Please explain this software error.

[mobaholic]

Having installed SMF 1. 1. 5 less than a fortnight ago, I tried using the newsletter feature for the first time yesterday.       

Once I had drafted my message and spell checked it, I clicked on 'send message'
There was a very long delay before anything happened, then I got the following unintelligible error message:-       

Database Error: MySQL server has gone away
File: /var/www/vhosts/foneforum.co.uk/httpdocs/Sources/Subs.php
Line: 631Database Error: MySQL server has gone away
File: /var/www/vhosts/foneforum.co.uk/httpdocs/Sources/Load.php
Line: 2008

This meant absolutely nothing to me, so I repeated the process twice more, with the same results alas.       

I was then immensely embarrassed to find that the newsletter HAD been sent out - in spite of the gibberish I saw on screen - and all of my members had been inconvenienced by multiple copies of the letter arriving in their inboxes.       

Please may I ask what is wrong; how to fix it; and why an error message system could not be devised to tell non computer nerds just what is wrong and how to get around the problem ?       

The post detailing this may be seen hxxp:www.foneforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,75.msg215.html#msg215 [nonactive].

I should appreciate some helpful feedback and advice please.

Many thanks.

[aldo]

If I remember right, I believe it means when you tried to send a MySQL Query, the connection was dropped, I am sure that someone else can explain it further, but this is probably more of a server problem then SMF problem

[mobaholic]

I agree that the "MySQL server has gone away bit" might suggest that, but it plainly wasn't the case.

If connection with the server had been lost, none of the newsletters would have been delivered, let alone undesired multiple copies.

What was so annoying was not just that the error message was unintelligible, but that it pointed in the wrong direction.

My assumption that connection had been lost - and nothing delivered - was exactly what caused so much embarrassment in the first place.

[aldo]

Well, if you sent your newsletters via email, then it has nothing to do with said error message. Even if you got that MySQL Error, the newsletter could still send as when you send newsletters with SMF it doesn't use MySQL (unless you send it as a PM)

[mobaholic]

Thanks but I was sending by PM.

I looked at the email option first, but the software seemed to place all the email addresses in the bcc box, and I didn't know if everyone would end up discovering everyone else's email address.
So I decided to avoid that danger.

That was why I opted for the PM route, which led to the scenario already described.

[Rumbaar]

How many members do you have?  Did you try to send the PM to all of them at once?  If it's a large amount you can try and break them up using membergroups.  This will take some pressure away from your mySQL server, which seems can't handle the bulk hit when you send PM newsletters.

The process goes through a loop of user when sending, as it might loop through many (even most) but fail on some.  Once it's up it runs again, hence your members get the message.  Though you might find not all of your users got the message and those that didn't were when your mySQL server failed.

[karlbenson]

This is caused by two settings in mysql / my.ini
wait_timeout
connect_timeout
(both are in seconds)
Basically they are set too low meaning that mysql is dropping the connection part way through loading the page.
And when smf tries to query the database again its getting the message Mysql has gone away.

You'll need to contact you host and ask them to increase both of the settings.

With respect, this error usually occurs on very cheap shared hosts where the host try to maximize performance, but to the detriment of usability.  If the host is unable or unwilling to increase the values and if all else fails, look for a new host.