# Error trying out simple example on ubuntu

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-trying-out-simple-example-on-ubuntu/141077>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [June 21, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-trying-out-simple-example-on-ubuntu/141077 "2008-06-21T18:26:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/princenamor)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-trying-out-simple-example-on-ubuntu/141077/1 "2008-06-21T18:26:35Z")

</div>

I’m trying to follow a simple tutorial at  
[http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/Tutorial](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/Tutorial),  
I run

./script/generate controller hello index

but it pulls up a 500 error when I access the page.  
The error logs say:

/!\ FAILSAFE /!\ Fri Jun 20 18:06:54 -0700 2008  
Status: 500 Internal Server Error  
Secret should be something secure, like  
“a6259536bb7e2a1974a2cabefaa1c61b”. The value you provided, “\<%=  
app\_secret %\>”, is shorter than the minimum leng  
th of 30 characters  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/session/cookie\_store.rb:92:in  
`ensure_secret_secure' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/session/cookie_store.rb:57:in `initialize’  
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/cgi/session.rb:273:in `new' /usr/lib/ruby/1.8/cgi/session.rb:273:in `initialize\_without\_cgi\_reader’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/cgi\_ext/session.rb:39:in  
`initialize' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/cgi_process.rb:130:in `new’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/cgi\_process.rb:130:in  
`session' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/cgi_process.rb:166:in `stale\_session\_check!’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/cgi\_process.rb:114:in  
`session' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb:1141:in `assign\_shortcuts\_without\_flash’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/flash.rb:167:in  
`assign_shortcuts' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb:518:in `process\_without\_filters’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb:685:in  
`process_without_session_management_support' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/session_management.rb:123:in `process’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/base.rb:388:in  
`process' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/dispatcher.rb:171:in `handle\_request’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/dispatcher.rb:115:in  
`dispatch' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/dispatcher.rb:126:in `dispatch\_cgi’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/dispatcher.rb:9:in  
`dispatch' /home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/railties/lib/webrick_server.rb:112:in `handle\_dispatch’  
/home/johnwa/Desktop/downloads/rails/vendor/rails/railties/lib/webrick\_serve

Any ideas?

-John W.  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/c0e974/32.png) [@princenamor](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/princenamor)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-trying-out-simple-example-on-ubuntu/141077/2 "2008-06-21T21:05:44Z")

</div>

John W. wrote:

> I’m trying to follow a simple tutorial at  
> [http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/Tutorial](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/Tutorial),  
> I run
> 
> ./script/generate controller hello index
> 
> but it pulls up a 500 error when I access the page.  
> The error logs say:
> 
> /!\ FAILSAFE /!\ Fri Jun 20 18:06:54 -0700 2008  
> Status: 500 Internal Server Error  
> Secret should be something secure, like  
> “a6259536bb7e2a1974a2cabefaa1c61b”. The value you provided, “\<%=  
> app\_secret %\>”, is shorter than the minimum leng  
> th of 30 characters

looks like you started your application after they added secrets, but  
before they made the min length = 30.

try running “rake secret”  
and copy and paste what it generates into config/environment.rb

config.action\_controller.session = {  
:session\_key =\> ‘\_festible\_session’,  
:secret =\> _your secret_  
}