Alpha 5 version 9 run engine not connecting to sql, error 2003? need help urgently:-{

[gingerbev]

Hi there, i look after a website and chat forum and a guy who has now left to live in australia set up our database which 4 of us access on a daily basis to input data or look up data from etc. Its crucial that i get it sorted for everyone and i just dont do databases or mysql, i do websites but i can follow instructions.

So here goes, we download the software and download the database files then open the database, there are only two and its not overloaded or anything, two of us have gone to connect in the last two days at different times and its coming up with an error and i cant even log into the damn thing, ive spoken to the servers and they say nothing is wrong with the settings, ive looked myself and confirmed that it all looks ok from their end. Also my outgoing email server isnt working?

Any advice? I have attached a pdf of the database error.

Bev

[Ted Giles]

Couple of questions.
Why do download the database?
Can you email from the PC using Outlook/Windows Live Mail etc.
Has anything on the server been changed, like the name, or new/upgraded anti Virus been installed?

It sounds like your connection string has been corrupted.

In your Control Panel, in the Tables/Sets tab you should see a table with what looks like a green or red chain across it.
To view the current Link definition, Right Click it, and choose Active (or Passive) Link Table, then Edit Link Definition. DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING YET!

If Alpha thinks you are connected, then you have the option to Disconnect.
If you are not connected, you must Build a Connection String. See below. Note that the Connection Type should be correct as there are several to choose from.

connection.JPG

If all else fails, try here, Bev
http://forums.mysql.com/read.php?34,49742,239961

[gingerbev]

Ted thank you very much for your help, i actually understood most of what you said, but when i right clicked on the arrow there werent those options for me and it wouldnt connect to any that was there, i tried the link that you ever so kindly posted and went into the control panel, i dont know much about it but i added my ip in there and i can now access it as normal, phew! Could you please when you have time let me know though do i have to contact my servers again or get everyones ip address from them, easy to do il just send them the website that they click on and get them to email me it, or shall i ask the servers if they have changed anything? i know their control panel has been upgraded and new.

It says on the link i followed that any host could connect if there is a % which there is, so i dont understand why its corrupt?

Enclosed a pdf of the control panel settings, thanks again, where would we be without people like yourselves?

Regards
Bev :-)))

[Ted Giles]

Bev, I'd ask the ISP what has changed.
If nothing your end had changed then it must be their end. The new control panel suggests that there are more changes behind the scenes.
Sorry, I don't know enough about the hosting side to be able to help. Maybe someone will chip in who knows more.
At least one of you is up and running!

[DaveM]

All I can chip in is when one of my host providers changed the "cpanel" to a different version, it flat messed up my websites on that host. I am sure they changed other stuff at the same time. I really had to climb their butts to get it resolved. Being my own IT, I knew that nothing on my end had changed, so it made things more clear.

Good Luck.

[gingerbev]

Thanks Ted/Dave

ive emailed the isp and surprise surprise they havent got back, good news is i put two other ip addresses on and they can now get access. I will just do this, im sure its down to them but initially without your help looked through everything and darent change anything. The control panel is different so they have probably updated everything, the database started not saving data last week so hopefully it will be ok now they have finished their upgrades!

Dont suppose you know how to add an extra field of block text in the tables do you, looked everywhere, cant see what to do to add one.

Bev x

[Ted Giles]

Adding a field means you need the development version if Alpha.
If your database is DBF, you can add a memo field which gives unlimited text. You need to be able to show the new field on a form. If the back end is SQL you may need admin rights on the server or know how to change the tables and upload.
Suggest you contact someone in the WAS forum. Send them a private message. Pick someone with lots of posts.
Can you post more details of the installation?

[gingerbev]

Hi Ted and thanks again, yes it is dbf and back end is sql so i will have a look in the forum next week when i have more time, im trying to back it up but when i export to excel it doesnt save the text block column?

Also ive tried everything to get the main person of staff who uses the database to connect, the servers say their end is fine and they sent me a link to test the connection with and it all came up ok, ive let the alpha through the firewall, rang aol who said nothing has changed from them, system restored to two weeks ago and its still coming up with the same error. Think i will just wait until she gets a new pc in the next few weeks and do all her work until then.

Thanks again
Bev :-)