Drupal 6 - Site Slow/500 Internal Server Errors

Site: ChickFlickSurvival.com
Drupal Version: 6.10
Manual Installation: yes
Quick Overview:
I'm having problems with my site being slow, pages giving me no error messages, but they are not displaying the content they should be such as parts of my admin panel.

500 Internal Site Errors occasionally, yet I don't have any real content on my site except modules.

I have had the site stop loading and give me error messages that the script/headers stopped working/loading. These messages were also in my error logs.

I have already:
* tried searching, if you find something I missed, please let me know
* checked the DH Status, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the server I'm on (Legs)
* created a working custom php.ini and made sure the php memory_limit was indeed set to 90M since Drupal requires 16M
* also changed the settings for Drupal and my htaccess for the custom memory limit which displays fine in phpinfo()
* pinged/trace routed my site, which is working fine from my network, also tried checking it from another network and different computers in the other network, still the same problems
* changed the performance settings in Drupal, have enabled them and disabled them, and there's not much of a difference.
* all modules are upgraded to the latest stable version
* tried other troubleshooting methods listed in the DH Wiki and Drupal Handbook(s)

Detailed Summary:
(Taken from my support request, in hopes that perhaps someone here can offer a solution)

I recently registered the domain which I am having problems with, so I'm also wondering if the problems I've been experiencing have anything to do with the DNS propagation, but I don't think so since it's been over 3 days.

My problem is that my site is slow and I have been receiving 500 Internal Site Errors. I currently have many modules, however there is no real content on my site, so I don't understand why it would be running so slow.

I attempted troubleshooting through various sources such as the DH Wiki as well as Drupal's documentation and handbooks. One suggestion was to increase the php memory limit to at least 16M through php.ini

So I created and seemed to have successfully created a custom php.ini and change the settings, etc. I also followed the other methods listed through .htaccess and settings.php modification. Everything seems fine in phpinfo, however I am still having problems.

I have also followed other troubleshooting protocols and ran a tracert/trace route to my site and everything is fine. Accessing my site on a different network gives me the same errors and results. So I can safely assume that it is not my network or my computer.

I have been receiving a premature end of script error as well, and I checked my logs and I constantly see Premature end of script headers.

I am wondering if this is something to do with the server, or my database because I have this domain's data on a separate database, so there should be nothing else interfering.

Wow, you're thorough! Having a slow site makes me think that the server may be under a heavy load. SSH in and do an 'uptime' command to show the load averages. They should be under 5. Seeing how it's Drupal which means it's using a database, I don't know of a way to check the database server load. Stay logged in and run 'top -d1' which gives you one-second updates of server load. Browse your site...hammer away...and watch the load.

As a baseline, do you have any other sites here? Do they utilize databases and/or are they giving you trouble?

Without much use on your site (I'm unique visitor 11!), and you're using stable modules, I'd think it's the server, but heck, why not disable the extra modules and see if you still get a 500?

Other than memory_limit, did you change anything else in php.ini? As 90M is standard, you don't need custom php.ini if that's all you changed.

Nice looking site, by the way.

-Scott

End of script headers: If you use wp-cache, clear cache, disable cache plugin, wait awhile, retest.

Install wp-super-cache.




How To Install PHP.INI / ionCube on DreamHost

Heh, I take that as a compliment, thanks. I hate having to re-explain things, or have them misunderstood, so I figured I might as well be detailed.

I do have several other domains, but they are using different databases. I've gotten to occasional error from my Wordpress, but other than that, no.

Interestingly enough around the time of me posting my site if there were 11 unique visitors...there have now been over 200! I'm guessing the spike is definitely from DH forums.

I created a custom php.ini just in case, and I haven't changed any other values.

I don't have access to SSH at the moment but I will definitely try that when I get home.

Thanks :) Still working on the site, it's definitely not in a production stage yet.

@sXi, this is for Drupal so I'm not quite sure what Wordpress cache would have to do with it. Although yes I do have a Wordpress installation, I however disabled my wordpress super cache already prior to ChickFlickSurvival. It's also on a different domain.

I still seem to be having these 500 internal site errors, and after checking my error logs, it seems to be because of a premature end of script within index.php

So I'm thinking it may be a module giving me problems? Does anyone have any suggestions?

I've been having the same problem (homie cluster, jubilee server); the script failures are memory limit problems; DH support has sent me to http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Finding_Causes_of_Heavy_Usage and I also recommend http://wiki.dreamhost.com/Drupal_Troubleshooting but at the end of the day, the server is just overloaded. Is this happening mostly around noon EST?