SystemTimer failing

Rails
1

Hello list,

I have searched everywhere else, tesed extensively and came to a point
where
I do not have a clue on what is happening.

I am using SystemTimer and Ruby/LDAP in my Rails application. Ruby/LDAP
to
authenticate against a LDAP server and SystemTimer in an effort to avoid
potential long hangs.

Fact #1: SystemTimer works fine with the LDAP::Conn#bind method. It does
cut
at the right time if it fails. However, for some unknowing mystic
reason, it
just will not work with LDAP::Conn#search2.

The code I am using:

begin
arr = SystemTimer.timeout_after(5.seconds) do
connection.bind(self.bind_dn,self.password)
connection.search2(self.base_dn,1,“(& (userPassword=#{password})
(mail=#{email}))”,nil,false,5,5000)
end
rescue Exception => e
msg = ‘LDAP server error.’
logger.error(logger_msg_template.call(“#{msg} - Exception:
#{e.message}”))
raise Timeout::Error.new(msg)
end

So, if bind takes more than 5 seconds, timeout will throw the correctly
after 5 seconds. Good. If bind works, we then proceed to the search2
call.
Things get sensitive here. If for any reason the search2 delays too
much,
the process is bound to just hang and wait for it’s return. Often it
happens
because the query is wrong (an attribute doesn’t exist in the LDAP
entry,
which might happen given the context of this code).

SystemTimer does throw the Timeout::Error (“time’s up!”), but it just
doesn’t kill the Thread after the seconds specfied in the
timeout_after’s param. Check out this request that I just made:

ERROR: LDAP server error. - Exception: time’s up! - USER:
[email protected],
ACCOUNT: MyAccount, LDAP HOST: 89.150.80.164, PORT: 389.
SQL (0.3ms) ROLLBACK
Rendering template within layouts/application
Rendering directory/index
Completed in 34212ms (View: 19, DB: 7) | 200 OK [http://localhost/ldap]

Check the first line, it is from Rails’ logger. I also print the
exception
message, you can see that it was a “Time’s up!” (from SystemTimer), but
look
at how long it took: almost 35 seconds.

It is risky, since if many users are trying to setup a LDAP at the same
time, our service could just hang completely.

I’m really lost and really need some enlightenment here, any suggestion
appreciated!

Cheers,

Marcelo.

2

Forgot to include other relevant information:

Rails 2.3.5, SystemTimer 1.2, ruby-ldap 0.9.11 all on Mac OSX Snow
Leopard.

Cheers,

Marcelo.

On Mon, Apr 5, 2010 at 5:06 PM, Marcelo de Moraes S.
<[email protected]

3

Hi Marcelo,

Not to avoid your specific SystemTimer and ldap timeout issue,
but … Have you thought about trying the pure-ruby ldap lib
Net::LDAP (http://net-ldap.rubyforge.org/) instead of the c-based Ruby/
LDAP lib you’re currently using (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ruby-
ldap/)?

I’ve always just used Net::LDAP whenever an app needed to auth against
and/or query an ldap db, and have never had any problems with timing
out un-responsive/too-long-running ldap connections using the regular
old ruby Timeout (http://ruby-doc.org/core/classes/Timeout.html). If
you can, I’d give Net::LDAP a chance to see if that doesn’t solve your
problems.

Jeff

On Apr 5, 3:21 pm, Marcelo de Moraes S. [email protected]

4

Thanks, Jeff. This could be an alternative. However, we are lucky that
the
SystemTimer is working fine on Ubuntu. It’s just failing on my local dev
box
(An OSX Snow Leopard one) and I’m intrigued…

Marcelo.

5

No, I can’t tell you. First, because it has nothing to do with the topic
of
this message, seconds, because it is obvious it is GoogleGroups, and it
is
simple enough to cancel the subscription, and third, because a simple
google
search is enough to get very clear instructions.

Gee, this list needs some moderation.

Marcelo.

6

Hello… Can anyone tell me how to get off this mailing list?

From: Marcelo de Moraes S. [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Mon, April 5, 2010 5:06:50 PM
Subject: [Rails] SystemTimer failing

Hello list,

I have searched everywhere else, tesed extensively and came to a point
where I do not have a clue on what is happening.

I am using SystemTimer and Ruby/LDAP in my Rails application. Ruby/LDAP
to authenticate against a LDAP server and SystemTimer in an effort to
avoid potential long hangs.

Fact #1: SystemTimer works fine with the LDAP::Conn#bind method. It does
cut at the right time if it fails. However, for some unknowing mystic
reason, it just will not work with LDAP::Conn#search2.

The code I am using:

 begin
     arr = SystemTimer.timeout_after(5.seconds) do
       connection.bind(self.bind_dn,self.password)
       connection.search2(self.base_dn,1,“(& (userPassword=#{password})
(mail=#{email}))”,nil,false,5,5000)
     end
   rescue Exception => e
     msg = ‘LDAP server error.’
     logger.error(logger_msg_template.call(“#{msg} - Exception:
#{e.message}”))
     raise Timeout::Error.new(msg)
   end

So, if bind takes more than 5 seconds, timeout will throw the correctly
after 5 seconds. Good. If bind works, we then proceed to the search2
call. Things get sensitive here. If for any reason the search2 delays
too much, the process is bound to just hang and wait for it’s return.
Often it happens because the query is wrong (an attribute doesn’t exist
in the LDAP entry, which might happen given the context of this code).

SystemTimer does throw the Timeout::Error (“time’s up!”), but it just
doesn’t kill the Thread after the seconds specfied in the
timeout_after’s param. Check out this request that I just made:

ERROR: LDAP server error. - Exception: time’s up! - USER:
[email protected], ACCOUNT: MyAccount, LDAP HOST: 89.150.80.164, PORT:
389.
 SQL (0.3ms)  ROLLBACK
Rendering template within layouts/application
Rendering directory/index
Completed in 34212ms (View: 19, DB: 7) | 200 OK [http://localhost/ldap]

Check the first line, it is from Rails’ logger. I also print the
exception message, you can see that it was a “Time’s up!” (from
SystemTimer), but look at how long it took: almost 35 seconds.

It is risky, since if many users are trying to setup a LDAP at the same
time, our service could just hang completely.

I’m really lost and really need some enlightenment here, any suggestion
appreciated!

Cheers,

Marcelo.

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