Premature end of script headers: index.php, mod_fcgid: read data timeout in 61 seconds

Question

I wrote a simple crawling script (in php) at localhost (with 4 variations). All of them worked fine at localhost. But when I made move them to shared hosting, two of them worked others gave internal server error. I looked at error_log and I saw these line:

[Wed Jan 23 22:01:02 2013] [warn] [client ***] mod_fcgid: read data timeout in 61 seconds
[Wed Jan 23 22:01:02 2013] [error] [client ***] Premature end of script headers: index.php

I searched but I couldn't find any useful result. What is related to these errors? Any ideas?

Solution 1

If you can access Linux server please edit /etc/httpd/conf.d/fcgid.conf file with vim.
Change FcgidIOTimeout 45 to FcgidIOTimeout 600.
Restart Apache.
Then Fast CGI timeout will be solved.

Solution 2

I had this problem on a MediaTemple Grid instance with a Drupal7 install; turns out it was being caused by FastCGI; switching to normal / stable CGI seems to have fixed the issue.

Solution 3

If you're using virtual hosts (in my case i've ispconfig) you need to do changes in virtual host config files. These files are under /etc/httpd/conf/sites-available for each virtual host. Just edit your desired config file, locate IPCCommTimeout and set current value to a higher number. You may need to do this change for both variables in same config file in case you have regular and SSL sites.

Comments

[Kamel Labiad]

my site on Mediatemple too and that also fixed it

[enrey]

This is the answer to life, universe, weird timeouts! It should be the accepted one.

[enrey]

I'd downvote, the answer isn't useful at all and it doesn't say what timeout timeouted. My execution time is at 150 seconds and it still times out at 31.

[Jason McCreary]

The question focused on what caused the error not how to fix. To your question, and downvote, considering the message was thrown by mod_fcgid you should adjust the FastCGI timeout. I'd start there as trante's answer explains more about how.

[Gogol]

@enrey hilaariousss :D

[Anyone_ph]

Would become crazy if this answer was not on stack ! Thanks

[roaima]

600 seconds is 10 minutes. If you've a script that's taking this long it'll probably timeout elsewhere too (particularly the user themselves).

[Parapluie]

Crazy question for you: what if the config defined both FcgidMaxRequestLen and FcgidBusyTimeout, but not * FcgidIOTimeout*? Is there a default value if it is not defined?