1. check your web server's log files. You don't say what flavor server you're using, but it might be possible to log the url that generates this error.
2. whomp up a little LWP::Useragent script to hit the page and redirect repeatedly, and alert you when such an error occurs.
3. uh,use strict;
4. if your users are in the same building/town/area as you, have one of them call you when the error occurs. then run! to them, and view the error for yourself.

You should check the permissions on *every* directory up to the root, if you haven't already.

Another thing I find useful when I'm ripping my hair out, is and this works only if you have root access to the machine, is to run strace on the web server on Linux. On Solaris, use truss.

The command would be:

strace -f apachectl start

or

truss -f apachectl start
[download]

Update: jeffa suggested I mention redirecting STDERR, but you don't have to do that, you can use the "-o" option to direct the trace output to a logfile. "-o logfilename" works with both strace and truss.

One can then use less or tail -f to look at the logfile. STDERR and STDOUT will then appear with the running process as usual.

This method of testing works equally well for any script you might write in addition to CGI.

Another cool option is using "-p" to attach to a running process.

Mike - mps@discomsys.com

"The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen... and stupidity."
Harlan Ellison

It's odd, unless the refresh URL points to a file (or the file includes a CSS doc) that is only intermittently there. What you *might* do is have the script that generates the refresh tag verify that the file at the end of the URL in the tag is there. This is imperfect for a number of reasons (only easy test is the -e filetest operator, which you can only use if the URL is on the a filesystem accessible to the machine the script's running on) , and if the file is only intermittently there, it might be gone by the time the refresh takes effect.

but you might cut down on the number of 404s this way.

Philosophy can be made out of anything. Or less -- Jerry A. Fodor

just a guess...

Regards

Stefan K

Thank you, i found out it was because we are using thhtpd -- thttpd - tiny/turbo/throttling HTTP server and it was being wierd....