Trial License Invalid on fresh install

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 8:32 AM EDT

    Literally just download, uploaded, extracted and get the following:

    Your trial license key has expired or is invalid. If you've already purchased SocialEngine, please see this KB article. Otherwise, please purchase a license here.

    Nothing about this in the install guide.  Expecting to see the Install Wizard.

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 9:17 AM EDT

    Did you contact our support desk? I don't see a ticket. Generally, this is caused by either ionCube not being installed on your server; the server PHP being something other than 5.6.3x; ionCube not being the same version as the PHP 5.6.3x version. Check those on your server. Please contact our support if those tips don't help.

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 10:09 AM EDT

    Do I install this on top of word press, or standalone?

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 10:37 AM EDT

    I am not sure what you mean "on top of" WordPress. SocialEngine is a stand alone script. You would put it in its own subfolder or subdomain. However, if your WordPress needs a different version of PHP, you might want to put the trial someplace else. The full version does work in PHP 7.x. 

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 10:38 AM EDT

    There are also some certified plugins for WordPress SSO (Single Sign on) and I believe other integrations to connect to WordPress.

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 12:00 PM EDT

    Hello.  Got this information back from my provider, they said this is how 99.9% of all servers are used:

    This program makes use of the Zend Scripting Language Engine:
    Zend Engine v3.0.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2017 Zend Technologies
        with the ionCube PHP Loader (enabled) + Intrusion Protection from ioncube24.com (unconfigured) v10.2.4, Copyright (c) 2002-2018, by ionCube Ltd.

     

     

    PHP Version - 7.0.31

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 12:20 PM EDT

    As I mentioned, our trial does not work with PHP 7. You need php 5.6.3x. The full version works with PHP 7.x. Also, the ionCube version needs to match the PHP 5.6.3x version. 

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 12:27 PM EDT

    Alright so first issue cleared - I had WP already installed and thought that SE was a drop on module on top of it.  I removed WP, re-expanded the zip, and instead of the previous error, now I just get the following on the page:

     

    The license file could not be found.

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 12:28 PM EDT

    As I mentioned, our trial does not work with PHP 7. You need php 5.6.3x. The full version works with PHP 7.x. Also, the ionCube version needs to match the PHP 5.6.3x version. 

     

    Ah.  I see.  Maybe Ill try a different product.  I liked your product for the specific reason I could try it first.  But if Im not able to try the actual full product, its not really a trial.  Thanks for your help.

  • gs
    • 857 posts
    September 11, 2018 12:50 PM EDT

    @Singularity

    Please ask your hosting provider if they are able to configure the older version of PHP by a folder and/or subdomain (not sure which the Trial allows).  FastComet is able to do this (in order to support different platforms that require different PHP version), so hopefully your provider can as well.  SE is a great platform with many 3rd-Party Products to enhance it (almost) however you wish, so my suggestion is to not give up on the trial due to something that should be configurable by your host.

     

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 2:17 PM EDT

    as @gs mentions, it is a hosting issue that is causing the trial not to work for you. The trial does allow you to test the full product but because of the encryption mechanism, it only works on php 5.6.3x. Many hosts offer free installs of our trial on their hosting. GS mentioned one. TMD is another. BryZar is another and Cazaratech. All of these hosts meet the trial requirements and fully licensed version requirements. 

    If you want to try just about everything without installing, you can also try our demo. Or, if you can install ionCube on local, you could install a local copy. There are a few ways to try it before you buy.

    I use the script for my own site and migrated from another script which I used to work for. So far, it's been a better experience using SE.

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 2:38 PM EDT

    Thanks for your options.  The woes of not running your own server  I asked my hoster, waiting for a reply.   Side note, as a software dev I dont like the idea of using older versions of PHP for one product, then having to rebuild it all on a newer version of PHP.  If its literally just some library that handles hashing/checksums, I guess thats fine.  But generally youre going to have a bad time mixing version and having to redeploy with newer versions.  Just my two cents.  I'll still give your product a try.  There are so many like it, but it does really seem the best. 

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 3:19 PM EDT

    When you upgrade from trial to licensed version, it's just a matter of following the tutorial for that upgrade. It involves uploading files to overwrite current files, upgrading plugins twice (SE plugins), and then updating the license key. Everything remains from your testing if you want it. Settings, content, users, etc. If you want a fresh, you could do that instead.

    As I co-own BryZar hosting, changing the PHP version is no problem. Not sure of your experience at other hosts. 

