Error Codes

[Virtual Imager]

What does this mean when found on cPanel under Error Codes:

 

302 Moved temporarily (redirect) 11643 98.5 % 3.58 MB

 

I know what the numbers refer to, but what kind of error is this and why are 98.5% of my hits getting it? Or are they? I haven't had anyone complain.... Is it an invisible error?

[TCH-Rob]

It isn't really an error code so much, if you go to my website I have a 302 redirect, 302 is temporary, to my shopping cart whilst I create my index page. Do you have a redirect set up on your site to go from one page to another?

[Virtual Imager]

Do you have a redirect set up on your site to go from one page to another?

 

No.

[arvind]

http://www.wats.ca/resources/httperrorcodes/24

[TCH-Rob]

Try looking at your error logs see if it shows where it is coming from.

[Virtual Imager]

Error Log is empty....

[Virtual Imager]

Well actually, it was empty a second ago... now it says:

 

[Thu Feb 26 00:18:18 2004][error] [client 66.196.90.234] File does not exist: /home/virtual/public_html/404.shtml

[Thu Feb 26 00:18:18 2004] [error] [client 66.196.90.234] File does not exist: /home/virtual/public_html/robots.txt

[TCH-Bruce]

The 404 error is the page that would display when someone comes to your site and entered an incorrect page name or someone is linking to page on your site that doesn't exist. If you have not created a custom error page you will get this error anytime someone accesses something that doesn't exsit in your domain.

 

The robots.txt file is used by serach engine spiders and can control what content on your site gets listed.

[Virtual Imager]

Right, Bruce. I know. But my question concerns the 302 (Redirect) Error Code. I don't have any redirects on my site, but I'm getting a huge amount of these error codes according to my awStats. I can't ascertain if people are actually getting these error codes since I've never gotten one and no one I've ever sent to my site has come back and told me about any. And if anyone IS getting an error, why?

[TCH-Bruce]

I get them too. I do have permanent redirects and those appear as well. I've never worried about them.

 

I've never seen them either.

[Virtual Imager]

Well if you're not worried then I'm not worried! It's good to have someone to tell me when to worry.

 

Rock Sign

[TCH-Bruce]

OK, I went and found some info on the 302 error code at http://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec10.html

 

10.3.3 302 Found

The requested resource resides temporarily under a different URI. Since the redirection might be altered on occasion, the client SHOULD continue to use the Request-URI for future requests. This response is only cacheable if indicated by a Cache-Control or Expires header field.

 

The temporary URI SHOULD be given by the Location field in the response. Unless the request method was HEAD, the entity of the response SHOULD contain a short hypertext note with a hyperlink to the new URI(s).

 

If the 302 status code is received in response to a request other than GET or HEAD, the user agent MUST NOT automatically redirect the request unless it can be confirmed by the user, since this might change the conditions under which the request was issued.

 

      Note: RFC 1945 and RFC 2068 specify that the client is not allowed

      to change the method on the redirected request.  However, most

      existing user agent implementations treat 302 as if it were a 303

      response, performing a GET on the Location field-value regardless

      of the original request method. The status codes 303 and 307 have

      been added for servers that wish to make unambiguously clear which

      kind of reaction is expected of the client.

 

And then I found the following page that explains it. http://www.checkupdown.com/status/E302.html

[Bunni]

I have a 301 set up (permanent redirect) so I don't worry about that.

I have 102 302's (temporary redirect) this month that I am curious about yet no one I've asked has had any trouble viewing my website so I'm not going to worry about those.

The ones I watch are the 404's, the Document Not Found ones. Those I worry about and investigate quickly. Turns out it was an error on my part and was fixed quickly. It's amazing how many visits there were that were affected by that little error!

[Bunni]

Gee Bruce, that clears it up..... clear as mud....

 

I think I'll just not worry 'bout it!

[TCH-Bruce]

OK, since it wasn't making any sense to me either I downloaded my raw log file from cPanel to see exactly what the 302 errors were in reference to.

 

I have a total of 888 302 errors in my log file. About 40% of them are cPanel accesses. The rest are from my forum. So cPanel redirects you to different pages depending on what you are doing in it adding sub domains, databases, email addresses, forwarders, etc. And the forum redirects you back to the page you are adding a post. These pages are all being modified since they were last retrieved and I am assuming (we all know what that does) that this is what is causing the 302 messages being added to the logs.

 

If I am incorrect someone with more knowledge of deciphering the raw logs please correct me.

 

As I said, I don't worry about them since I have never had the browser actually display a 302 error to me.

 

Hope this makes more sense.

[Bunni]

So much to learn, so little time......