Keep getting logged out

[joshz]

Despite repeated clearing of cookies and even a cache emptying, I keep getting logged out of the fora (using the forums.xkcd.com domain).
Is anyone else experiencing this, or is it on my end?

[poxic]

Have you also cleared echochamber, fora*, and all forums* (xkcd version) cookies?

Did you choose "log me in automatically every time" at the login?

Did you ask Firefox (or whomever) to remember settings? Maybe those need clearing.

Dunno, apart from that. Have you checked your house for totems of minor curses that might have stuck to your shoes recently?

[joshz]

Yes, yes, no, no.

[joshz]

OK, I just did a big reset, including:
clearing board cookies, emptying cache, removing favicons, removing website preview images, and clearing downloads window (not like that's relevant) after getting logged out again--this time *in the middle of surfing.*

I was reading EtS, then went back to my view posts page and got logged out somehow.

[joshz]

GRAAAH THIS IS GETTING SO FUCKING ANNOYING HOW THE HELL DO I FIX IT?!?!

[PhoenixEnigma]

I wonder if your cookies are getting deleted or expiring prematurely. Any software running that might be cleaning up cookies in the background? Maybe something somewhere set to put a (too-short) cap on cookie expiration dates?

Does this tend to happen at fixed intervals, either in time or page access to the fora? Trouble with any other sites that require login? Any other information you can provide?

[scikidus]

GRAAAH THIS IS GETTING SO FUCKING ANNOYING HOW THE HELL DO I FIX IT?!?!

Open a new broswer. IE, Opera, Chrome, Safari: any one will do. Log in there and see if the problem happens there. If it does, move to a new computer and try it there. Report your findings here, assuming you can stay logged in.

If you still can't stay logged in, try any of the following:

1. Changing your password
2. Creating a new account (temporarily) and testing with that.
3. Check yourself to make sure that the cookies related to these fora were deleted.

...and that's all I've got. I had this problem myself a while ago, but it straightened itself out on its own.

[joshz]

I can stay logged in on my iPhone, using mobile Safari. (I'm using Safari on my main computer.)

[joshz]

...this just got far weirder.

I was at the "you need to log in to view posts" screen, I refreshed, and was able to log in.
I'm thoroughly confused.

[chridd]

I have been experiencing this as well. (Also using Safari, if that makes any difference)

I was at the "you need to log in to view posts" screen, I refreshed, and was able to log in.

Yesterday the forum acted as if I were logged out for a few pages, then suddenly I was logged back in again... is this what you're referring to?

[joshz]

That sounds plausible.

[LE4dGOLEM]

Are you having the same problem on other sites with a login feature?

[joshz]

Not that I've noticed.

[skeptical scientist]

I have this problem too, and I think there may be a correlation with using my campus network, which replaces the first site visited (frequently these forums) a redirect to the login page until you log in to the campus network, and then you can browse normally. I have had this vague sense for a while, but I recently felt it was confirmed when I didn't have this problem at all over winter break, and then this quarter, the first time I visited campus, it started reoccurring. Could a similar thing be happening with you?

[joshz]

Nah, I'm on my home network when it happens. And when my phone's on the same network it works fine.

[skeptical scientist]

Nah, I'm on my home network when it happens. And when my phone's on the same network it works fine.

But does it happen after using a different network, or are you always on your home network?

[joshz]

Well, it's a desktop machine, on ethernet, with wifi turned off, so...

[skeptical scientist]

Probably unrelated to my issue then. Unless I'm wrong about the cause of mine.

[chridd]

I'm not sure if this is relevant to the cause of the problem, but...
Do you by any chance have Safari 4, and if so, is any page of this forum on the Top Sites screen (the little grid button in the bookmarks bar)?

[jestingrabbit]

Well, it's a desktop machine, on ethernet, with wifi turned off, so...

But you also visit on a mobile device, yes? Is that a different network, or do you get on the internet via the home network with the iPhone.

Maybe close the session by logging out before you try to login somewhere else? iunno...

