MySQL Connections - Who offers a lot?

[ancient cries]

I keep getting the "Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket" error emails maybe once a month it seems. So I Googled it and found this thread archived here. I did what the person in the thread did, ran diagnostics in the admincp and saw that my max_user_connections is set to 0. Steve, in the thread, said to find a new host if it's set that low.

So now I'm on the hunt. Right now I'm with JustHost.com, and I know of a few other hosts that are relatively low in price. But because of this problem, I'm iffy about signing up with just another one that probably has the same problem.

Any suggestions?

[anthonyparsons]

Go VPS so you have your own local MySQL which you control. VPS.net is cheap entry level with scalability. ServInt is a better choice, but not if you want cheap entry at only a few dollars a month. Linode if you know how to manage your own server.

[Abomination]

I don't think max user connections can be set to 0 and still have a forum operate at all, can it? Or does that mean infinite connections?

[anthonyparsons]

I think you fail due to I/O, in that you can only physically make x amount of connections based on your servers capacity to handle the load. The server is probably more the limiting factor before an actual connection limit itself. MySQL uses tunnelling, so really a DB will only ever have x connections open to what queries the software physical has in relation to the DB, as once a connection is open all users access the same data type down the one tunnel. If you have 10,000 people online, you may only have 150 connections open to your DB depending on the type of data being accessed. Reading vs. writing also changes things, especially as locking of tables to avoid writing issues. Still limited understanding on that one myself, though learning.

Shared hosts set limits to limit the load any one user can cause within a shared environment.

I would also look at turning some features off, if you have nearly everything running, especially search aspects, ie. widgets, similar threads, etc. They chew an immense amount of CPU and queries due to constant search queries to find latest content and deliver it. You need

[letsjoy]

This is because you are on shared host, Go for VPS or dedicated server... That will solve your problem and take care about how much ram you have w.r.t size of database for better speed

[Jedito]

Do you know currently what's the connection limit that you have?, if not, ask to your host, don't guide for what you saw.