mssql_connect stops working after some time

Question

I have a website that occacionally fails to connect to the database. It starts by having problems on just a few page requests here and there, but after a while it just stops and can't connect at all. This is the error message I get:

Warning: mssql_connect() [function.mssql-connect]: Unable to connect to server: localhost in C:\wwwroot\x.se\root\classes\adodb5\drivers\adodb-mssql.inc.php on line 520

If I restart Apache, it works fine again for a while - so it doesn't seem to be a problem with the dbserver. I tried to update the ntwdblib.dll but it didn't help.

This is the environment:

• Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition SP2
• PHP Version 5.2.9-2 Thread Safety enabled
• Apache 2.0.63 (Win32)
• MS SQL Server 2005

On top of this, due to various reasons, I can't just take this live server down for a couple of hours and reinstall stuff (well I guess I have to if all else fails). I will probably try to update PHP and/or Apache, but I'm looking for less invasive solutions to start with.

phpinfo() output:

• mssql
• MSSQL Support enabled
• Active Persistent Links 1
• Active Links 1
• Library version 7.0
• Directive Local Value Master Value
• mssql.allow_persistent On On
• mssql.batchsize 0 0
• mssql.compatability_mode Off Off
• mssql.connect_timeout 5 5
• mssql.datetimeconvert On On
• mssql.max_links Unlimited Unlimited
• mssql.max_persistent Unlimited Unlimited
• mssql.max_procs Unlimited Unlimited
• mssql.min_error_severity 10 10
• mssql.min_message_severity 10 10
• mssql.secure_connection Off Off
• mssql.textlimit Server default Server default
• mssql.textsize Server default Server default
• mssql.timeout 60 60

Upgraded ADODB from V5.06 (16 Oct 2008) to V5.15 (19 Jan 2012) didn't help either.

.. and upgrading the PHP stack from v5.2.9-2 (26 Feb 2009) to 5.2.17 (2011-Mar-22 13:29:30) didn't work.

Answer 1

I simply turned off the mssql persistant connections in php.ini and now it seems to work.

Answer 2

Have you tried using persistent connections? Might help if you are connecting often: http://php.net/manual/en/function.mssql-pconnect.php