I'm just sorting out a new host to transfer an existing Links Directory (which I will update to version 6) and add to it new installations of Classified and Forum. The host that I had thought I would use has several minor problems one of which is that Backup won't work because shell_exec is disabled.
So I thought that I had found yet another host that looks good in other respects (has suPHP etc.) so I asked about shell_exec - this is the reply.
"Actually shell_exec is currently enabled, but it won’t be for much longer, since we have plans to disable it for security reasons....I don’t think you will find many shared hosting providers with shell_exec enabled."
Is this going to cause any other difficulties with WSN scripts - I guess that I can do backups using other means. If it becomes normal for shared hosting to disable shell_exec are you likely to work around it?
It is normal for shared hosts to disable shell_exec and other OS-command-execution functions, though there are a few that don't. The rollback option is one way to get the same result as a backup without the need for shell_exec (though I wouldn't trust it with databases beyond a certain size). You can do manual backups with phpmyadmin, and I believe CPanel has an automated backup mechanism somewhere which will backup your databases for you. If I were you, I'd stick with that host -- script-generated backups aren't that important.
FLV conversion (for doing a flash-based video uploads site) depends on shell_exec. It needs ffmpeg, so unless the php ffmpeg extension becomes much more commonly used than it is now I don't see an alternative there.
Using ImageMagick as the graphics method requires shell_exec too. Without it you can just use GD -- the only real disadvantage there is that GD can't do PDF thumbnail images.
Then there's the server load level controls, that requires shell_exec to access the OS load level. It's not important though, especially on a shared host where your site isn't likely to be the primary cause of high loads.
These are all things that the vast majority of users don't need though.
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Comments on Backup and PHP shell_exec
Member
Usergroup: Customer
Joined: Oct 08, 2003
Total Topics: 6
Total Comments: 13
I'm just sorting out a new host to transfer an existing Links Directory (which I will update to version 6) and add to it new installations of Classified and Forum.
The host that I had thought I would use has several minor problems one of which is that Backup won't work because shell_exec is disabled.
So I thought that I had found yet another host that looks good in other respects (has suPHP etc.) so I asked about shell_exec - this is the reply.
"Actually shell_exec is currently enabled, but it won’t be for much longer, since we have plans to disable it for security reasons....I don’t think you will find many shared hosting providers with shell_exec enabled."
Is this going to cause any other difficulties with WSN scripts - I guess that I can do backups using other means. If it becomes normal for shared hosting to disable shell_exec are you likely to work around it?
Regards
Pierre Brayford
developer
Usergroup: Administrator
Joined: Dec 20, 2001
Location: Diamond Springs, California
Total Topics: 61
Total Comments: 7867
It is normal for shared hosts to disable shell_exec and other OS-command-execution functions, though there are a few that don't. The rollback option is one way to get the same result as a backup without the need for shell_exec (though I wouldn't trust it with databases beyond a certain size). You can do manual backups with phpmyadmin, and I believe CPanel has an automated backup mechanism somewhere which will backup your databases for you. If I were you, I'd stick with that host -- script-generated backups aren't that important.
FLV conversion (for doing a flash-based video uploads site) depends on shell_exec. It needs ffmpeg, so unless the php ffmpeg extension becomes much more commonly used than it is now I don't see an alternative there.
Using ImageMagick as the graphics method requires shell_exec too. Without it you can just use GD -- the only real disadvantage there is that GD can't do PDF thumbnail images.
Then there's the server load level controls, that requires shell_exec to access the OS load level. It's not important though, especially on a shared host where your site isn't likely to be the primary cause of high loads.
These are all things that the vast majority of users don't need though.