BabyWhispererForums.com
Website & Information => Glitches & Forum Help => Topic started by: Shiv52 on April 15, 2010, 08:55:25 am
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Anyone else?
Have been getting it more and more over the last few days, especially when I go to post but sometimes when just clicking on posts to read.
(Sorry Tom...I know you have a sick toddler but just so you know!)
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me too.......and yes, just letting you know - not badgering!! by the way, i saw some 'extra strong' marmite advertised this week and thought of you :D
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Same here - never for more than 15m or so, but a few times over the last couple days.
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Me too, especially when posting. :(
Perhaps Tom has been letting all that Marmite drip into his computer?? ;)
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me too :P
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And me!
Laura
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Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I was busy with the Marmite.
Anyways, yes, there have been problems coming and going recently. I often click and see the dreaded Internal Server Error message.
So here is where we are at, brought to you by understandable geek-stuff and Marmite.
When you click something in the forum, the software on the web server runs a 'query' on the database.
Basically the forum software has a little conversation with the database as follows: "Hi Mr Database sir, can you please tell me all posts from the table you have called 'posts', but only the ones that belong to the 'Marmite' topic and while you are at it tell me all the names from the table you have called 'members' and correlate them to the posts, oh and one more thing, can I have a Marmite sarnie". The database responds with the info you asked for and then the forum software displays all the Marmitey goodness when I click on the Marmite thread.
Now, sometimes the forum software asks the database a really really complicated question (I haven't worked out what the problematical question is yet, something about a list of topics). Instead of a quick reply from the database, it just sits there thinking about it. This should always be quick, but for some reason it's slow sometimes.
Normally, the database can still listen for new queries while one is taking a long time to run, but in the instances where we have the problem, it's just saying "no, hang on, i'm working on this really complicated question someone asked about Marmite" and then all the new queries have to wait (Locked tables, or blocking, is the technical term)
When this happens and the database has about 30 blocked queries, the forum software gives up and displays the Internal Server Error. Once the database has worked out that long query (The answer was Marmite & Beans on Toast) then all the blocked queries can continue and all is back to normal.
Recently, when I saw the error, I looked on the database and just told the database to stop thinking about Marmite (Actually, I just killed that long-running query, but Marmite is always fun) and then the forum would come back immediately. It turned out, however that doing this seemed to damage the database and it went into self-repair mode which can take up to 3 hours...
So currently, I let these long-running-Marmite-questions run for the 10-20 mins they take :( The work we did previously to change the format of the tables was meant to stop this, but it still needs tweaking it seems. We will work it out, but for now, we will be getting these errors :(
Tom...
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Do we think Tom may need to see somebody about his Marmite addiction? :)
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I'm glad somebody knows what's going on :o :o :o
Good job Tom - have a marmite sandwich on us!
Laura
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PMSL Tom! You are the only other IT person aside from me that is willing (and able) to use "real life examples" to explain what is going on behind the scenes of a computer!! However, I do formally request that you give us another explanation that does not include Marmite...
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I am the most computer-illiterate person I know....but that explanation was so cool!!! I totally get it!!!!
Now make it stop. >:(
;)
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Now, sometimes the forum software asks the database a really really complicated question (I haven't worked out what the problematical question is yet, something about a list of topics). Instead of a quick reply from the database, it just sits there thinking about it. This should always be quick, but for some reason it's slow sometimes.
So what you are really telling us is that the database is a man.
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Quote from: nosenose on Today at 10:14:56 AM
Now, sometimes the forum software asks the database a really really complicated question (I haven't worked out what the problematical question is yet, something about a list of topics). Instead of a quick reply from the database, it just sits there thinking about it. This should always be quick, but for some reason it's slow sometimes.
So what you are really telling us is that the database is a man.
Love it!!!!!
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Wendy that made diet coke come out of my nose. ;D
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Wendy that made diet coke come out of my nose.
This made tea come out of mine!! ;)
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Oh man, it even made ME laugh. I'm not meant to laugh at these jokes. Marmite came out of my nose!
*grumbles about sexist jokes and wonders what this button on the server would do* ::)
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I don't think I have read the word marmite so many times in my life...goodness gracious me, thought you were doing a parody of MP's Spam skit! :D
Maybe you could start a new theatre production and call it Marmalot!
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Maybe you could start a new theatre production and call it Marmalot!
Now I would pay good money to see that!! :-D
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OMG! I'm supposed to be doing BW sneakily at work, but now people want to know what I'm laughing at and why I'm wiping Coke from my nose and the computer screen! ;D
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Came looking for info about all the error messages today and now am chortling along with the rest of you. ;D ;D ;D
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;D
If it helps - I'm getting the errors really frequently. For me, it isn't so much when asking for a list of updated replies but more often when I open a new tab and use a bookmark to a page (Typical sleep times etc). That tab gives the error. If I go back to my original page, it's usually ok for a minute or 2 and then may or may not flip out. I guess that could be the cache though, thinking about it?
