Site Fixed! And a big thanks to Entallat!

[Kotik]

Unfortunately it doesn't display the full error message. If you could give the error number and the text, maybe I can offer some help. I've been working with MySQL servers for over 10 years, so I know a thing or twelve about them.

[EntAllat]

Unfortunately it doesn't display the full error message. If you could give the error number and the text, maybe I can offer some help. I've been working with MySQL servers for over 10 years, so I know a thing or twelve about them.

You work at Yahoo? If you do, could you go give the server admin of the mySQL server a kick in the nuts? It'd be appreciated.

Otherwise, thanks. We've got the cleanup well in hand every time their hardware fails.

[Kotik]

No, I don't work for Yahoo. My current project is the administrators post in the Volkswagen development department. However, I think hardware failures are rather improbable scenario. Such failures are software and/or configuration dependent in 99% of all cases. The server might have insufficient resources assigned to it, so it may run out of connection slots or the filesystem is running full and the server chokes. Other possible reasons are in the archive software itself. Memory leaks or connections not properly closed might strangle it.

A rather probable scenario is, that the currently used MySQL server is simply under-dimensioned. I remember discussions that the forum was slow for certain threads, the size of which should not be the slightest problem for a properly set up MySQL server. Since the archive and forum use independent software packages, the server has to handle two sites at once, which might lead to the server running out of connections or out of diskspace. Of course without the logs this is all just crystalball gazing, but that's what experience has taught me.

[Aquarius]

Either way, it's moot, because the server isn't sitting inside our house where we can lay hands on it to fix it. It's Yahoo's problem, Yahoo needs to fix it. Speculate and troubleshoot to your heart's content, but it won't do us any good because we can't touch the machine.

[Kotik]

It's not a question of touching the machine. These days you rarely touch a machine anymore. 99% of all administrative tasks are done remotely. I don't know what sort of contract you have with yahoo, but unless you have a rather expensive support agreement, they won't do much troubleshooting for you. Unless the machine is reachable by network, their part of the agreement is fulfilled. If the servers configuration has to be changed or more resources are needed to keep it running, that information has to come from you. What sort of SLA do you have with yahoo?

EDIT, Feb 7th:

The Forum just barfed up an error message: #1194 Table phpbb_sessions is marked crashed... yadda yadda

MySQL Versions 5.0 and 5.1.20 are know to throw these due to bugs. Did Yahoo change versions lately? Unfortunately the server version was not displayed on the error page

[Glory1863]

OK, so yesterday I was keeping track of the error messages I was getting. There were the usual about table crashes and losing connection, but then I got one that just cracked me up. Seriously, this is a spew alert!

Message was: My SQL Server has gone away [2006].

Where the heck did it go? Did it walk into the boss's office and say, "Take this job and shove it. I ain't working here no more." Did it go out for a long lunch and some afternoon delight? Or did it just step down the hall to use the gents?

[tish]

Use the gents...now that is a phrase I have not heard!

My hat is off to all of you working on this .... Thank you for all your efforts!

[Aquarius]

OK, so yesterday I was keeping track of the error messages I was getting. There were the usual about table crashes and losing connection, but then I got one that just cracked me up. Seriously, this is a spew alert!

Message was: My SQL Server has gone away [2006].

Where the heck did it go? Did it walk into the boss's office and say, "Take this job and shove it. I ain't working here no more." Did it go out for a long lunch and some afternoon delight? Or did it just step down the hall to use the gents?

[Aquarius]

Okay, how's this for weird? I came to the board today, and the last three posts to this board are showing up as "new?" That's definitely a head-scratcher.

[Honeybee]

I'm not sure why it would happen, but I removed this thread from global announcements this morning. It probably happened then.