Could my database errors be caused by the Arcade?

I'm having HUGE database errors.

HostGator shut me down yesterday for excessive connections.

Today they say:

You're having database issues. Looks as though your queries are failing to disconnect and are left hanging. This causes a load on the server because the queries are constantly running in the background.

I only have 1300 members - 600 of which are listed as "active" Most users online averages 40-50. The most ever was back in June when I had 96.

I only had 32 games loaded... but I'm worried so I removed 12, leaving 20 online.

Right this minute there are 37 members and 8 guests online. .. of those TWO are listed as playing a game.

I need to figure out what's happening... so I thought I'd start here.

Could this program be causing the problems? If so, how do I fix it.

My members are enjoying it so I'd hate to have to remove it completely.

Thanks!

[Roxie]

Remove it and see if you still have excessive connections. What other mods do you have?

[The Librarian]

Originally Posted by Roxie

Remove it and see if you still have excessive connections. What other mods do you have?

Is there some place where I can see the connections myself? Right now I'm relying on HG to tell me.
I've disabled the arcade now and am waiting to hear from HG.

In addition to the arcade I have:

Bills PayPal Donate
Inactive User Reminder Emails - just added this Saturday but it's small and I was already having problems - in retrospect I shouldn't have done it.
vBadvanced CMPS
Yet Another Awards System
Zoints Thread Tags

[cheat-master30]

Originally Posted by The Librarian

Is there some place where I can see the connections myself? Right now I'm relying on HG to tell me.
I've disabled the arcade now and am waiting to hear from HG.

In addition to the arcade I have:

Bills PayPal Donate
Inactive User Reminder Emails - just added this Saturday but it's small and I was already having problems - in retrospect I shouldn't have done it.
vBadvanced CMPS
Yet Another Awards System
Zoints Thread Tags

I think inactive users thing was what caused me problems as well, sends out an email every single day to you and one to every inactive member until they return I think... Either way, that probably was what got me suspended before, so try disabling it.

The others I don't know. Don't need vBadvanced myself, so I cannot comment, and Yet Another Awards System just failed to work for me. So yeah, try disabling the inactive user thing and the arcade, see what happens.

Oh, and if that's a problem with the arcade, I'm screwed (over 120 games currently).

[Mark.B]

I believe that this is actually a problem in the arcade. I'm on a semi dedicated server and yet every so often we get a bunch of database errors, all stating max_user_connections exceeded and all showing act=Arcade&do=newscore as the script.

The hosts tell me as well that we often have sleeping connections.

Something in the arcade is not behaving as it should, of that I am now certain.

[MortysTW]

I've got 3747 games installed at the moment and the issues I've had in the past with too many connections wasn't from my arcade.

Depending on the quality of your vbadvanced modules, that could be a serious issue. I use vbadvanced myself.

Problem with vbadvanced, is that every module/block makes its own connection. THere isn't one nice command that says "I need all this data, let's go in once and get then come back out and close the door."

Each module goes in, goes out, next goes in, goes out. And that's if it was coded well. Not all of them close the door behind themselves, thus leaving your connection time nasty.

And as I did a quick search to better help you, I realized you've already got your answer here.

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243255

Please update posts in other locations when something is solved or almost solved so people like myself don't waste my time simply to restate what you've already found out elsewhere.

It just takes away time that I have very little of to donate here to lighten the load for MrZeropage.

[The Librarian]

Originally Posted by MortysTW

I've got 3747 games installed at the moment and the issues I've had in the past with too many connections wasn't from my arcade.

Depending on the quality of your vbadvanced modules, that could be a serious issue. I use vbadvanced myself.

Problem with vbadvanced, is that every module/block makes its own connection. THere isn't one nice command that says "I need all this data, let's go in once and get then come back out and close the door."

Each module goes in, goes out, next goes in, goes out. And that's if it was coded well. Not all of them close the door behind themselves, thus leaving your connection time nasty.

And as I did a quick search to better help you, I realized you've already got your answer here.

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243255

Please update posts in other locations when something is solved or almost solved so people like myself don't waste my time simply to restate what you've already found out elsewhere.

It just takes away time that I have very little of to donate here to lighten the load for MrZeropage.

Morty, thank you for taking the time to research this for me.

I'm STILL not certain what is or was causing my problems... I'm at this moment not sure whether my problems are solved.

I had *never* heard anything about vBadvanced being a problem. This is news to me. I'll look into it, so thanks for mentioning it.

My current situation is this:

- BECAUSE of all the database errors I felt I had to do something
- the only real advice I got at vBulletin.com and here was that - yes, I'm using too many resources - so I needed a new host
- so I've spent what to me seems an inordinate amount of money, time, and effort to move myself to VPS. - where I feel technically overwhelmed.
- I just did this yesterday. It's too soon to say whether this has or will solve my problems.