Anyhoo. It's happening more for me on bookmarked tabs rather than when posting replies or opening threads from a list. Posting replies does seem to take an age sometimes.
Was also wondering if the submit to digg could count as asking a problematic question? Asking only because I had issues with a website I ran in the past when I set it up to do automated submissions (yep, php digg) rather than that whole ticking a list of files & directories business.... but I'm in no way a technical bod. Probably why it didn't work for me ;)
I think we should give the server Marmite. Love or hate, we could use it as a bribe / threat for its behaviour. Besides; I'd love to see it come up as a troubleshooting question on one of the techie sites ;D
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Thanks for the info. To be honest, i'm stumped. I will be gathering more 'problematic queries' and asking on the forums for the forum software (Assuming there ar eno Marmite problems there also).
Sorry for all these interruptions everyone.
Tom...
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Tom, have we mentioned lately that we love you for working on this stuff for us? :-* :-*
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Agreed!!
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Thanks Tom!!!
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Yes Tom my little 500 error.
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So Tom what can you do about the content of the error message? I mean, I just hate that it says "notify your administrator with the time of the error and anything you may have done to cause it" sort of like it's blaming me for not liking marmite or something. Grrrr.
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I could change it so it's a little nicer maybe.
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Ya, like how 'bout "Sorry but I'm licking the marmite from between my fingers at the moment. I'll be back in a bit...."
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Once the database has worked out that long query (The answer was Marmite & Beans on Toast)
:o :o :o :o So it's my fault :o :o :o :o
Tom, have we mentioned lately that we love you for working on this stuff for us? :-* :-*
I'd even send you a jar of marmite. A BIG jar!!!! ;D
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We could all send him a jar!!!! (not sure how Wendy would react - lol)
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Ya, like how 'bout "Sorry but I'm licking the marmite from between my fingers at the moment. I'll be back in a bit...."
Seriously, too funny!
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I wonder if we each sent him a jar of Marmite whether he'd have a lifetime supply?!?
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if it helps, i'll pledge a jar of marmite.
for the server. i think if it gets a wiff of the stuff, its problematic query may be resolved. it will love it or hate it.
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Well isn't it just typical. I've been watching all day, looking out for an error 500, so I can put in a friendly page and check it works.. Nada.
Mmmm all these offers of Marmite.. I don't know what to say! YUM!
Tom...
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I've had loads of errors today ??? Is it me then ???
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I got bumped out of BW earlier today - about 10hours ago maybe, so not just you :)
Does the new error message have xxxx in it, or mwahhhhh? i think that would be sort of lovely :) i really should stop drinking wine while BWg.
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'Twas really bad this morning (my time) Tom. About 12 hours ago. Couldn't even get the login page.
Been great all afternoon though.
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yeah, it was bad for me yesterday but fine so far today ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I'm still having errors every now and then, am I the only one.
With all this marmite talk, I'll have to buy a jar and see what it's all about.
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AAARRRGGGG! I get the error message about 50% of the time anymore. Not just you!
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Even Marmite cannot save us.
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Me to but it does not take long for the site to come back up :-\
Same here - happens constantly, but after 20-30 seconds is back up!
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me too :(
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me too xx
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Me too :(
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And me!
Laura
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Errors were bad 2 days ago for me.
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Me too and it's driving me insane lol!!
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Me too :(
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I wasn't seeing them, but now I am.
And the confusing thing is that I am not seeing the same 'locked tables' I was before.
*cry*
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Tom, I know nothing about programming or networks...but could the um...server??? be overloaded when another time zone comes 'online'?
I noticed that Deb was on talking about it being early morning...and it's nap time over here for most of those on 1 nap so I just thought that maybe it's something to do with 'spikes' in the number of users? ???
Just a thought as I tend to get the message at peak times.
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I get it all the time peak or not peak :-)
Ladies what helps is if you copy your text you have written before posting, paste it into simple program like Notepad (or an email program you can email it to yourself) and then you still have what you wrote. Also I found that if I hit the Back button on my browser once the error page is up I go back to the text I wrote. So you can recover what you wrote and paste it somewhere else while you wait for the server to recover.
Little tip someone dear to me taught me ;-)
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I have got this today after typing out reply to a post. Lost it and had to start over. booo x
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Oh Wendy just read your post. Fab idea. Yay! x
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Cheeky! ;)
Also if you go back using the back button and press post again sometimes that also works, sometimes you have to do it several times...
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I always go to Start- Run - Notepad and then just bang it in there until I am ready to post.
Yeah Laura sometimes I have had that work too ;-)
How computer savvy are we lol ;-)
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I tend to just Ctrl + C it to copy it and don't bother pasting it until I get the message iykwim? Then if the site goes down I paste it into word or similar until it's back up.
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Yeah you can do that too :-) Except I am at work these days and it would look funny if I posted a reply into a work email or document lol