Site error: the file requires the ionCube PHP Loader ioncube_loader

Question:

Q: I am encountering the following error when attempting to use iPanel/iHost/iAds:

Site error: the file /path/order/index.php requires the ionCube PHP Loader
ioncube_loader_lin_4.4.so to be installed by the site administrator.

What does this mean, and how do I correct it?

Answer:

This error indicates that iPanel/iHost/iAds is unable to load the ionCube loader. This is an issue with your system configuration, and is NOT specific to our software. As such, we will be limited in our ability to provide support in this matter. Here are a few common causes of this issue:

  • The enable_dl option in your php.ini may be turned off. If this is disabled, the ionCube loaders cannot be enabled automatically by PHP. Enabling this option will likely resolve the problem.
  • Safe mode is enabled and no loaders have been configured in php.ini. With safe mode enabled, the enable_dl option is unavailable, and loaders must be specified in php.ini.
  • You're attempting to use a 32bit loader on a 64bit server. If your server uses a 64bit architecture, visit the ionCube loaders page described below and download a 64bit loader for your OS.
  • You may be using a newer version of PHP than was available when we bundled the loaders, and the bundled loaders may be incompatible. Try downloading new loaders as described below.
  • An existing, outdated ionCube loader may be hardcoded in your php.ini. This is very common, and the hardcoded loader will override the newer loaders provided with iPanel/iHost/iAds. To fix this, you'll need to either upgrade or remove the old loaders specified in your php.ini.

Downloading New ionCube Loaders

To download new ionCube loaders, perform the following steps:

  1. Visit ioncube.com/loaders/
  2. Select the OS/platform that matches the one you're using, and download the corresponding ZIP archive.
  3. Unpack the ZIP archive on your computer.
  4. Delete the files in the existing ioncube directory in your iPanel/iHost/iAds directory.
  5. Upload the new loaders (via FTP) to your server into the ioncube directory in your iPanel/iHost/iAds directory.