Unable to verify $_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"]

My site offers content to subscribers and I manage their subscriptions with s2member. This all works alright. Besides that I also sell DVDs and downloads which can be bought by anybody and this shouldn’t interact with s2member. However, when a customer buys a DVD or multiple DVDs through my site and then checks out with Paypal s/he gets the “Unable to verify $_SERVER[“HTTP_HOST”] error”. I also found these messages in my s2member log files which I turned on just yesterday.
What could be a problem here? Why does s2member even track these purchases? Is it because of Paypal settings, where in the IPN settings I have http://www.xxxxxxx.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1 – so every paypal payment goes through this?
I hope I made my problem clear.

Thanks!

Bor,

Could you please try all of these common trouble shooting tips: Knowledge Base » Common Troubleshooting Tips

If none of them solve it, could you please post the real URL of your website and the button you’re using (with no modifications).

Thanks!
– Eduan

Thank you for your quick reply. I have made the server check with your tool and it is all o.k.
I have found out that even money requests to customers, that are sent through paypal, are reporting this error. Only the payment for subscriptions made with s2member come through with no error.
The site is http://www.lolabuland.com
The button is:

<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="paypal"><input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick" /> <input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="W4B287EY5B7U6" /> <input type="image" name="submit" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_cart_LG.gif" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" /> <img src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" /></form>

The s2member log:

PHP v5.2.17 :: WordPress® v3.5 :: s2Member® v121213
Memory 13.77 MB :: Real Memory 15.25 MB :: Peak Memory 13.86 MB :: Real Peak Memory 15.25 MB
www.lolabuland.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1
User-Agent: 
array (
  'mc_gross' => '53.00',
  'protection_eligibility' => 'Ineligible',
  'address_status' => 'unconfirmed',
  'item_number1' => '7',
  'payer_id' => 'Dxxxxxx8',
  'tax' => '0.00',
  'address_street' => 'xxxxxx
50970',
  'payment_date' => '04:28:58 Jan 13, 2013 PST',
  'payment_status' => 'Completed',
  'charset' => 'UTF-8',
  'address_zip' => '',
  'mc_shipping' => '5.00',
  'mc_handling' => '0.00',
  'first_name' => 'xxxx
  'mc_fee' => '1.78',
  'address_country_code' => 'FI',
  'address_name' => 'xxxxx
  'notify_version' => '3.7',
  'custom' => '',
  'payer_status' => 'unverified',
  'business' => 'xxxx.xxx@gmail.com
  'address_country' => 'xxxxx',
  'num_cart_items' => '1',
  'mc_handling1' => '0.00',
  'address_city' => 'xxxxx',
  'verify_sign' => 'xxxxxx-bqb3lS',
  'payer_email' => 'x@gmail.com',
  'mc_shipping1' => '0.00',
  'tax1' => '0.00',
  'btn_id1' => '39026157',
  'txn_id' => '60005920GM0571824',
  'payment_type' => 'instant',
  'last_name' => 'xxxxx',
  'address_state' => 'xxxxx',
  'item_name1' => 'Ready Steady GO! DVD',
  'receiver_email' => 'xxxx@gmail.com',
  'payment_fee' => '',
  'shipping_discount' => '0.00',
  'quantity1' => '1',
  'insurance_amount' => '0.00',
  'receiver_id' => 'xxxxUEPKP7E',
  'txn_type' => 'cart',
  'discount' => '0.00',
  'mc_gross_1' => '48.00',
  'mc_currency' => 'EUR',
  'residence_country' => 'FI',
  'shipping_method' => 'Default',
  'transaction_subject' => 'Shopping CartReady Steady GO! DVD',
  'payment_gross' => '',
  'ipn_track_id' => '576c14cb6d363',
  's2member_log' => 
  array (
    0 => 'IPN received on: Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:29:02 pm UTC',
    1 => 's2Member POST vars verified through a POST back to PayPal®.',
    2 => 'Unable to verify `$_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"]`. Please check the `custom` value in your Button Code. It MUST start with your domain name.',
  ),
  'subscr_gateway' => 'paypal',
)

Thanks!

• This reply was modified 3 years, 11 months ago by  Bor Antolic.

What happens when you use a normal s2Member button? In other words, the shortcode button?

Hi!

With the s2member generated buttons it works ok.

Thanks!

