possible incompatibility issues between hosting settings and a Wordpress plug-in

Web hosting discussion, programming, and shared and dedicated servers.
2 posts Page 1 of 1
by mdashow » Tue Oct 17, 2023 1:02 pm
I recently updated my site hosted by Sonic to work with Wordpress 6.3.2, and ever since then, one of the Wordpress plug-ins, called Jetpack, keeps uninstalling itself every few days, and when that happens, most of my site (http://www.michaeldashow.com) goes offline. I am working with Automattic, the makers of Jetpack, to troubleshoot the problems, and they had a few questions for the hosting provider. And even though that's not Sonic's main line of business anymore, I'm still hoping someone might be able to help. Here's what they wanted to know:

Automattic wrote:
" Additionally, given the recurring nature of the issue, it might be beneficial to reach out to your hosting provider. Here's why:

Server-Side Configurations: Hosting providers often have server-side configurations and settings that can affect how plugins like Jetpack operate. They may have specific security measures, caching systems, or resource limitations that could be inadvertently causing Jetpack to deactivate.
Logs and Error Reporting: Hosting providers typically maintain logs and error reporting systems that can provide valuable insights into what might be happening when Jetpack deactivates. They can review these logs for any unusual activities or errors that could be linked to the issue.
Server Resources: If your website is hosted on a shared server or a server with resource limitations, it's possible that Jetpack's resource usage is triggering automatic deactivation. Your hosting provider can assess whether your current hosting plan is suitable for your website's needs.
Network Security: Hosting providers often have network-level security measures in place. Sometimes, these measures might mistakenly flag certain plugin activities as suspicious, leading to deactivation.

By contacting your hosting provider and explaining the issue, they can investigate server-side aspects that might not be visible from within WordPress. This collaborative approach will help us ensure that both the hosting environment and your WordPress setup are compatible and configured correctly, reducing the chances of Jetpack deactivating itself."

Do you see anything here you can comment on that might help answer why this one plug-in keeps disabling itself and making my page unusable? Any help anyone can offer would be appreciated greatly!
by joemuller » Thu Oct 19, 2023 11:37 am
First, I recommend starting to look for another web hosting provider that specializes in and offers specific support for Wordpress.

That said, here's what I recommend:
1.) Make sure that Wordpress and any installed plugins are updated to their latest versions.
2.) If you are unsure that a plugin is needed or it looks to have not been updated in a long time, try disabling it and seeing if it fixes any problems or slowness with the site. [1] I've found that most of the time, any optimizer or caching plugins break things rather than offer any real benefit.
3.) If directed by Wordpress/Automattic, turn on Wordpress debug logs so that a log file can be generated for them to review. [2]

I took the opportunity this morning to temporarily turn on the debug log option on your site to see if there were plugins that were causing issues. It looks like there are some issues with the Facebook Thumb Fixer plugin, which is no longer maintained by its author [3] and will not work in the future, so if you don't need it, I recommend disabling it first. My understanding is that the SEO and sharing/thumbnail options provided by that plugin are now available in the Jetpack plugin.

You can view the server logs for your website if you have Shell Access turned on for your account - they can be viewed/downloaded from the directory /logs/by_user/ on shell.sonic.net. (These can be downloaded with an FTP program like Filezilla, WinSCP, or Cyberduck using the SFTP/SCP connection type.)

I hope the above helps - it seems very odd that the plugin would disable itself, but it sounds like the folks at Automattic should be able to look over any logs or other indicators of why it would be doing that.

-- Joe M
Sonic System Operations

[1] https://wordpress.org/documentation/art ... wordpress/
[2] https://wordpress.org/documentation/art ... shooting-1
[3] https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/fa ... umb-fixer/
I'm a proud employee of Sonic.net! :-)
2 posts Page 1 of 1

Who is online

In total there are 18 users online :: 1 registered, 0 hidden and 17 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)
Most users ever online was 999 on Mon May 10, 2021 1:02 am

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 17 guests