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Akeeba Backup for Joomla!

#9094 Invalid Ajax data fatal error only variables can be passed by reference

Posted in ‘Akeeba Backup for Joomla! 4 & 5’
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Environment Information

Joomla! version
n/a
PHP version
n/a
Akeeba Backup version
n/a

Latest post by nicholas on Wednesday, 05 October 2011 06:54 CDT

Wednesday, 05 October 2011 01:40 CDT

user47882
Mandatory information about my setup:

Have I read the related troubleshooter articles above before posting (AkeebaBackup.com troubleshooter)? Yes
Have I searched the forum before posting? No
Have I read the documentation before posting (which pages?)? No
Joomla! version: (1.5.23)
PHP version: (5.0.5)
MySQL version: (4.0.26a)
Host: (Apache/2.0.63 (NETWARE) mod_jk/1.2.23 PHP/5.0.5)
Akeeba Backup version: (3.0)

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Please attach your Akeeba Backup log file in order for us to help you with any backup or restoration issue.

Description of my issue:
Select Akeeba Backup -> Backup Now
The backup job starts, runs for about 3s and then display the following error:
=======
Backup Failed

The backup operation has been halted because an error was detected.
The last error message was:

Invalid AJAX data:
Fatal error: Only variables can be passed by reference in sys:/Apache2/htdocs/shc/administrator/components/com_akeeba/akeeba/core/kettenrad.php on line 214
========

I realise that I am running earlier versions of php and mysql (which are not supported by Akeeba) but I was wondering if there was any workaround for running Akeeba Backup in this environment as I am not able to upgrade php/mysql on the host server (Netware 6.5 SP8)

I have attached log file and error message.

Thank you
Colin Bradley

Wednesday, 05 October 2011 02:34 CDT

nicholas
Akeeba Backup will not function at all on PHP 5.0 as this version of PHP is missing critical features which are absolutely necessary for the correct operation of the backup engine. MySQL 4.0 is also a huge problem, as it doesn't allow us to properly store all the necessary backup information. Moreover, Akeeba Backup 3.0 is severely outdated and not supported.

In any case, your server setup is outdated. All the server software running on your server reached end-of-life 3-4 years ago. It's not maintained any more, contains a lot of high priority security bugs and is very vulnerable. It's guaranteed that if you stay on such a host you'll be hacked sooner or later. I strongly recommend moving to a different host a.s.a.p.

Meanwhile, in order to easily take backups of your site on such an ancient hosting environment, you will need to use the predecessor of Akeeba Backup, JoomlaPack. The latest published version is JoomlaPack 2.4.1, available from our JoomlaCode.org download page. You will need to download at least the JoomlaPack Plus 2.4.1 package. Please bear in mind that this software is two years old and end-of-life since June 2010. It should work on your host, but all bets are off. If it breaks, I might be able to help you, but I can't guarantee it.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

Wednesday, 05 October 2011 03:13 CDT

user47882
Hi Nicholas
Thanks for the prompt reply.
Will try JoomlaPack in the interim.
I am currently developing the site on a Netware 6.5SP8 server - site is only due to go live at the end of the year.
Thanks also for advice on upgrading my environment.
Currently still running a (mostly) Netware environment but plan to migrate to Windows servers at end of the year. New web server will be Windows 2008R2. Would you recommend XAMPP for Windows environment?

Regards
Colin Bradley

Wednesday, 05 October 2011 06:54 CDT

nicholas
I have relatively limited experience on Windows servers. I have tried using IIS (bleh!), XAMPP, WAMPServer and Zend Server Community Edition (CE) on Windows XP, Vista and 7. The most stable and fastest of all is Zend Server Community Edition on Windows 7. Since you're going to use Windows Server 2008R2 which use a kernel version between Vista and 7, I think that's the optimal solution.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

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