ZenCache setup with BPS Pro

[jenni101]

Hi,

Looking at setting up a caching plugin that works with Buddypress membership site and have been recommended Zen Cache (it was Quick cache originally). I’ve searched the forum here but can’t find anything particular about its setup – would be similar to the W3TC setup steps for it to work with BPS Pro?

Thanks.

[AITpro Admin]

Hmm good question.  I will have to install and test ZenCache to see what it is doing.  The ZenCache help information mentions .htaccess code, but that may be additional things you can do and not a standard setup thing.  One thing that is the same as W3TC or WP Super Cache is that the wp-config.php file needs to be writable.  So you would need to unlock your wp-config.php file if it is locked.  I will post back here after I have had a chance to test ZenCache.

[AITpro Admin]

I have installed and tested ZenCache.  It does not create or use .htaccess code as a standard or in the standard setup.  There is 1 advanced option to enable GZIP Compression using .htaccess code.  If you are already using the BPS Speed Boost Cache code then that BPS Bonus Custom code already does that so you would not also need to add the ZenCache GZIP Compression code.  So the only thing that needs to be done is to unlock your wp-config.php file so that ZenCache can write to it.  You can allow the wp-config.php file to get quarantined by AutoRestore|Quarantine and then Restore it from Quarantine.

[jenni101]

Wow, that sounds easier than the W3TC setup that I tried in the past! And yet it does the same things? (or similar?)…

[AITpro Admin]

“…and yet it does the same things? (or similar?)…”

No idea about that since I have never used ZenCache before. 😉

[jenni101]

Update for others if interested:

Installation of Zen cache & pro version was very easy, like this…

turned off ARQ
unlocked wp-congif.php in F-Lock
installed Zen cache via wp plugins uploader
excluded the Zen caching folder (cache) in ARQ wp-content folder exclude
excluded the Zen file (xxx/xxx/wp-content/advanced-cache.php) that seems to change (? with Zen settings changes) in ARQ single WP file exclude: I got the correct url for it by copying it’s url when it was first quarantined.
save everything as instructed in each section as you go
backup all folders
turn back on ARQ

and everything seems to work a treat!

[AITpro Admin]

Great!  Thanks for posting the setup steps.

[jenni101]

No probs – certainly just the sort of thing I try to find for newbies like me on the forum!

[jenni101]

Hi,

I have recently been getting some cache files being blocked and logged in the security log, even though all the above steps have been taken. The log files are like this:

[403 GET Request: April 13, 2016 - 8:21 pm]
Event Code: BFHS - Blocked/Forbidden Hacker or Spammer
Solution: N/A - Hacker/Spammer Blocked/Forbidden
REMOTE_ADDR: 207.241.229.147
Host Name: crawl803.us.archive.org
SERVER_PROTOCOL: HTTP/1.0
HTTP_CLIENT_IP:
HTTP_FORWARDED:
HTTP_X_FORWARDED_FOR:
HTTP_X_CLUSTER_CLIENT_IP:
REQUEST_METHOD: GET
HTTP_REFERER: https://www.mysite.co.nz/
REQUEST_URI: /wp-content/cache/zencache/htmlc/public/www-mysite-co-nz/3/4/d/b/4/b066fc9feb28712369adf35d0a2444c0-compressor-part.css
QUERY_STRING:
HTTP_USER_AGENT: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; special_archiver/3.1.1 +http://www.archive.org/details/archive.org_bot)

I’ve checked on my cPanel and there isn’t the exact same file as above, but very similar series of seemly random numbers and letters as above. So does this mean it is a hacker bot, just one that is good at guessing locations? Or is it that it should have been allowed, but the file name is always changing as it recreates the cache regularly? – and if so how to I exclude all these sub-folders from being blocked so my cache does its job?

Thanks, j

[rafaelmagic]

Jenni,

Look at the log carefully till you understand it. 403 means it missing/denied/blocked. Its a GET request. The log says “Event Code: BFHS – Blocked/Forbidden Hacker or Spammer”. HTTP_USER_AGENT:,  ar ch ieve org _bot, More than likely a Spammer Bot got blocked that was Requesting via GET.

[AITpro Admin]

@ jenni101 – Not sure why the archive.org bot would be trying to crawl a ZenCache file in the wp-content folder instead of the outputted page that corresponds to the cached CSS file.  I assume this is just a mistake by the archive.org bot that can be ignored.  In any case, the ZenCache file is a compressed CSS file and is not a Post or Page so it should not be crawled or indexed by anything/any bot.

[jenni101]

OK, thanks for the help from both of you – appreciated – and will ignore this type from now on.

Cheers.

[Author]

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