# "Marshal Data Too Short" error reading Session Data **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [July 3, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/marshal-data-too-short-error-reading-session-data/142066 "2008-07-03T04:33:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diego](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f04885/32.png) [@Diego](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Diego)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:33am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/marshal-data-too-short-error-reading-session-data/142066/1 "2008-07-03T04:33:08Z")
Hi all, I am experiencing an error when reading session data. The problem is that it doesn’t happen all the time, in most cases it doesn’t occur. But it does so enough to start to become annoying. It happens when trying to read a session record’s data property. The session store is in the Postgres database (version 8.2) and the sessions.data column is of type text (so theoretically unlimited in size). Now I believe the error can happen in relation to data being truncated and then when it’s marshalled back it’s then found to be too short. But with the sessions.data column being of type text and the session information that is being stored not being of any great size (not even close), I’m not sure what the problem could be. This is the snippet of code where the error occurs: session\_store = CGI::Session::ActiveRecordStore::Session sessions = session\_store.find(:all, :conditions =\> [“updated\_at \> ?”, 1.hour.ago], :order =\> “updated\_at”) user\_session\_data = {} sessions.each do |sess| next unless sess.data && sess.data.has\_key?(:user\_id) user\_session\_data[sess.data[:user\_id]] = sess.updated\_at end The exception happens on this call: next unless sess.data. In the call to sess.data. I’ve included the trace below for reference. Has anyone else experience this problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Diego * * * [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/session/ active\_record\_store.rb:84:in `load' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/session/ active_record_store.rb:84:in`unmarshal’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/session/ active\_record\_store.rb:122:in `data' [RAILS_ROOT]/app/models/user.rb:113:in`logged\_in\_users’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/app/models/user.rb:112:in `each' [RAILS_ROOT]/app/models/user.rb:112:in`logged\_in\_users’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/app/controllers/users\_controller.rb:48:in `logged_in_users' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb: 1095:in`send’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/base.rb: 1095:in `perform_action_without_filters' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 632:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 638:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 438:in`call’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 637:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 638:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 438:in `call' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 637:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 638:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 438:in`call’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 637:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 638:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 438:in `call' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 637:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 638:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 438:in`call’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 637:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 634:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 638:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 438:in`call’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 637:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 638:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 449:in `call' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 637:in`call\_filter’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 638:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 449:in`call’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 637:in `call_filter' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/filters.rb: 619:in`perform\_action\_without\_benchmark’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/ benchmarking.rb:66:in `perform_action_without_rescue' /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/benchmark.rb:293:in`measure’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/ benchmarking.rb:66:in `perform_action_without_rescue' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/rescue.rb: 83:in`perform\_action’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/base.rb: 430:in `send' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb: 430:in`process\_without\_filters’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/filters.rb: 624:in `process_without_session_management_support' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action_controller/ session_management.rb:114:in`process’ [RAILS\_ROOT]/vendor/rails/actionpack/lib/action\_controller/base.rb: 330:in `process' [RAILS_ROOT]/vendor/rails/railties/lib/dispatcher.rb:41:in`dispatch’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel/ rails.rb:84:in `process' /usr/local/lib/ruby/1.8/sync.rb:229:in`synchronize’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel/ rails.rb:83:in `process' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 580:in`process\_client’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 579:in `each' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 579:in`process\_client’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 686:in `run' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 686:in`initialize’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 686:in `new' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 686:in`run’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 673:in `initialize' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 673:in`new’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel.rb: 673:in `run' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel/ configurator.rb:267:in`run’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel/ configurator.rb:266:in `each' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel/ configurator.rb:266:in`run’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/bin/mongrel\_rails: 127:in `run' /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/lib/mongrel/ command.rb:211:in`run’ /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/mongrel-0.3.13.4/bin/mongrel\_rails: 231 /usr/local/bin/mongrel\_rails:16:in `load’ /usr/local/bin/mongrel\_rails:16 ---
**Author:** ![Diego](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f04885/32.png) [@Diego](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Diego)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 10:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/marshal-data-too-short-error-reading-session-data/142066/2 "2008-07-03T10:56:50Z")
On 3 Jul 2008, at 03:32, Diego wrote: > Hi all, > > I am experiencing an error when reading session data. The problem is > that it doesn’t happen all the time, in most cases it doesn’t occur. > But it does so enough to start to become annoying. I don’t know postgresql but have you tried using a blob column (or whatever the postgres equivalent is)? Most databases will truncate/ ignore text data which contains an illegal character sequence, null bytes and stuff like that which your marshalled session data could easily contain. Fred ---
**Author:** ![Diego](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f04885/32.png) [@Diego](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Diego)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/marshal-data-too-short-error-reading-session-data/142066/3 "2008-07-03T12:43:00Z")
Hi Fred, Thanks for taking the time to reply. Appreciate it. I’ll look in to trying a blob field to see if it stops this problem from occurring. Cheers, Diego On Jul 3, 6:56 pm, Frederick C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)