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xml update vars error
Posted: 30 Oct 2012, 11:27
by yuvallahav
Hello.
I've started seeing this error message in my server log, and since it's an internal xml created by the server and not the user or extension, I thought it would be interesting to know whats it about and what I can do about it:
Code: Select all
2012/10/30 12:01:05.007 - [ WARNING ] [id: 11] (SmartFoxServer.dispatchEvent): Malformed XML request, MSG: <msg t='sys'><body action='setUvars' r='12'><varars><var n='avatar' t='n'><![CDATA[1]]></var></vs></body></msg>
From: /82.119.192.62
2012/10/30 12:01:05.008 - [ WARNING ] [id: 11] (SmartFoxServer.dispatchEvent): exception > Closing tag does not match opening tag: `vs' != `varars', SystemID='file:.', Line=1
Thanks.
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 30 Oct 2012, 23:50
by rjgtav
Hi,
That's an interesting bug... Can you replicate that error at will? What server version are you running?
It seems the client is sending some wrong xml data to the server... Does it happen only with the same user? Maybe he's trying to use an hacked client...
Will forward this to Lapo
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 05 Nov 2012, 08:33
by Lapo
What do you mean by "internally created"?
2012/10/30 12:01:05.007 - [ WARNING ] [id: 11] (SmartFoxServer.dispatchEvent): Malformed XML request, MSG: <msg t='sys'><body action='setUvars' r='12'><varars><var n='avatar' t='n'><![CDATA[1]]></var></vs></body></msg>
The XML is certainly malformed, there's a
<varars> tags mixed in there which makes no sense.
Can you explain how this XML is produced?
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 05 Nov 2012, 09:00
by yuvallahav
When I say internally created, I mean the flash API creates it, and not my client side code, I don't sent out this xml manually from my code, it's pretty obvious it's a set user variable function being called from the client side to the server, but for some unexplained reason, something mucks it up.
I can reproduce this, as this happens randomly, and with different variables, not just the one shown in this example I posted.
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 05 Nov 2012, 09:39
by Lapo
The only time I saw something like this was when we were running tests with a software firewall running on the computer. If I recall correctly it was ZoneAlarm and after scratching my head for quite a long time I discovered that the firewall was messing up the packets.
It wasn't enough to just turn it off, evidently the low-level packet filtering service was still causing problems, we had to uninstall it from the system to get rid of the problem.
In our case we were running a pretty intense test with lots of packets being sent and received very fast. In a more "normal" scenario the problem wouldn't show up.
If you run a personal firewall, try disabling it. A part from this I don't know what else could cause such a problem.
cheers
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 05 Nov 2012, 09:42
by yuvallahav
Like all my problems, this happens only on the production server, never locally, so I guess some users using some firewalls will have to find a way to live without some variables...
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 05 Nov 2012, 10:57
by Lapo
What is important is the rate at which this happens. If it is < 2-3% than it's just "natural", users can have all sorts of configurations and problems on their local machines so you never know.
Re: xml update vars error
Posted: 05 Nov 2012, 11:03
by yuvallahav
I'll try and see if I can think about how to maybe get a statistic on how many of these errors I have, but I'm not sure it's more then 1%, they don't dominate the log, but they do stand out since I've never seen these before I posted my first message.