The MySQL Error: Why does it keep happening?

[ZX the Hedgehog]

Every few days or so, I'm browsing the website when it all of a sudden becomes awfully slow. Then, it says there is a MySQL error and that the "max_user_connections" have been exceeded, along with a few other things. This is shown on a white screen, and it doesn't allow me to browse the site. I find the best way to fix this is to wait a few minutes, after which it seems to fix itself.

Anyone else getting this problem?

[Arseen]

Yep.

Max users is set low (we once had 2519 users online at once and it caused problems with service provider)

OR

bots trying to register

OR

Denial-of-service attack

OR

Distributed Denial of Service attack

First is the probable truth.

[sheep2001]

Multiple times a day.  Almost every day.

[monjici]

Can't SQL connections be shared/pooled to prevent this issue? Lots of stuff could also be cached on the cover site. Some optimization like that could optimize SQL traffic tremendously.

[Dr.Agon]

maybe im just lucky, but i only get that about twice a week...

[TDIRunner]

I just saw it a few minutes ago and I see it every once and a while.  Like you said, just wait a few minutes and no problem.

Oh, and I promise from now on, no more denial of service attacks from me...

[ZX the Hedgehog]

There has to be a way to fix it, else every website would whitescreen like that.

The good thing about MySQL is that it supports connection pooling (a quick Google search taught me that), and that it would cut down on the whitescreens if it were in use, as it helps with database applications such as this.

However, I never learned server programming, so I don't have that much experience with this kind of thing. Hey, for all I know, it's in use now. But this still shouldn't be happening. And it happens regularly! Someone needs to sit down and fix this.

[Thom Grayson]

It seems to only happen to me late at night... but that's more anecdote than useful data. I get it less often than once a week, and refreshing is usually all it takes before it goes away, that or wait a few minutes and refresh. Either way, it doesn't seem like a huge problem to me.