Accessing published files/password with OJS 3.4

Software Support
1

Hello everyone:

I installed OJS 3.4 on a shared virtual server from IONOS. I pointed my domain name annalqudsmed.com, also from Ionos, to the virtual server IP address. I loaded issue 1 whole issue PDF using Quicksubmit.

If I put http://www.annalqudsmed.com in browser’s URL address box and press on issue 1 link shown on my journal’s homepage, I do not get access to the file.

However, if I put http://213.165.90.200/index.php/aqm in the address box, which shows the servers IP address, I get directed to the file and can download it.

Same thing happens if I try and login as administrator, try and reset my password or change language using language toggle.

What could be the reason?

I consulted Copilot AI engine and these are the possible reasons it came up with:

It sounds like there might be an issue with the domain’s DNS settings or the configuration of your OJS installation. Here are a few potential reasons and solutions:

  1. DNS Propagation: Sometimes, DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate fully. Ensure that enough time has passed since you updated the DNS settings.
  2. DNS Configuration: Verify that the A record for your domain (annalqudsmed.com) is correctly pointing to your server’s IP address (213.165.90.200). You can check this in the IONOS Control Panel1.
  3. Base URL Configuration in OJS: Ensure that the base_url setting in your OJS configuration file (config.inc.php) is correctly set to your domain name. It should look something like this:
base_url = "http://www.annalqudsmed.com"

This ensures that OJS generates URLs using your domain name instead of the IP address.
4. .htaccess File: If you are using Apache, ensure that your .htaccess file is correctly configured to handle URL rewriting. This file should be in the root directory of your OJS installation and might look something like this:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteBase /
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteRule . index.php [L]
</IfModule>
  1. Cache Issues: Clear your browser cache and any server-side cache to ensure you are not seeing a cached version of the site.
  2. Permissions: Ensure that the file and directory permissions are correctly set so that the web server can access the necessary files.

I can exclude 1, 2 and 5.

Any suggestions?

2

Hi,

why are you linking to the issue URL and not to the galley PDF?

Recommendation 4 is wrong, please see https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/admin-guide/en/deploy , especially https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/admin-guide/en/deploy#pretty-urls

Anyway, i would not trust AI which may garble up things, but the official PKP documentation.

Also, I recommend highly to get a SSL Certicate and run your site over https. Google ranks down non-https sites. See https://docs.pkp.sfu.ca/admin-guide/en/securing-your-system#sslencryption

3

Hi @mpbraendle,

Thank you for your feedback.
I am pointing to the journal and clicking on the published issue to access it. Not sure how to point to galley proofs.
I do have an SSL certificate in place. However, for some reason https://www.annalqudsmed.com fails to load. Still have not figure out the reason for this.
Thank for the documentation links.

Regards,
Haitham.