---I *did* get three error messages last night. They said:

Invalid SQL:

SELECT *
FROM vb_datastore
WHERE title IN ('','options','bitfields','attachmentcache','forum cache','usergroupcache','stylecache','languagecach e','products','pluginlist','cron','profilefield',' iconcache','mailqueue');

MySQL Error : Table './databasename/vb_datastore' was created with a different version of MySQL and cannot be read
Error Number : 1033

The good news is that I only got three. Monday night (BEFORE the move to the VPS) I got 100 like this, and my site was offline for about 30 minutes.

The bad news is that these last three cam AFTER my site had already been moved to the VPS. I was ***really*** hoping that my database problems would be solved with the move.


The arcade is only one of my hacks, so I know it might not be the problem.... but I asked about it first because
1) some of the errors I'd been getting mentioned it (although YES, I know this one doesn't - of course, this one makes NO SENSE WHATSOEVER but that's nothing new when it comes to vBulletin.)
2) it seems to use lots of resources
3) it was a recent addition to my forum
and
4) members had mentioned scores not being saved so I thought maybe that was part of the problem


So far, to solve this issue I've:

1) started three or four threads here and at vBulletin.com/forums
2) uninstalled 15 of the 35 games I had on my system (NOTICE: I only had 35. A simple answer of - "NO, 35 games wouldn't cause that much of a problem" could have helped me.)
3) disabled the "email reminder for inactive users hack"
and finally
4) moved from shared to VPS

and I still haven't got a real answer as to why my forums crashed.

Maybe I'll never know why my site used enough resources to be called "abusive" and shut down for 12 hours.

Forgive me for asking for help, Morty. I know Mr. Zeropage is busy. I haven't thrown a fit or anything... I've tried ***hard*** to solve this myself, really.

[MortysTW]

No worries. Text sometimes throws out a tone of voice that is not meant. I wasn't upset. It was more of an FYI.

I do the same thing. I thought it was a done deal and solved. So I was basically stating to come back and put a message saying "Solved per URL LINK HERE"

But as for your issue, you'd be amazed how many hosts brag about their shared plans and really aren't meant for forums even though they say you can run them on their accounts. Believe me, I've gone through it myself.

I'm going to PM you about my host that has seemed to solve my problems.

As for vBadvanced, I'm not bashing it. Like I said, I still use it. Its awesome and simplifies life. Its really not something I'd be concerned with. To do what vBadvanced does for YOU, would be some serious hard-core coding and a pain in the but to tweak and reshape as easily without having the same amount of server connections. The basic modules it comes with are clean code. Its when you get all these random ones that people create.

Didn't mean to shut you down on looking for help. But its your host was crap for your needs is what it sounds like to me. PM sent in a few minutes...........

[The Librarian]

Originally Posted by MortysTW

No worries. Text sometimes throws out a tone of voice that is not meant. I wasn't upset. It was more of an FYI.

I do the same thing. I thought it was a done deal and solved. So I was basically stating to come back and put a message saying "Solved per URL LINK HERE"

But as for your issue, you'd be amazed how many hosts brag about their shared plans and really aren't meant for forums even though they say you can run them on their accounts. Believe me, I've gone through it myself.

I'm going to PM you about my host that has seemed to solve my problems.

I'll keep all of this in mind for the future. I think it *is* a good idea to follow up on threads with what you've done to solve problems and such. I've done it on other items and will continue to do so. I don't mean to sound snippy... It's just that I feel in over my head here, and I'm pretty sure that I have NO CLUE what I'm doing most of the time. lol

Originally Posted by MortysTW

As for vBadvanced, I'm not bashing it. Like I said, I still use it. Its awesome and simplifies life. Its really not something I'd be concerned with. To do what vBadvanced does for YOU, would be some serious hard-core coding and a pain in the but to tweak and reshape as easily without having the same amount of server connections. The basic modules it comes with are clean code. Its when you get all these random ones that people create.

I have created some modules. I guess I'll have do do some research on whether they could be part of my problem. But I'm going to wait until I find out whether this new host works or not.

One thing I must say here and now is that Brian at vBAdvanced has been THE BEST support person in vBulletin world to me. He's answered all of my questions with patience and kindness and I've never felt ignored there like I have here and at vBulletin.com/forums Maybe it's just because it's a smaller feature, but he's a great guy. It never occurred to me that vBA would be my problem, but I'll be sure to ask him if it continues after this move.

Originally Posted by MortysTW

Didn't mean to shut you down on looking for help. But its your host was crap for your needs is what it sounds like to me. PM sent in a few minutes...........

It's ok. I'm just being too sensitive I guess. I just feel like I've begged for help in numerous places and am not really getting anywhere. And frankly HostGator's snippy attitude, 12 hour shutdown while ignoring emails, and overall lack of concern for anything has me feeling rather raw.

[MortysTW]

Again, vBadvanced rules. And yes, Brian over there is great with response time. I also feel vBa might be the issue as far as self created or crappy modules. Not the stock frame of vBa. That's very solid.

But I believe vBadvanced and a few other things are his job basically. So he's around and able to respond. I think the moderators and what not around vb.org have started to get used to people getting help from other people and aren't around as much on this particular site.

When you have general issues though, use the vbulletin. COM site. not org. Org is for help with things you've tweaked. .COM is for the heart of the script. And they are all over it on the DOT COM site.