Error message 14/15 April

[Shiv52]

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!)

[MummyToBen]

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 

[~ Vik ~]

Same here - never for more than 15m or so, but a few times over the last couple days.

[<Catherine>]

Me too, especially when posting.

Perhaps Tom has been letting all that Marmite drip into his computer??

[macsmum]

me too

[Lolly]

And me!

Laura

[nosenose]

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...

[<Catherine>]

Do we think Tom may need to see somebody about his Marmite addiction?

[Lolly]

I'm glad somebody knows what's going on

Good job Tom - have a marmite sandwich on us!

Laura

[Mashi]

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...

[We Three]

I am the most computer-illiterate person I know....but that explanation was so cool!!! I totally get it!!!!

Now make it stop.      

   

[Tweakster]

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.

[<Catherine>]

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!!!!!

[We Three]

Wendy that made diet coke come out of my nose.  

[<Catherine>]

Wendy that made diet coke come out of my nose.

This made tea come out of mine!!