Blank screen on install, 500 error at set_include_path()

Question

Installing CiviCRM 4.6.10 on WordPress 4.3.1, with few, if any other plugins installed. After uploading the files and enabling the plugin, you go to the installer page, and it's a white screen. Nothing's appearing in the logs.

Debugging in the code shows that everything executes fine until set_include_path() gets called. Commenting out the first instance causes it to proceed until the next instance. Finally, after commenting out several, you get an error that a class is not found, which is not surprising: you've removed the places that tell the script where to find it.

Standard cPanel-driven LAMP stack from InMotion hosting.

Why would this installation fail?

Answer 1

This is one of the strangest Civi911 calls we've gotten yet. The problem definitely was set_include_path(), but it wasn't consistent with a more common problem with that--that it doesn't take effect.

We actually spent the maximum amount of time and handed it back to the client, telling him that we narrowed it down to set_include_path() but didn't know anything more, and we suggested he ask his host about it.

The host said that they have installed the cPanel/WHM Magic User Loader, which allows a user to have its own ~/php directory for PEAR modules installed via cPanel. Enabling the Magic User Loader causes set_include_path() to fail (miserably, as we saw). The host disabled the Magic User Loader, and the client ran the installer with no further problems.

Answer 2

Came across this while researching a similar issue. IMH isn't at fault, its a "bug" with cpanel 11.52 looks like it has been "patched" however if not, the homeloader.so file can be commented out in php.ini and resolves the issue.