[joshz]

I log on on many networks with my phone, sometimes my wifi, other times 3G or oher wifi networks, but there doesn't seem to be any regular thing that causes it, AFAICT.

Log out? Doesn't that defeat the point?

[joshz]

Bumping for I have a theory:

Sometimes, I start loading a page on my iPhone, but its internet connection is acting slow, so I'll either quit mobile safari or put the phone to sleep. Is it possible that this causes the server to think I'm logged out, or mess up in some other way?

[joshz]

Bumping for that theory is wrong.

I opened the forums fine, went to some other sites and browsed a bit (including signing in on one, in no way shape or form xkcd-related, site), came back to the forums, refreshed, and got the "you need to log in" message. I was still logged in on my phone, and refreshing both devices did not make the screen resolve itself--I had to reenter my password.

[joshz]

There aren't any kind of limits on password length or characters that can be in passwords, are there?

[gmalivuk]

I'm sure there's a limit somewhere, but as far as I know it's not one you'd come across making any reasonable password.

[joshz]

What do youmean by "reasonable"? My password is (pseudo)randomly generated by computer, with letters, numbers, and symbols, and either 12 or 14 chars long. Or maybe 13, I'm not positive. That wouldn't cause a problem, would it)

[Bakemaster]

The forum software encrypts your password before storing it in the database, so it doesn't really matter how long your password is, it's going to be turned into a hash of a set character length. PHPBB3 uses a proprietary encryption algorithm based off MD5, so the stored hash is probably 32 characters long, or longer.

In short, no. The length of your password, assuming it was accepted when you first registered (i.e., you didn't get an error message for it being too long or using bad characters), almost certainly has nothing to do with your problem.

[joshz]

Mmkay.
I really wish I could fix this, cause it's annoying. (and seemed to start shortly after a password change, IIRC.)

[joshz]

So waiting a bit and doing browsing in other tabs, then coming back and refreshing, logs me in. This is weird.

[PhoenixEnigma]

Is this still occuring? If so, for troubleshooting purposes, here's a recap of what we know:

-Using Safari (version and OS?)
-Have cleared all cookies for all forum URLs
-Have checked "Log in automatically"
-Have emptied cache
-Can stay logged in via iPhone on same network
-At least 1 other report of similar behavior from Safari users
-Occasionally self resolving
-May have undiscovered minor curse totem

To me, it seems like it might be something funky with Safari. Could you give Firefox or Chrome a shot and see if that clears it up? I'll try browsing with Safari for a while at home and see if I can reproduce this.

[joshz]

Safari 4.0.4, Mac OS X 10.5.8.

Almost universally self-resolving, if I'm patient and wait long enough before refreshing. Still not sure what causes it, though it seems to happen more when I've not used my computer since the morning and it's afternoon, or the evening and it's morning.

[chridd]

I haven't experienced it since switching to Firefox.
I still have some suspicion that it has to do with Safari's Top Sites feature.

[joshz]

It's possible, though I was using Top Sites for a few months before this started.

[Fifi]

This has recently started happening to me as well, every so often it'll just log me out for a bit. But if I then close the window, and open it up again, sometimes I'll be logged back in.
I'm also using Safari (4.0.4, Mac OS X 10.4.11) - and this is one of my Top Sites.

[Red Hal]

Are you pulling either an ATOM or RSS feed using your home computer? If so then the following topic (on the phpbb forums) may be relevant: http://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopi ... #p11950615

[joshz]

I don't, and never have, used the forums' RSS. I clicked on it I think once to see if there was a way to subscribe to your posts, but other than that, I've never used it.

[Red Hal]

Hmm,

In which case you may find enlightenment at http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jsp ... 0&tstart=0

[joshz]

Hm. I'll definetly try that when I get back to my computer and have time.

[joshz]

Trashed cookies and got no luck--it happened again, and I had to retype my password.

[hintss]

i get logged out sometimes too:

randomly
sometimes just a few minutes after I first load a page
happens here on my linux netbook and at school
got logged out when I clicked post reply to post this