[Plugin: W3 Total Cache] CDN Configuration Problems

You would need to have an SSL certificate for your subdomain to resolve this issue. If your site’s URL uses HTTPS then W3TC will also support this protocol. As for the test failing, make sure you’ve specified the correct path by using a normal FTP client and confirming the path required for uploads.

fredericktownes, many thanks for your response. Are you saying that I MUST use a subdomain if I am to use the self-hosted / FTP upload CDN option?

No.

OK… must I use a main domain, or can W3 handle subdirectories?

No, you can use FTP upload option with any service that allows you to upload files. This would include most CDN providers (especially those with video on demand support). In your case your issue is serving those files via https.

Thanks fredericktownes, that is good news.

I think I can resolve the https issue if I could just get the CDN to work on my other domain. I use Adobe Dreamweaver to FTP my site, and the settings I use for that FTP are the ones I tried to use in W3, but could not.

Here are the settings I am using:

FTP Hostname: omniunlimited.com

FTP Path: /public_html/cdn/sa/

Replace site’s hostname with: omniunlimited.com/cdn/sa/

(username and password were not provided for obvious security reasons).

When I click on “Test FTP Server”, I get the following message: “Test failed. Error: Unable to change directory to: /public_html/cdn/sa/.”

Are you able to see something that I am doing wrong here?

Replace site’s hostname with: omniunlimited.com/cdn/sa/

Hostname is: Replace site’s hostname with: omniunlimited.com not the path you specified.

When I click on “Test FTP Server”, I get the following message: “Test failed. Error: Unable to change directory to: /public_html/cdn/sa/.”

Try public_html/cdn/sa/ instead.

Hi fredericktownes, sorry I couldn’t get back to you earlier.

Well, I did as you suggested and I still get errors. Here is what I now have. Maybe you can see where I am still doing something wrong:

FTP Hostname: omniunlimited.com

FTP Path: public_html/cdn/sa/

Replace site’s hostname with: omniunlimited.com

This gives me the following message: “Test failed. Error: Unable to change directory to: public_html/cdn/sa/.”

Because public_html is the root directory for the site, I also tried /cdn/sa/ and cdn/sa/ just for laughs. Still got the same error message.

What do you think could be going wrong? Again, I can connect just fine in Dreamweaver.

Thanks again for all the help.

Did you try not specifying a path?

Yes, the message I get there is different. It says, “Test failed. Error: Unable to upload file: /home4/sleepama/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/test_file_977767c042f5a1b586f43414fb416133.”

Also, I don’t know how I did it, but I apparently deleted the default.include files in the static.sleepamazing.com/wp-content/w3tc/min subdirectory. Is there anyway I can force a minify of the same css and js files I had loaded previously?

es, the message I get there is different. It says, “Test failed. Error: Unable to upload file: /home4/sleepama/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/test_file_977767c042f5a1b586f43414fb416133.”

That means that the FTP user doesn’t have permissions to upload. So there’s an issue with your FTP account.

Also, I don’t know how I did it, but I apparently deleted the default.include files in the static.sleepamazing.com/wp-content/w3tc/min subdirectory. Is there anyway I can force a minify of the same css and js files I had loaded previously?

It will be recreated automatically. You can empty the minify cache to be sure.

I’m sorry fredericktownes, I’m going to have to ask you to be patient with me. There is a lot of stuff I am not understanding, and I hope you can clear it up for me.

My idea is to use a subdirectory in another hosted site (omniunlimited.com) to host the self-hosted CDN. Now, I went ahead and followed your suggestions changing both the FTP path and the “Replace site’s hostname with:” to remove all instances of reference to the subdirectory I wish to use. The FTP has been set up specifically for that subdirectory and will not allow access to the upper main site. If I open up the user permission to allow access to the main omniunlimited.com site, then won’t the CDN files be dumped into the main website directory?

I know from experience that when W3 is activated, the root address of the css and js files is changed to whatever is in the “Replace site’s hostname with:” field. If I remove the subdirectory designations, how will W3 know to place them in the right subdirectory?

Thank you once again for your time and attention to this matter.

With regards to the minify files in my current subdomain, I tried to empty that, and indeed all, caches but the files have failed to recreate in the subdomain. That is why I asked if there is a way to force their re-creation.

That means that the FTP user doesn’t have permissions to upload. So there’s an issue with your FTP account.

Does that mean that the ftp user needs access to both the subdomain folder AND the WP Uploads folder?

I gave complete access but still get the test failed errors

No, normally if you can upload with an FTP client and navigate to the path you specified in your W3TC settings you are all set. If you still cannot get things to work submit a bug submission report from the support tab.

I’m sorry fredericktownes, I know you have been busy. It seems you may have missed my questions, so I will present them once again to you:

I'm sorry fredericktownes, I'm going to have to ask you to be patient with me. There is a lot of stuff I am not understanding, and I hope you can clear it up for me.

My idea is to use a subdirectory in another hosted site (omniunlimited.com) to host the self-hosted CDN. Now, I went ahead and followed your suggestions changing both the FTP path and the "Replace site's hostname with:" to remove all instances of reference to the subdirectory I wish to use. The FTP has been set up specifically for that subdirectory and will not allow access to the upper main site. If I open up the user permission to allow access to the main omniunlimited.com site, then won't the CDN files be dumped into the main website directory?

I know from experience that when W3 is activated, the root address of the css and js files is changed to whatever is in the "Replace site's hostname with:" field. If I remove the subdirectory designations, how will W3 know to place them in the right subdirectory?

Thank you once again for your time and attention to this matter.

With regards to the minify files in my current subdomain, I tried to empty that, and indeed all, caches but the files have failed to recreate in the subdomain. That is why I asked if there is a way to force their re-creation.

Additionally, if you feel this may be a bug in the system, and that I should submit a bug submission report, you should know that I get the following error when I click on the support tab: “Fatal error: Call to undefined function get_user_by() in /home4/sleepama/public_html/wp-content/plugins/w3-total-cache/lib/W3/Plugin/TotalCache.php on line 1238”.

I am adept at php, javascript, jQuery and AJAX. If there are changes that I could make to the plugin to make all this work, please let me know.