Paypal IPN Failing

[paradigmdesign]

I got the following message from Paypal:

"...Please check your server that handles PayPal Instant Payment Notifications (IPN). IPNs sent to the following URL(s) are failing:

http://www.xxxxxx.com/wp-content/plugin ... -ipn.php...

If you do not recognize this URL, you may be using a service provider that is using IPN on your behalf. Please contact your service provider with the above information. If this problem continues, IPNs may be disabled for your account. "

What may be causing IPN to fail and how would I know?

Should "https" be used instead?

Thanks.

[paradigmdesign]

Disregard previous message -- it appears I had uploaded the file to the wrong directory... Oops!

[Eduan]

Good thing you found it.

[paradigmdesign]

[DELETED]

[paradigmdesign]

As a follow-up, I checked my Paypal IPN History and saw the last 5 IPNs were sent satisfactorily, however the previous 4 failed with a 404 error.

I'll continue monitoring now that I've placed the file in the appropriate directory and tested a second time.

[burltree66]

I too got the same email from PayPal last night.

Please check your server that handles PayPal Instant Payment Notifications (IPN). IPNs sent to the following URL(s) are failing:

http://www.xxxxxx.net/xxxxxx/?s2member_paypal_notify=1

If you do not recognize this URL, you may be using a service provider that is using IPN on your behalf. Please contact your service provider with the above information. If this problem continues, IPNs may be disabled for your account.

I've not changed the location of any of my files in my directory. Could this have something to do with the latest s2member update?

Please advise.

thx

[Jason Caldwell]

Thanks for reporting this important issue.

I've not changed the location of any of my files in my directory. Could this have something to do with the latest s2member update?

No, I'm not aware of any issues in the latest releases of s2Member in this regard. However, I have seen this happen to other site owners in the past whenever backbone providers have bottlenecks from one location to another. In other words, it's possible it was just a temporary issue that was preventing PayPal from connecting your site. PayPal monitors this and notifies you automatically.

You can test your IPN URL yourself at any time by going to:
http://yoursite.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1

If this problem continues for you though, please let us know about it.

[burltree66]

Hi Jason, I tested the link just now and nothing loads on the page (as in the page is completely blank, no error msgs, nothing).

Scrnshot attached.

I did a little more digging and PayPal is listing a failed IPN for a payment I received unrelated to my s2member site. The client made a direct payment to me via PayPal. I have multiple income sources coming in via PayPal. does this pose a conflict with my s2member config?

[Jason Caldwell]

Thanks for the follow-up.

Hi Jason, I tested the link just now and nothing loads on the page (as in the page is completely blank, no error msgs, nothing).

A blank screen on this page is the intended behavior.
This URL is designed to process data behind-the-scene via IPN communication, and not to display anything. So long as you're NOT getting a 404 error, you're good.

I did a little more digging and PayPal is listing a failed IPN for a payment I received unrelated to my s2member site. The client made a direct payment to me via PayPal. I have multiple income sources coming in via PayPal. does this pose a conflict with my s2member config?

I would suggest that you enable s2Member's IPN logging/debugging routines here in your Dashboard: s2Member -> PayPal Options -> Account Details -> Logging/Debugging. This way you can see the communication between s2Member and PayPal for yourself.

Regarding conflicts between multiple income sources....
If you are integrating s2Member with PayPal Standard, then no, you will most likely NOT have any conflicts. Have you integrated with PayPal Standard or with PayPal Pro?

Here is some information that might be of assistance in this regard. If you'd like further detail, please paint me a picture in words, of your other income sources, and the way in which each of them is integrated with PayPal. I'll try to help in any way I can.

[paradigmdesign]

I suspect that this issue, at least for me, is related to s2member plugin auto updates. I again started getting the same Paypal IPN failure notice as originally reported, which I believe coincided with a recent s2memberpro auto-update. I checked the directory and the "paypal-central-ipn.php" file was again missing, leading me to believe the updates are overwriting the contents of the directory. Is this the case?

If so, I suppose it's safe to locate and reference the file outside the plugin directory -- right?

[Jason Caldwell]

Thanks for the follow-up.

I suspect that this issue, at least for me, is related to s2member plugin auto updates. I again started getting the same Paypal IPN failure notice as originally reported, which I believe coincided with a recent s2memberpro auto-update. I checked the directory and the "paypal-central-ipn.php" file was again missing, leading me to believe the updates are overwriting the contents of the directory. Is this the case?

If so, I suppose it's safe to locate and reference the file outside the plugin directory -- right?

I'm sorry, I missed this element of your integration. Yes, when WordPress updates any plugin on your installation, the entire plugin directory is first deleted, and then re-created with the new version of the plugin. This is true for all plugins. Therefore, if you create files inside the /wp-content/plugins/s2member/ directory, they WILL be erased when/if you upgrade the plugin in the future.

Certainly, I would suggest re-locating your central IPN handler to the root of your site, that way it's NOT erased during upgrades of the plugin, or during upgrades of WordPress itself. Safest way.