Why Does PF Show a Database Error at 8:35 AM?

  • Thread starter cobalt124
  • Start date
In summary, something bad is happening on the PF server, and it's happening more and more frequently. Users are having problems accessing the forum, and there are also problems with posts updating. Backup times have been mentioned, and it seems that the maintenance events happen at different times each day.
  • #1
cobalt124
61
32
Just had problems accessing PF with a "Database Error" message. Couldn't access PF for about five minutes (far too long!). Presumably the problems fixed now.
 
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  • #2
More weird stuff happening. Just logged in successfully but the "viewer only" page kept reappearing. Rebooted PC and all is OK again!?
 
  • #3
cobalt124 said:
More weird stuff happening. Just logged in successfully but the "viewer only" page kept reappearing. Rebooted PC and all is OK again!?

I just altered the cookie domain. Should be fine now.
 
  • #4
Thankyou!
 
  • #5
Hi Greg, just in case you need to know, the "Database Error" thing happened again whilst a post was updating, came back in a few minutes again, but double posted. It's not a big issue, it's intermitent, and Dr Chinese got double birthday wishes, which are well deserved anyway. Could it be some issue my end?
 
  • #6
Database error is server side.
 
  • #7
ACK ! Just finished a short post, submitted it, without making a backup copy (my error) and got a DB error, around 8:35 EST. Grrr... Rhody is not happy right now, that is only the second time I remember that I lost a post due to something that happened with the site. For long posts, I always make a copy because of timeout issues, but not for short ones.
Live and learn I guess.

Rhody... :cry:
 
  • #8
Something bad is happening since at least one hour and 15 minutes, forum is sluggish.

Rhody: no idea what browser do you use, but in such situations check if "back" won't work. It should get you back to previous page - hopefully with edit window containing what you put there.
 
  • #9
I was sending out some emails which took over 6 hours to complete. Unfortunately they weren't done by the time the server got busy again and it choked a bit. Sorry rhody!
 
  • #10
Database error again, a minute ago.
 
  • #12
I wonder if my IP search of a user was not related.
 
  • #13
Borek said:
Rhody: no idea what browser do you use, but in such situations check if "back" won't work. It should get you back to previous page - hopefully with edit window containing what you put there.

That doesn't work for me in IE. Having been caught out too many times, I do long responses in Notepad. There is a CTRL command to copy the backup and response, can't remember what it was, but I don't think that works after the post has failed.
 
  • #14
Another database error here :frown:
 
  • #15
Hootenanny said:
Another database error here :frown:

It will happen every night, it's the backup
 
  • #16
Greg Bernhardt said:
It will happen every night, it's the backup
Oh right, fair enough.
 
  • #17
cobalt124 said:
That doesn't work for me in IE.

Another reason to start using a browser :-p
 
  • #18
Yeah, maybe I'll give Firefox a go one day.
 
  • #19
There seems to be a pattern here, almost everyday between 6:30 - 7:30 EST.
Happens fairly consistently.

Rhody...
 
  • #20
There are two maintenance events, one happens somewhere between 8:30-9:00 my time, the other somewhere between 13:00-14:00 my time (6:30-7:00 GMT and 11:00-12:00 GMT, or 2:30-3:00 and 7:00-8:00 EST). From what I understand it is quite probable they don't happen each time on the exactly same hour, also, they shouldn't happen on "round" hours.

Obviously they both put a strain on the server, and it is not able to correctly deal with the traffic. Sad thing is, the first event is exactly when I switch my computer on, so I can't start my day by reading PF.
 
  • #21
Borek said:
Something bad is happening since at least one hour and 15 minutes, forum is sluggish.

Rhody: no idea what browser do you use, but in such situations check if "back" won't work. It should get you back to previous page - hopefully with edit window containing what you put there.
Borek, FYI Greg,

I use Firefox, and no the back button does not save your last post. I thought of that too, no dice...

Rhody...
 
  • #22
Last half hour has been really slow for me and now I'm getting the Database error message. Current time is 1144 GMT or 0744 EST.

That fits with the backup times.
 
Last edited:
  • #23
Thanks for the info on backup times. I can personally live with this one knowing why it is happening and also so far I always manage to log in within five minutes.
 
  • #24
Ryan_m_b said:
Current time is 1144 GMT or 0744 EST.

no, 10.44 GMT …

11.44 British Summer Time (ends 01.00 am GMT, just after fourth saturday in october) :wink:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #25
For the record - today I am running a script that contacts PF now and then, and it crashed with 504 Gateway Time-out at exactly 10:37 GMT.
 
  • #26
Me too encountered a database error for more than 5 minutes. :(
This is what i saw:-
ta0tqt.png
 
  • #27
Pranav-Arora said:
Me too encountered a database error for more than 5 minutes.

When did it happen? Just before you posted? That's one of the two known maintenance events already mentioned in the thread.
 
  • #28
Borek said:
When did it happen? Just before you posted? That's one of the two known maintenance events already mentioned in the thread.

I opened my browser, wrote the URL of PF and pressed enter. After i pressed enter, this message popped up. I took the screenshot. After more than 5 minutes, i reloaded the page and posted the screenshot in this thread. :)
 
  • #29
Again fro the record: todays midday gateway time-out - on, or before 11:13 GMT. No script at the time, but I tried to check new posts at 11:13.
 
  • #30
11:05 GMT today. But problems persist - even if it was over 15 minutes ago, server is still slow, as if the event was quite long. I just got another 504, followed by the database error.

Actually I have problems posting this, I already tried 6 times.
 
  • #31
Got database error twice, managed to get back in both times.
 
  • #32
10:11 GMT today, 504 Gateway Time-out again. PF was painfully slow in the morning, seems like it just accelerated now a little bit.
 
  • #33
for the past hour or so I find PF virtually unusable due to database error and time outs
 
  • #34
Same here.
 
  • #35
Ditto.
 

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