Upload variables confusion

brad_umbaugh

I'm trying to write a PHP script to upload large files to my website (running on an IIS server with PHP 4.3.1 in safe mode). I've determined by searching around the Internet that the relevant php.ini settings are (along with my current settings for them):

file_uploads: On (default in php.ini)
upload_max_filesize: 32M (default in php.ini)
post_max_size: 32M (default in php.ini)
max_input_time: -1 (default in php.ini)
max_execution_time: 1000 (set with ini_set)

(It may be relevant that the max_execution_time was set using the php_ini() function, while max_input_time is defaulted to -1 in php.ini)

Also, I have the following form setting in my HTML:

Small files upload correctly. However, I'm on a relatively slow connection -- a cable modem -- so uploading a 1mb file takes more than 30 seconds. After the script runs for 30 seconds, I receive the following error:

error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded in D:\INETPUB\071\uploadfiles.php on line 42

Four questions:

Why am I receiving this error after 30 seconds when my max_execution_time is set to 1000 and my max_input_time is set to -1?
What does a max_input_time of -1 mean? Does it mean unlimited input time, or does it mean "use max_execution_time as the max input time?" As far as I can tell, there is no definitive declaration of the meaning of -1 for max_input_time on the php.net website.
What variable does the set_time_limit() function really set? Since PHP is running in safe mode, I am unable to call this function. Could this be my problem?
Could this be an IIS timeout? I don't know how to determine exactly what is generating the error, IIS or PHP.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Brad Umbaugh

tsinka

Hi,

write a phpinfo script and check these settings on the output. The output shows you the global and local setting of these values. Look if they differ. And check if your php.ini file is in the expected directory (displayed near the top of the output).

Thomas

brad_umbaugh

Hi Thomas,

Thanks for getting back to me.

I checked on those variables, and the values I listed in my original post are both the global and local values. As for php.ini, it is located in C:\WINNT\php.ini. Is that expected?

I have a theory, though. The more I read, it seems as though a value of "-1" for max_input_time means "use the value of max_execution_time for max_input_time". Since max_execution_time is defaulted to 30 in the php.ini file, it follows from the previous statement that max_input_time would get set to 30 as well.

Since my ini_set('max_execution_time', 1000) doesn't happen until AFTER the script is parsed, where as max_input_time is set to the default of max_execution_time BEFORE my script is parsed, no matter how high I set max_execution_time, max_input_time will remain at 30 seconds. Thus, I still get timeouts after 30 seconds.

Does this make sense? It seems the best way to fix this would be to have my web hosting company set the value of max_input_time to some really high number (for example, a half hour) in php.ini. This way, since it isn't "-1", it won't get defaulted to 30 seconds anymore and all will be well with the world.

Let me know what you think...
-Brad