Great! Glad I was able to help. :)

Hi!
I guess we have misunderstood each other. It has always worked with s2member generated buttons.
The problem is that other buttons – generated with Paypal – do not work properly (they report the Unable to verify $_SERVER[“HTTP_HOST”] error). I guess this is because of the IPN settings in Paypal. Is there a way to bypass the default IPN settings in Paypal? I mean, as far as I know, one can write in a code when generating a button in Paypal, and there one can change IPN settings for that particular button. I just do not know how to do it.

When generating the PayPal buttons over at PayPal, did you do it following the instructions in this article: Knowledge Base » Using Buttons Generated @ PayPal.com

– Eduan

• This reply was modified 3 years, 11 months ago by  Eduan. Reason: Fixed link

Hi!

I am very thanful for your help but I can’t seem to find the instructions you are refering to. And no, I have not followed any instructions when generating Paypal button at Paypal.

Oh oops, very sorry, I gave you the wrong link, here’s the right one:
Knowledge Base » Using Buttons Generated @ PayPal.com

Hi!
I am still stuck with this problem.
Let me try to explain my problem again. Everything that is directly connected with s2member works o.k. That is, button generated with s2member and automatic custom capabilities and so on.
The problem is with non-s2member related products on my website. I sell items on my site and the buy buttons are generated by Paypal. However, when the customer checks out he/she receives an error Unable to verify $_SERVER[“HTTP_HOST”]
The payments come through alright, but many of the customers do not know it, so they make the same purchase twice, or want some confirmation from me ….
The reason, I guess, is that in Paypal preferences I followed your instructions and put in under notify URL options: http://xxxxxxx.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1
I guess that even for the non-s2member items Paypal tries to notify my website of a transaction, but my page (or rather s2member) does not know what to do with this information.
So…
I hope you understand my problem…
Can you please help me?

Thanks

I am having the same problem. I’m using PayPal Pro Forms with custom=”www.[mydomain].com” in the form schortcode. I am getting the Unable to verify $_SERVER[“HTTP_HOST”] error in my IPN log when issuing a refund through PayPal and it will not downgrade the user even though I have set all the settings to do so. I have also checked that the PayPal IPN address is

http://www.[mydomain].com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1

(with the www). We can manually downgrade users, but I would still like a resolution.

Here is my IPN log:

LOG ENTRY: Fri May 17th, 2013 @ precisely 2:38 pm UTC
PHP v5.2.17 :: WordPress® v3.5.1 :: s2Member® v130513 :: s2Member® Pro v130513
Memory 29.63 MB :: Real Memory 29.75 MB :: Peak Memory 29.72 MB :: Real Peak Memory 29.75 MB
www.mydomain.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1
User-Agent: 
array (
  'mc_gross' => '0.01',
  'protection_eligibility' => 'Ineligible',
  'payer_id' => 'XXXXEKNRCHLEY',
  'tax' => '0.00',
  'payment_date' => '07:38:20 May 17, 2013 PDT',
  'payment_status' => 'Completed',
  'charset' => 'windows-1252',
  'first_name' => 'Name',
  'mc_fee' => '0.01',
  'notify_version' => '3.7',
  'custom' => '',
  'payer_status' => 'unverified',
  'business' => 'myemail@gmail.com',
  'quantity' => '1',
  'verify_sign' => 'XXXXsxE7AMEBXH6XGnoaYeZvMyu3AUjrjdVXL0QiZlRtsa4--NmXXXXX',
  'payer_email' => 'customeremail@gmail.com',
  'txn_id' => '88M6XXXXSG006210C',
  'payment_type' => 'instant',
  'last_name' => 'Waite',
  'receiver_email' => 'myemail@gmail.com',
  'payment_fee' => '0.01',
  'receiver_id' => 'SWDQXXxxxxx7S',
  'txn_type' => 'web_accept',
  'item_name' => '',
  'mc_currency' => 'USD',
  'item_number' => '',
  'residence_country' => 'US',
  'receipt_id' => '1049-xxxx-0488-xxxx',
  'handling_amount' => '0.00',
  'transaction_subject' => '',
  'payment_gross' => '0.01',
  'shipping' => '0.00',
  'ipn_track_id' => '79xxxxxxe3f2',
  's2member_log' => 
  array (
    0 => 'IPN received on: Fri May 17, 2013 2:38:23 pm UTC',
    1 => 's2Member POST vars verified through a POST back to PayPal®.',
    2 => 'Unable to verify `$_SERVER["HTTP_HOST"]`. Please check the `custom` value in your Button Code. It MUST start with your domain name.',
  ),
  'subscr_gateway' => 'paypal',
)