:09 PM 1/28/2009, you wrote:

A "Page not Found" error is a DNS resolution issue. Since apache does not provide DNS resolution, make sure that DNS servers in place on that machine are reliable, and if possible, disable DNS caching.

Good catch... forgot that. IE of course has some of the worst 'error reporting' I've seen. :)

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"   from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@httpd.apache.org
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Best regards,
Ian
Cyber Sea Inc.

Cyber Sea APPROVEEMAIL (to ensure your email is approved by our filters, leave this notice intact).

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Best regards,
Ian

Cyber Sea Inc.

Cyber Sea APPROVEEMAIL (to ensure your email is approved by our filters, leave this notice intact).
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