[TYPO3-debian] Extension list can't be updated after update debian using apt-get dist-upgrade!

[Jordan van Bergen]

Hi All,

=======================
What's the problem?
=======================
We can't get he "Extensions in TYPO3 Extension Repository" to be updated any 
longer after upgrading debian using apt-get dist-upgrade.

As of the 7th of November the extension repository can't be updated on a 
Debian Sarge system with Dotdeb php5/apache2/mysql5. This is what happened 
to us:

To use the latest php / apache and mysql version we use dotdeb. In the 
/etc/apt/sources.list we have:

# Standard debian source lists
deb ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian stable main
deb-src ftp://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/ stable main
deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main

# dotdeb LAMP debian source list
deb http://dotdeb.pimpmylinux.org/ stable all
deb-src http://dotdeb.pimpmylinux.org/ stable all

Because of the dotdeb.pimpmylinux.org we can use the latest php/apache/mysql 
versions. After doing the following on the 7th of November 2007:

apt-get update
apt-get dist-upgrade

the following packages where updated:

libapache2-mod-php5 php5-common php5-gd php5-mysql

If we try to update the extension repository we get a blank white screen 
after some seconds (20 or so). Later on I'll explain what we can see is 
happening.

Some more information explaining that we do know what to put into 
configuration files to make sure the extension repository list can be 
downloaded and updated:

a. /etc/php5/php.ini

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
; Resource Limits ;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
max_execution_time = 30 ; Maximum execution time of each script, in seconds
max_input_time = 60     ; Maximum amount of time each script may spend 
parsing r
memory_limit = 128M      ; Maximum amount of memory a script may consume 
(8MB)

b. /typo3temp has the correct user:group permissions

c. deleting the extensions.xml.gz doesn't help either

==============================
What's happening exactly?
==============================
If we tell the extension repository to update itself after we have deleted 
the extensions.xml.gz and the .bin file from typo3temp we see that the new 
extensions.xml.gz is FULLY download but as soon as the .bin file should be 
generated by the update process it FAILS! So we think that the download of 
the extensions.xml.gz file is working but the process after this is NOT 
working any longer. We know there should be an extensions.bin file after 
updating. This isn't happening and we are getting the BLANK screen if we 
update the extension repository list.

We had the same problems before with the extension repository not being able 
to update. We knew what to do to make it work (raising the memory limit, 
correct permissions, deleting extensions.xml.gz from /typo3temp etc. etc.) 
but now it's happening again. The problem with not being able to update the 
extension repository list is getting irritating as each time another issue 
is causing this.

==============================
What's the solution?
==============================
No idea! ANYONE ?????

Regards
Jordan van Bergen