Edit report at http://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=44942&edit=1
ID: 44942
Comment by: richard at dlconsulting dot com
Reported by: inqualab1985 at gmail dot com
Summary: exec() hangs apache
Status: No Feedback
Type: Bug
Package: Program Execution
Operating System: Windows 2000 SP4
PHP Version: 5.2.5
Block user comment: N
New Comment:
Had a similar problem which was reproducible on Apache 1.3.26 and PHP
5.2.14 or PHP 5.3.3, (Apache running on Windows XP SP3). Reproducable
when using Firefox 3.6.8, Chrome 5.0.375.127, IE 8.0.6001.18702
Interestingly, when the same PHP based system was running on linux
(Centos 5.5) this problem could not be reproduced.
A parent browser window opens a child popup to perform an import process
of some files into a system. The child popup window is running a PHP
script which as part of its process calls an external binaries such as
rm.exe or unzip.exe binary using the exec function.
As part of the html in the child popup window, we call a javascript
function with <script
type="text/javascript">window.opener.location.reload();</script>
which reloads the parent window (which is also generated via PHP).
When this bug occurs, the JavaScript above is near the top of the web
page, so that it seems to trigger a reload of the parent PHP script
during the child popup PHP process, and apparently this interferes
somehow with the execution of the child popup PHP process, because when
we tried moving this JavaScript to the bottom of the popup PHP process
webpage . . the problem goes away.
This problem, which seems somehow related to the concurrent execution of
the PHP of the parent browser window, hangs Apache completely. Apache
has to be terminated manually, and then restarted. Therefore this bug
was a showstopper until we happened upon a work-around.
If we remove calls to exec() in the child popup PHP script, the problem
disappears. The duration of the child popup PHP script is not trivial,
it might unzip / read / move maybe 50 files (although on fast hardware
this might take less than a second anyway . . .)
Previous Comments:
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[2010-09-06 14:53:26] elwiz at 3e dot pl
Hello.
I am also having the same problem. One of my scripts is being called
multiple times (as a SRC for image tags) and each time it uses the exec
function. On windows XP, with PHP 5.2.5 and Apache 2.2 the PHP stops
responding. Requests for static files can be done but PHP scripts run
endlessly. Session closing and opening helps but it is still just a
workaround.
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[2010-07-25 21:00:18] andy dot hilbig at clubsys dot co dot uk
I have been plagued with PHP freezing after a few minutes, days or maybe
weeks.
I use exec() to link to custom vb.exe
I have searched and searched until today tried the
session_write_close(); before the exec()call and session_start ();
after.
I can now click [Next Day]/[Next Day] as fast as I like and all appears
solid now. Other users have connected at the same time.
So, thank you all very much for the cure.
I have umpteen years programming in machine code and 15 in VB6 with the
Jet engine to Access. All works well with Apache/PHP/VB exes. Do I
really need .Net ???
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[2009-08-27 10:00:24] listephp at andrioli dot com
I've the same problem too.
I tried the latest snapshot 5.2.11RC2-dev build date: Aug 26 2009
23:42:35 , but it shows up.
Configuration
- Windows 2003 R2
- Apache 2.2.11
Both, exec() running java.exe and system() running .NET program, hang
Apache as described above.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2009-06-08 16:41:29] alex at bartl dot net
Reproducable with PHP 5.2.9-1 on Windows2003 Server with Apache2.2
Workaround with calling session_write_close() before calling exec()
confirmed working
NOT reproducable with PHP 5.2.1 on Windows 2000 Server with IIS5
anyway, seems to be a duplicate of Bug#44994
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[2009-04-07 15:12:50] gouldee at netscape dot com
I am having the same or similar issue:
OS: MS2003
PHP: 5.2.6
APACHE2: 2.2
The bug occurs with an PHP script that has a PHP passthru exec call that
hangs every now and then. After the first hang occurs then any passthru
call hangs in the same manner.
I believe that the passthru call runs as I am calling a sendmail.exe
process that does send the E-Mail, however, the Browser page hangs after
the E-Mail has been sent by sendmail.exe called via passthru().
There are no PHP or Apache2 errors or warnings. It seems that the
problem happens when (2) calls to the same .exe happens at the same
time, but, I have no real proof of this, as I can't provide execution
times for each instance of the sendmail.exe running.
This is a serious problem, as all pages that call an .exe process after
the initial hang will hang up as well. I can clear the bug by simply
stopping and restarting the Apache service.
I also note that If I run the page, that hangs up, manually in a Command
Prompt DOS window like: D:\php page.php there are no hangs and the
process performs correctly even during and after the first showing of
the bug. So the problem seems to be when PHP does an exec call in
conjunction with Apache, as I said even during the time a hang occurs I
can still exec passthru commands from a command prompt.
I can also run any page that calls PHP as long as the page does not have
any exec or passthru calls in it, and all pages with HTML only runs fine
as well during the hang period.
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