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By mattrweaver on
I have been experiencing changes in behavior in my site, which had been stable, and I haven't made any significant changes in the site's structure (new modules, etc).
I have experienced disappearing blocks, and other problems like some changes that I make in panel panes, and updated RSS feeds, only appearing when I am logged in.
For instance, I had moved a pane, but it took a full day before that change was made available to regular users (yes, I run cron daily--even feeds updated by cron are displaying new items only to the admin).
I have moved a copy of this site to a test site, where it is behaving normally.
It appears that I am gradually experiencing more problems, but have no idea how to proceed with diagnosing what is going on.
Humbly,
mrweaver
Comments
Clearing caches?
Sounds like content not updating might be a caching issue: Are you clearing all your caches after you make a change?
Ezra Wolfe
DLC Solutions
EthosCE
panels that didn't update, solved
My moving panes was caused by the Panels Simple Cache, which I have disabled.
As for the blocks, I clear my cache tables regularly. The blocks function perfectly fine when used by Panels but the block module doesn't serve them anymore. I have tried disabling Panels, too, but that didn't restore my blocks, Besides, I've been using Panels for months now.
Can you give me advice on how to go about diagnosing this?
Thanks for your help
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Not sure this will be much
Not sure this will be much help, but here's what I'd try.
Edit and resave the blocks in question, and then clear the caches again. If that doesn't work, start disabling modules one-by-one, clearing cache each time.
Last time I had something strange like this happen I had to disable 45 modules before I found it.
Ezra Wolfe
DLC Solutions
EthosCE
Did the blocks...
Thanks for your help, ezraw.
I did the blocks and I'm working through the modules, but then it occurred to me, if this is a caching problem, can't I just shut off caching, for diagnostic purposes? So, I shut off caching at admin/settings/performance and the blocks did not return.
I will keep plugging away at the modules.
At what point do I start looking at the server where this site lives, since the copy of the site on my test machine is working just fine?
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
That's a good point. You
That's a good point. You should check the php error log, sql error log, and watchdog, just to see if anything is off in there.
Ezra Wolfe
DLC Solutions
EthosCE
Crap.
Apache error logs are clean. I activated php error reporting and got nothing.
My database is MYSQL version 3 something (yes, 3). We have the site on the same server as calendar program and that company hasn't upgraded the database, so I'm stuck.
I can't find the mysql configuration file to turn on error reporting. When my IT manager comes in, I'll see what he can tell me.
I have a second site on the same server.
This is a public library site:
http://www.westlakelibrary.org
The second site:
http://www.westlakelibrary.org/bookconnections
On the second site, the blocks are displaying just fine.
The mystery continues.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
I see more blocks on the
I see more blocks on the first site -- is that correct?
Ezra Wolfe
DLC Solutions
EthosCE
More blocks
My front page is a Panels page, and it is processing the blocks and there are more of them than on the second site, whose front page doesn't use panels.
But look at this page:
http://www.westlakelibrary.org/?q=node/49
It should have a few blocks appear via the block module.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Maybe this will help, maybe
Maybe this will help, maybe it won't, but I'm seeing an SQL warning when I load that second link.
user warning: Unknown table 'node_data_field_cover_0' in field list
query: views_build_view
SELECT DISTINCT(node.nid), node.title AS node_title, node.changed AS node_changed, node_data_field_cover_0.field_cover_0_value AS node_data_field_cover_0_field_cover_0_value, node_data_field_synposis.field_synposis_value AS node_data_field_synposis_field_synposis_value, node_data_field_synposis.field_synposis_format AS node_data_field_synposis_field_synposis_format FROM node node LEFT JOIN content_type_addabook node_data_field_synposis ON node.vid = node_data_field_synposis.vid INNER JOIN node_access na ON na.nid = node.nid WHERE (na.grant_view >= 1 AND ((na.gid = 0 AND na.realm = 'all') OR (na.gid = 0 AND na.realm = 'og_public'))) AND ( (node.status = '1') AND (node.type IN ('addabook')) AND (node.created < 1248714504 + 5000000) ) LIMIT 0, 20 in F:\Program Files\Apache2\htdocs\bookconnections\includes\database.mysql.inc on line 174.
Thanks, but...
I'm aware of that problem. It's related to a disabled module and some other problems.
Thanks for letting me know.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
I shut off all contributed modules
I shut off all contributed modules and cleared the cache tables but that didn't do anything. Core optional modules are all that is running, so it isn't a conflict with a contributed module. Nodes display, but no blocks, not even navigation (obviously, blocks associated with contributed modules wouldn't display, but my menu module is activated.
This is just friggin' weird.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Tried the blocks and modules
I have gone through all blocks and modules, clearing the cache each time but the problem remains. In fact, the single block that had appeared is now gone after going through the blocks.
Any other advice?
Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Second site on same server just lost it's blocks
Now, really pissing me off, I have just lost the blocks on my second site on this server.
Any help?
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
What about memory? How much
What about memory? How much do you have allocated to php? How much on the server as a whole? What do you see when you run "free" from the command line?
Can you install devel module and turn on query logging output to the page and check out the queries on the page that fails to display blocks?
Ezra Wolfe
DLC Solutions
EthosCE
PHP memory limit is
PHP memory limit is 48MB
Server is partitioned: Drupal files and apache has 24gb of free space
Partition with mysql end has nearly 2gb of space.
From devel:
I can't find any queries that appear to fail to deliver blocks. However, I can't get the Devel output to show on my front page, just on admin pages.
Here is my query for the block list:
THe only other thing that i have thought of is that the mysql is version 3.x (it can't be upgraded because the server shares space with a calendar program that requires such an old version of the database).
Thanks
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Memory
I have tried jacking up the memory limits for PHP, and that hasn't helped at all.