    I do recommend though that you don't test third party plugins on the trial due to the conversion process to fully licensed and unencrypted script. The non-certified third party plugins tend to interfere with that process. It's best to just test the SE script to see if it works for your needs and add third party stuff later on.

    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 4:33 PM EDT

    Dang.  Looks like my hoster doesnt support it.

     

    Unfortunately, it is not possible to make changes Ioncube feature, as it is not possible to make changes on major server settings including Apache configurations / PHP configurations/extensions

    This is hostwinds btw.  Pretty widely used hosting agency.  Guess Im kinda stuck here unless I pay to upgrade to VPS, just to use your demo.  Is there a refund policy?  What if I just purchased it and didnt like it after 30 days?  Without control over IONcube, requiring a VPS, would the full licensed version even work?

    I suppose I can just hosters, but thats a lot of money already paid out to them.  Dang it.

  • gs
    • 857 posts
    September 11, 2018 5:18 PM EDT

    Oh yeh... shared hosting.  I never thought to ask about that.  Incorrect presumption on my part.  IMHO, in general, SE is a much more robust platform than things like WordPress, so it can't run on just (almost) anything like WP can.  And even if it 'can', will it function properly with a number of Users unless you step up to at least a good VPS. 

     

    ==> '...Without control over IONcube, requiring a VPS, would the full licensed version even work?...'

    My apologies, but I'm not quite sure what you're asking.

    Are you saying that your host won't be able to configure IONcube appropriately if you used one of their VPS plans?  If so, they may not be as familiar with SE as other hosts are.  FastComet has never had any issues with installing SE and upgrades since 2015 for me on a VPS (whereas a host like 1and1 couldn't figure it out even when using a $400+/mo dedicated server).  FastComet happily configures Apache, PHP, etc. as needed - as will (most likely) the other hosts @Donna mentioned. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


    This post was edited by gs at September 11, 2018 5:21 PM EDT
    • 8 posts
    September 11, 2018 6:04 PM EDT

    Best recommendation of a cheap hoster that I can click a button to install this on?  Bryzar looks decent, but no cpanel

     

  • gs
    • 857 posts
    September 11, 2018 6:37 PM EDT

    You'd have to ask @Donna about why no cPanel @ Bryzar, but my best guess is that she recommends to not have cPanel installed.

     

    I personally use components of cPanel quite regularly.  Some people use it, others don't.  Supposedly it's a hog and slows down your site, but I wouldn't know - I'm no expert obviously, and have never had a managed host w/o cPanel because I let them do what I can't and I do what I can (and don't have the expertise to do certain things w/o cPanel). 

     

    'Cheap' host?  The one you mentioned starts under $6/mo for a VPS.  I've never seen anything that inexpensive before - but my purposes were different than sort of a one-and-done, install/test for a few weeks kind of thing.  Bryzar offers a Cloud plan for $9/mo (and I'd trust them with SE moreso than almost every other host that says they know about SE).  Just MHO of course as (again) I'm no expert. 

    • Moderator
    • 6923 posts
    September 11, 2018 8:03 PM EDT

    Cpanel isn't needed and can have issues. It can and does have some bugs that interfere with some scripts. It is heavy and most clients only use it for file managing and database. You can do all of that already if you can use Filezilla for FTP and use the Vesta control panel to add databases and manage the server. So we don't have a heavy cpanel. The scripts use enough resources as it is. No need to add something on top of that.

    We (BryZar) have lite cloud VPS for $5 but for any script that is dynamic (social networks, some forums, etc) you would want a bit more resources such as the Cloud 1 vps. My partner is the hosting expert and has worked in the industry for many years. 

    As for other hosts, I've tried many but never heard of the one you use. I've tried hostgator (horrible), arvixe (terrible and hostgator owners bought them), pacifichost, and a few more I forget the names of. Never had any luck with any of them.

    GS likes fastcomet. If you want cpanel, try them or TMD. I've not tried either. I would suggest you wean off of cpanel as you are paying for something that's really unnecessary. I never thought I could get away from it before. Now, I don't miss it. And, if you have a windows computer, you can use WinSCP that works just like cpanel's file manager. A tutorial is at the BryZar kb for using that. Even if you don't use BryZar, you can use WinSCP on any host and do away with cpanel. Try to also learn ssh. I'm not adept at that yet though. 

    Just remember, if you get big and need Amazon, they have no panel. You have to ssh into those.

    TMD does install the trial for free. They have cpanel. If you aren't sure where to go, I think their hosting is very cheap if you use the referral link at the bottom of the socialengine.com main page.