Problems at JoeAnt?

[sytemaker]

Is there a problem with JoeAnt?

When trying to reach a category I more often get a page with a message like this:

Warning: mysql_connect(): Too many connections in /root/path/user/www/DIR/cat on line 35
Too many connections

What's that all about?

[WebSavvy]

That's a "coding" error message and doesn't in any way signify that there are problems at JoeAnt.

MySQL gives an error message like that when vars on the server is full, or if there are too many open mysql connections, or if there's an error in the php code used in the file when attempting to connect to mysql.

I've edited your message, however, because it's not good to post someone's full server path (for security reasons).

I'm sure someone from JoeAnt camp will be able to confirm this was not a serious issue, and is something that happens quite often in php/mysql coded pages.

[Hbird64]

I don't know what has happened today but the new editors are signup up by dozens.

The problem is what is says: 'Too many connections' and is happening more often lately. Last time I asked we had over 1.000.000 visitors in the month and over 4.000.000 search queries.
I need to ask the owner of JoeAnt.com what the maximum of connections is and if it is caused by the visitors only or that it is also caused by some strange spider.

You can only try again later.

Hugo

[sytemaker]

Thanks guys.

[WebSavvy]

Hugo, depending on how the server itself is setup, can make a difference in that, as well.

If there's an mysql worm on the server it can cause this, and it will affect all sites hosted on the infected server. The web host would just need to upgrade mysql by applying the new security patches.

Also, this can be caused by too many connections open in mysql. If the php pages themselves do not contain an ending code snippet to tell mysql to close following execution of the query, it will continue to execute, thus leaving too many open connections.

It's really a simple thing to correct.

[Hbird64]

It's really a simple thing to correct.

I'm a senior programmer without any knowledge of programming on the Internet 8)

I'll ask our programmer to have a look at it.

Hugo

[JoeAnt]

It's tough to say what the issue is. Because the editors and public databases are kept separate, I update them once a week. MySQL is setup to cache the common queries to lessen the load, but after updates, has to refresh and start all over. This could be one of the problems as it seems the errors occur right after the update. Second problem can be from dataminers. A third possible problem is some of the PHP code can be out of date. Since we've added the second dedicated server - MySQL, PHP, Apache, etc... were upgraded to the newest versions. I'm looking into fixes and the true cause. Our popularity that really took off in January hasn't helped either. JoeAnt.com gets an enormous amount of traffic. I'm not trying to brag, but sites like ihelpyouservices.com have really helped push us into the mainstream and we're feeling a similar, but much smaller scale, growth spurt DMOZ has been going through for years. A third server might be required. I'll contact my tech. at Rackspace and see what can be done.

[Connie]

Glad you all are having growing pains. :D

I read in forums that nobody uses directories anymore so its good to see some figures like Hugo gave. Granted a 1,000,000,000 visitors per month is a small number compared to what the SEs get but the number impresses me. Especially when you consider that other popular directories are probably doing at least that good.

I'm curious if you have figures that would break the number of searches down to like shopping type searches and informational searches.

I've always had the feeling that people might use directories more to search for information.

[spectregunner]

Not being biased or anything, :green: I too am a big beliver in directories.

I hav to think, in my unbiased way :green: that a lot of the badmouthing of directories comes from people who make a living trying to abuse search engines, and are frustrated that good directories are very difficult to manipulate on a large scale.

Sure, anyone can slip in a bad or marginal listing, but not to the extent that the manipulators want.

Best wishes to you guys (even if you are the competition!).