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I tried to log in via the ghetto login button, via StackAuth on the room list, via StackAuth on the login page, via StackAuth after logging in and out of a SE site (SF), via the 'chat' button on Gaming...

...but no matter what I do, today I'm consistently being logged out.

The 5 minutes figure is a guess, by the way -- the only hint of my being logged off is the You must login to post message I get when I eventually decide to log back in.

I am on a very slow, very unreliable, very infuriating "3.5G" mobile connection that makes me crave for proper dialup.

Here's a sample of my javascript console output (with XHR logging turned on)

    XHR finished loading: "http://chat.stackexchange.com/chats/35/messages/new".
12× XHR finished loading: "http://chat.stackexchange.com/events".
 5× POST http://chat.stackexchange.com/events undefined (undefined)
                                                                jquery.min.js:130

When those errors start accumulating, duplicating the tab reveals I've been logged out.

I think it is lost on @drach and some commenters that:

  • I do not get the same issue on chat.meta.stackoverflow.com
  • I cannot reproduce this on any other internet site either.
  • I've used this same horrible connection in the past few days without this problem.
  • Grace has been able to reproduce this issue without being on a similarly poor connection.
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16
  • I can't repro the issue on MSO chat.
    – badp
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 14:53
  • 5
    You, now? This is like some kind of infectious plague that just spreads from one person to the next, ruining their day. Maybe I gave it to you. I think I might've gotten it from Mrozek, who probably got it from rchern... so I think we know who's to blame in the end. Likewise, I have only experienced it in SE chat (which is great, since that kills mod status and kicks me out of rooms) - even amidst a turbulence of logouts on the Bridge, I stay logged into my Meta rooms without issue.
    – Grace Note StaffMod
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 14:54
  • @GraceNote, What do I have to do with this? |:
    – Rebecca Chernoff
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:07
  • 2
    @Rebecca Well, I would blame Yi Jiang for the wheel that tells me to blame you, but the wheel is saying that you're at fault for that, too. But in a serious sense, I thought you did have this issue, if not an early and less severe strain.
    – Grace Note StaffMod
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:13
  • Chances are it's something along your network. Check your router settings?
    – George Stocker
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:14
  • @George I don't have a router to configure. Also I fail to see how a router would affect the session life cycle?
    – badp
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:16
  • @radp firewall settings can hamper it, router settings can hamper it. I'm going through that at work right now. Every 5 minutes RDP is disconnecting and then reconnecting. It's really noticeable for applications that have a constant connection (like chat and RDP). Since you're on Mobile 3G, I'm not surprised you're getting dropped. It could be happening through your service provider.
    – George Stocker
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:18
  • @George If it was a firewall/router issue, wouldn't it affect both chat services and not just the Stack Exchange one?
    – Grace Note StaffMod
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:22
  • @George Except 1) I said MSO chat doesn't have this problem, although much of the netcode is shared, 2) chat uses a polling method, not a constant connection (unlike IRC).
    – badp
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:24
  • I bet it is indeed the 3G connection. I prefer to think of mine as ceil(2.5)G fwiw. I don't think it is anything you can do, sadly. You could try setting up some sort of heartbeat program on yours that pulls random google queries every thirty seconds, to a non-displayed screen, but that might trigger the googlesentry and you might have huge 3G service bills.
    – jcolebrand
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:25
  • @GraceNote, It is a rare problem for me. Every couple of weeks or so. Certainly nothing like every x minutes.
    – Rebecca Chernoff
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:35
  • (off to buy a breathing mask)
    – Pekka
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:43
  • 1
    @Rebecca Ah, I see. It doesn't hit me very often, but on the days that it does hit, then it's not even 1 minute of peace for the duration. Here's a transcript of my initial report, where just reporting it was a chore.
    – Grace Note StaffMod
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 15:44
  • Oh then in that case I have ZERO IDEA. Sorry
    – jcolebrand
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:17
  • 1
    We're looking at it
    – Marc Gravell
    Commented Dec 29, 2010 at 10:28

2 Answers 2

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1

I've had this problem too, getting logged out within seconds, while in the middle of typing a message, and I've come to the conclusion that it has something to do with Google's OpenID. I say this because:

  • Everybody it seems to happen to here is also using a Google OpenID;

  • There was a previous issue where people (myself included) were also getting logged out of SOFU/SE itself, and the team investigated that one and found out that it was only with Google OpenIDs and could be mitigated by creating a Google profile;

  • The problem went away for me last time when I created a Google profile and also switched my primary OpenID (although I switched it to another Google ID);

  • I also get "quasi-logged-out" of Google services all the time - in other words, Google recognizes who I am but I inexplicably have to re-enter my password.

This may all be a grand coincidence, but I'm looking in Google's direction. It can't just be an issue with SE chat, because it's only happening to a handful of people. It must have something to do with cookies or sessions mysteriously expiring, and that's the responsibility of the OpenID provider.

If you already have a Google profile then at least try creating a totally different OpenID from a different provider and see if that solves it for you.

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7
  • I've occasionally had it (though never as severely as described), and I don't use Google.
    – mmyers Mod
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:03
  • I use a Google Profile as my main OpenID provider.
    – badp
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:10
  • @Michael: I think as a rule we're talking about constant logouts, not occasional ones.
    – Aarobot
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:11
  • @radp: Maybe I got lucky, or maybe having an alternate OpenID registered provides some sort of safety net, or maybe it was a side-effect of completely logging out of Google and then logging back in. I don't know; I still suggest you try a different OpenID provider and at least rule out the possibility if you don't think that's it.
    – Aarobot
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:13
  • @Aarobot: Well, okay then. I guess I thought we were discussing the kind where you'd get logged out every ten or fifteen minutes for a period of several hours.
    – mmyers Mod
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:25
  • That is pretty bad, @Michael, although I've experienced what radp has, and it's even worse than that; it's every few minutes or even several times per minute in some instances.
    – Aarobot
    Commented Dec 28, 2010 at 16:33
  • I added a Yahoo OpenID to my account. Still no joy.
    – badp
    Commented Dec 29, 2010 at 9:33
1

I had it happen to me in just over 1 min tonight, in 5/6 tries. One time it was a bit over 3 mins.

I didn't realize that this issue had gotten so bad, as I've actually stopped using chat.se, except for quick check-ins with my moderator room.

I've also noticed that my avatar was faded-out upon returning to the room after being logged out of chat.

I am using Google for my OpenID provider, as well.

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