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Website hosted in Plesk is displayed incorrectly, shows 503 Internal Server Error or returns a PHP warning: Failed to read session data: files

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Nelson Leiva
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Plesk for Linux kb: technical ABT: Group A

Applicable to:

  • Plesk for Linux

Symptoms

  • Website hosted in Plesk displayed incorrectly, shows HTTP ERROR 500 or returns the following PHP warning:

    CONFIG_TEXT: PHP Warning: Unknown: Failed to write session data (files). Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct (/var/lib/php/sessions) in Unknown on line 0

  • The following errors are found in Apache /var/www/vhost/system/example.com/logs/error_log for the website:

    CONFIG_TEXT: # mod_fcgid: stderr: PHP Warning: session_start(): open(/var/lib/php/sessions/sess_g0u8u3b1j8t98v0jpjmh0gmp84, O_RDWR) failed: No such file or directory (2) in /opt/www/vhost/example.com/httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/custom-sidebars/inc/external/wpmu-lib/inc/class-thelib.php on line 114, referer: http://example.com/
    ...
    mod_fcgid: stderr: PHP Warning: Unknown: Failed to write session data (files). Please verify that the current setting of session.save_path is correct (/var/lib/php/sessions) in Unknown on line 0

    CONFIG_TEXT: AH01071: Got error 'PHP message: PHP Warning: session_start(): open(/var/lib/php/session/sess_d3deadbeef8i0455babecafeuo, O_RDWR) failed: Permission denied (13) in /home/www-data/example.com/httpdocs/index.php on line 2\nPHP message: PHP Warning: session_start(): Failed to read session data: files (path: /var/lib/php/session) in /home/www-data/example.com/httpdocs/index.php on line 2

Cause

The permissions/SELinux context for the PHP session directory are incorrect or the directory does not exist.

Resolution

  1. Log in to Plesk and check the current session.save_path for domain in Domains > example.com > PHP Settings.

    Note: On Ubuntu or Debian, if session.save_path is not set, then session files are saved in /var/lib/php7, on RHEL and CentOS systems, if session.save_path is not set, session files will be saved in /var/lib/php/session.

  2. Connect to the server via SSH and make sure the directory exists and have proper permissions (1733). If path is /var/lib/php/session:

    # stat /var/lib/php/session | grep Access
    Access: (1733/drwx-wx-wt) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)

    If directory does not exists create it and set valid permissions:

    # mkdir -p /var/lib/php/session && chmod 1733 /var/lib/php/session

    If directory exists but permissions are different, set the correct ones:

    # chmod 1733 /var/lib/php/session

Note: If the directory exists and its permissions are correct, restore the SElinux context:

# restorecon -R -v /var/lib/php/session

Comments

10 comments

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  • Avatar
    Soni Vimal

    I am suffering from the same issue and I use CentOs system. I cross check session.save_path through phpinfo(); it shows /var/lib/php/session.

    I rest the permissions for it but still the issue is active. please help me to resolve it. 

     

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  • Avatar
    Bulat Tsydenov

    @Soni, check the permissions and ownership of the folder:

    # ls -ld /var/lib/php/session
    drwx-wx-wt 2 root root 4096 Nov 6 00:32 /var/lib/php/session

    Permission should be 1733

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  • Avatar
    Justin Lnch

    Should it be session or sessions? In centos it is session. Above you have sessions?

     

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  • Avatar
    Lev Iurev

    Hi @Justin Lnch,

    Ubuntu, Debian - /var/lib/php/sessions/

    CentOS - /var/lib/php/session/

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  • Avatar
    MySiteMalixi

    Your answers here helps me, but i have added the directory given inside SFTP root not on the FTP and it resolved my issues. Thanks so much guys, i hope this input also helps others

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  • Avatar
    Rizwan

    Hi,

    I am using Suse 12, And there is /var/lib/php7 folder but no session folder is there so should i create a new session directory and set permission to 1733.

    Please help me.

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  • Avatar
    James Sweiderk

    I have encountered this issue, and the permissions and ownership appear as above for the PHP session directory, and I've confirmed the directory is named as such in the PHP configuration. The resolution of setenforce 0 works, but is apparently needs to be set frequently because the permissions issue reappears. Is there a permanent solution?

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  • Avatar
    Ekaterina Babenko

    Hello James,

    If the disabling SELinux resolves the issue, there is possibility that the context on the /var/lib/php/session is insufficient. As far as I understood permission/ownership on directory is also got reset. The both issue require deep investigating. Please, submit request to support for further investigating. On how to do so check the article: https://support.plesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213608509-How-to-submit-a-request-to-Plesk-support-

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  • Avatar
    Brian Essig

    The fix for me was:

    restorecon -R -v /var/lib/php/session/

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  • Avatar
    Mikhail Shport

    Hello Brian Essig,

    The utility restorecon is used to restore the default SELinux context.

    Indeed, it can cause the issue so I have updated the article with the corresponding changes.

    Thank you for the information.

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