Repeated requests to log in

[ABCandJRC]

I have just started using the forum and find that I am repeatedly asked to log in during a given session. For instance, yesterday I spent some time viewing messages then tried to reply to one. When I selected the submit button I was asked to log in again. Today, I was able to view some messages, responded to one with no problem, but when I tried to submit a new thread was asked to log in again. It doesn't seem to be a priviledge thing, since after I log in again, I can perform the action I had attempted before the request.

Any ideas? Some sort of timeout?

Edit: This one went in with no problem but I had already submitted one new thread today if that is significant.

 

[Greebo]

Try logging out, clearing your cache and cookies, and logging in again.

If that fails:
Are you checking off the "Remember me" checkbox?

Is your browser set to enable cookies?

What browser version are you using, and on what operating system?

 

[Steve]

Ah, welcome to the nefarious 15 minute do something or you're outta here vBulletin timeout.

I encounter this every time I respond to a post since it takes me 15 minutes just to decide if I really want to respond, not to mention the time it takes to two finger type the response. It has become part of the routine to log back in to find out if I lost my response or it actually posted. It seems a little ironic to me that I get a nag when I really want to log out asking me if I really want to log out but I don't even get a fine how do you do when the software surreptitiously logs me out. I've been told I have a bad cache problem.

Were that the only problem I have...

I have just started using the forum and find that I am repeatedly asked to log in during a given session. For instance, yesterday I spent some time viewing messages then tried to reply to one. When I selected the submit button I was asked to log in again. Today, I was able to view some messages, responded to one with no problem, but when I tried to submit a new thread was asked to log in again. It doesn't seem to be a priviledge thing, since after I log in again, I can perform the action I had attempted before the request.

Any ideas? Some sort of timeout?

Edit: This one went in with no problem but I had already submitted one new thread today if that is significant.

 

[Greebo]

Ah, welcome to the nefarious 15 minute do something or you're outta here vBulletin timeout.

I encounter this every time I respond to a post since it takes me 15 minutes just to decide if I really want to respond, not to mention the time it takes to two finger type the response. It has become part of the routine to log back in to find out if I lost my response or it actually posted. I've been told I have a bad cache problem.

Were that the only problem I have...

Did you check the "remember me" box when you logged in? Is your browser configured to allow local cookies?

If the answer to either question is no, then problem isn't vBulletin. vBulletin will remember who you are for 15 minutes if you don't allow it to use your own browser to remember you for longer. You allow it to do so by clicking "Remember me" ***AND*** allowing websites to create cookies on your browser.

If vBulletin were to remember everyone, indefinitely, the web server would eventually run out of resources. There has to be a cutoff for how long a single 'session' should last. Thats why cookies are so important to how software like this works.

Now if both are allowed on your computer, then we have an interesting problem to try to solve.

 

[Steve]

It seems a little ironic to me that I get a nag when I really want to log out asking me if I really want to log out but I don't even get a fine how do you do when the software surreptitiously logs me out.

Did you check the "remember me" box when you logged in? Is your browser configured to allow local cookies?

If the answer to either question is no, then problem isn't vBulletin. vBulletin will remember who you are for 15 minutes if you don't allow it to use your own browser to remember you for longer. You allow it to do so by clicking "Remember me" ***AND*** allowing websites to create cookies on your browser.

If vBulletin were to remember everyone, indefinitely, the web server would eventually run out of resources. There has to be a cutoff for how long a single 'session' should last. Thats why cookies are so important to how software like this works.

Now if both are allowed on your computer, then we have an interesting problem to try to solve.

 

[Greebo]

It seems a little ironic to me that I get a nag when I really want to log out asking me if I really want to log out but I don't even get a fine how do you do when the software surreptitiously logs me out.

You haven't answered my questions yet, but I can answer that point:

Thats because it isn't your browser that's giving up on you after 15 minutes.

Web sites are two machine (minimum) operations: client and server. You are the client, vB, in this case, is the server.

In web site operations, behavior is stateless: This means that requests are initiated by the client, responded to by the server, and sent back to the client, and that is the end of it. At that point, your tcp/ip connection to the server goes away. Not until you click a link or button again do you get a new connection to the web server.

When the server does something on its own (like dump an expired session) it has no way to tell you that its done so, because the server doesn't have any right to contact your computer. It only works the other way around.

So if you block cookies, and then your session times out, the server can't tell you When you click log out, the code to verify that you want to log out is actually already on your browser (javascript), and only after you say you're sure, a connection to the server is opened, the message is sent that you are logging out, and the server dumps your session.

 

[ABCandJRC]

Please explain the behavior of "Remember Me?" I can't find a reference to it in FAQ, nor is there a hint if I "linger" over it. On some systems, it remembers login ID and password, which I do not think is secure, so generally take a by. What does it actually remember, and for how long?

I do not know if I have had it checked when the behavior occurred. Some of the login screens have it as the default, some do not. I will keep a closer eye on whether or not it is checked. This morning, I had logged on less than a minute when I decided to rate the quote. I entered a 5 (it was a goodie) and was immediately asked to log in. Obviously, no time-out involved, but I cannot be sure if Remember Me? was checked or not.

It is also interesting that I use at least two other forums which I believe use this engine, and have never seen the behavior I have described. I definitely have cookies enabled.

 

[Greebo]

Please explain the behavior of "Remember Me?" I can't find a reference to it in FAQ, nor is there a hint if I "linger" over it. On some systems, it remembers login ID and password, which I do not think is secure, so generally take a by. What does it actually remember, and for how long?

In a nutshell, it stores your userid and password (encrypted) in a cookie on your browser. If you are the only person who uses your computer under the login used to access that computer, it is secure enough for this sort of function. If you are not the only person to use your computer, and you all share the same login (ie nobody logs out and logs in from the computer when you change users) then you should not check that box.

If you need to leave Remember Me disabled, you can open the "Who's online" list in another window from the quicklinks menu by right clicking and selecting "Open in new window" (or tab if you use firefox), and leave it minimized (or ignore it in firefox). That will keep your session active even when idle.

I do not know if I have had it checked when the behavior occurred. Some of the login screens have it as the default, some do not. I will keep a closer eye on whether or not it is checked. This morning, I had logged on less than a minute when I decided to rate the quote. I entered a 5 (it was a goodie) and was immediately asked to log in. Obviously, no time-out involved, but I cannot be sure if Remember Me? was checked or not.

Now that is odd - it shouldn't do that.

It is also interesting that I use at least two other forums which I believe use this engine, and have never seen the behavior I have described. I definitely have cookies enabled.

Have you cleared your cache?

What browser and version?