Runtime exception with Composer install/update on shared hosting w/ Symfony2

Question

I seem to be having some problems with cache permissions on shared hosting. Specifically, when I try to install/update vendors via Composer, I get a runtime exception:

$ php composer.phar update -v -o

Script Sensio\Bundle\DistributionBundle\Composer\ScriptHandler::clearCache handling the post-update-cmd event terminated with an exception

[RuntimeException]
An error occurred when executing the "'cache:clear --no-warmup'" command.

Exception trace:
() at /home/thesewingdiva/private/vendor/sensio/distribution-bundle/Sensio/Bundle/DistributionBundle/Composer/ScriptHandler.php:137
Sensio\Bundle\DistributionBundle\Composer\ScriptHandler::executeCommand() at /home/thesewingdiva/private/vendor/sensio/distribution-bundle/Sensio/Bundle/DistributionBundle/Composer/ScriptHandler.php:48
Sensio\Bundle\DistributionBundle\Composer\ScriptHandler::clearCache() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php:122
Composer\Script\EventDispatcher->executeEventPhpScript() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php:101
Composer\Script\EventDispatcher->doDispatch() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Script/EventDispatcher.php:74
Composer\Script\EventDispatcher->dispatchCommandEvent() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Installer.php:237
Composer\Installer->run() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Command/UpdateCommand.php:82
Composer\Command\UpdateCommand->execute() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Symfony/Component/Console/Command/Command.php:238
Symfony\Component\Console\Command\Command->run() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Symfony/Component/Console/Application.php:193
Symfony\Component\Console\Application->doRun() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Console/Application.php:101
Composer\Console\Application->doRun() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/vendor/symfony/console/Symfony/Component/Console/Application.php:106
Symfony\Component\Console\Application->run() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/src/Composer/Console/Application.php:74
Composer\Console\Application->run() at phar:///home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar/bin/composer:37
require() at /home/thesewingdiva/private/composer.phar:15

update [--prefer-source] [--prefer-dist] [--dry-run] [--dev] [--no-custom-installers] [--no-scripts] [--no-progress] [-v|--verbose] [-o|--optimize-autoloader] [packages1] ... [packagesN]

I don't have the ability to use ACL, and I don't have the ability to use sudo since it's shared hosting. The cache is set to 777 for it's permissions (recursive), and app/console, app.php, and app_dev.php all have umask(0000). I've also erased the cache to see if that would help. No dice. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Answer 1

In a comment under this question, it's pointed out that the issue has to do with a missing timezone setting.

What happens if you do "php app/console cache:clear --verbose"

Answer 2

I had this same issue for a while and after hours of face to brick wall pounding I realized... I have a .gitmodule in my project, and on initial checkout these submodules are NOT initialized and as such are not there for your composer to update, which results in the above error.

Make sure you run the following

git submodule update --init src/Acme/Sadness/Bundle

of course replace src/Acme/Sadness/Bundle with YOUR project namespace.

Hope this helps someone not go through the same pain I just did.