What can I do to check off all Drupal-related causes to this problem? Then I can start looking at the server itself.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Anyone?
Any ideas on how to figure out why my blocks won't display?
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Still seeking answers
By all indications, my drupal installation thinks its serving blocks. Any help?
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
I still need help with this!!!!!!!!!
I have been clearing cache on my drupal site. Is there a cache function on the server (a windows server) that could be part of the problem?
The server is partitioned, and another service is on the other partition (it's an online calendar system). That company has not made any changes to their system.
Do I need to clear cache on the windows server?
Please help. I have made no headway.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Still need help
*bump*
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Still seeking answers
bump
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
partial diagnosis...still stumped, borderline-screwed
I moved a copy of the affected site to another server where all of the blocks magically appeared and have remained for weeks. I had even upgraded the site to D6 (there were problems, but the bulk of it is there).
Then, yesterday, the blocks suddenly disappeared again. When my blood had cooled, I realized that at least I knew that it was not the server environment that was the problem, it's something in Drupal.
At the time of this latest collapse, I had been working through all of my blocks, setting what pages they should appear on/not appear on (not by role, just for certain pages/nodes), which I find interesting. When I started looking at these blocks, those types of settings for a number of blocks that had been set on the site in the past were not there.
When I started resetting them, then my blocks disappeared.
Apache error log shows absolutely nothing occurring at the time of the block loss--no surprise, that's what happened before.
My next step is to remove the specific display settings, clear cache, and see if they return. If this doesn't work, I will say f--- the blocks altogether and just use panels for all future pages, etc.
My greatest concern is in not knowing what caused this, how to root out the problem, to make sure I don't have any more surprises.
If anyone can PLEASE HELP, how do I take apart the site to determine WTF is going on? If you cannot help, then may my failures serve as a cautionary tale.
Best regards,
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Progress???
On my test copy of the site, I noticed the blocks table was goddam huge because I used to test themes on my live site. Yep, I did it. Well, I cleared out of records in the blocks table related to unused themes and voila! My blocks returned!
So, I turned to my public site and tried the same thing. Nothing.
So, I think what I need to do is start with a clean Drupal install, somehow copy over all of my users and nodes and activate my only theme and keep things simple. If it happens again, then I move to joomla. Ha! kidding. maybe. It's not like anyone's reading this.
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
I'm still following along,
I'm still following along, but haven't thought of anything new to help until now. :-)
Check this out: http://drupal.org/requirements Drupal 6 does not support MySql 3. :-(
Are both sites using MySql 3? Is there any way you could test it with an upgraded db? Maybe set up a EC2 instance for a day and test with that using MySql 5? 3 Isn't supported anymore so there might be bugs for which there are no fixes. Also, just from a sysadmin perspective, there are probably some security concerns with running unsupported software -- also might help you make the case to upgrade :-)
Based on what you last reported, I think you should look harder at your db anyway. So you can't get devel to run on any page where you having the problem?
How big is the db? Have you tried restarting mysql to see if that changes anything?
Have you run check tables on the db tables in question?
I'm not sure if this is possible, but can you install two versions of mysql on the same box and just use a different port?
Ezra Wolfe
DLC Solutions
EthosCE
Oh, someone is reading this (embarassed)
The public site is stuck on a Mysql 3 db. The test site is running Mysql 5. I have run "check tables" on the entire database and nothing happened.
I just found it odd that the same thing happened (blocks disappearing) to the upgraded D6 version of the site on a Mysql 5 database, and clearing the junk out of the "blocks" table cleared it up; but then doing the same for the production site didn't do anything.
Yesterday I took an old copy of the public site, but one that was made after the loss of the blocks, and tried activating lots of themes and making lots of changes to the "page specific" view setting in the blocks to see if I could recreate the problem but nothing has happened. That version of the site has been humming along, blocks intact since this problem originally emerged (May...ugh!)
I will finally be getting a dedicated server for the site that will enable me to move away from Mysql 3. I had hoped to create a D6 upgrade of the site and just start fresh, but I think that may not be realistic.
I have tried restarting mysql, but not since I cleared out the blocks table. I will try it again.
What is an EC2 instance? (sorry)
I don't think my IT manager would go for two mysqls on one box. If it is a Mysql3 problem, then the move to the new server should take care of it. This has really driven me nuts. Were it not for the Panels module--which can use the blocks just fine--I would have been in a real world of hurt.
Let me ask you this: at what point should I consider rebuilding from scratch, basically importing the node table, etc., to capture all postings, etc., and building a new installation?
Thanks again for your suggestions.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
Devel....
I have added Devel (which I had tried in the past...maybe I'm not sure what I'm looking for in the results).
I had set a couple of blocks to display specifically on admin/build/blocks in the "content top" region of the theme (bluebreeze-fixed).
Here is the devel statement for generating the block list:
After this statements, there are three "cache_get" statements, another that writes to the accesslog table, and two "sess_write" statements.
mrweaver
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov
subscribing
subscribing
if you're subscribing...
...then here's the latest on this issue
After getting a lot of feedback from a range of drupalfolk, including some pretty heavy hitters, the consensus seems to be that the problem is the ancient version of the mysql database (mysql3.x) that I am stuck using on my site.
Copies of the site that have been moved to mysql5 dbs behave normally.
D5 technically supports some Mysql3.x databases, but still with a strong encouragement of upgrading to a newer version. (http://drupal.org/requirements)
Someone had suggested that one of the modules used on the site may have had an unwritten Mysql4.x dependency that was causing this problem.
The site, which resides on a partitioned server--the other partition housing the third-party application whose publisher REFUSES to upgrade from mysql3.x (the weasels!) -- will be getting it's own home with a nice database all to itself.
Finished products are for decadent minds. -- Isaac Asimov