Apache has reached the MaxClients

I am a total hosting rookie who has a server and contract support to keep it running right. When I get an error message email -- I am told by my contract support help it is nothing to worry about. I can buy the nothing to worry about -- but I would like to learn why the server thinks something is wrong. I am a complete beginner on web servers -- but learn quickly.

One of the emails I have been receiveing lately reads:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IMPORTANT: Do not ignore this email.
Apache has reached the MaxClients
limit. cPanel has increased the MaxClients limit to 170 (10 higher).

You may wish to suspend the user with the largest access log as they
are generally the person using up all of the avalible connections. However, your should
have your system admin verify this first.

Top 3 Largest access logs
====================================
525672 /usr/local/apache/domlogs/moparstyle.net
148328 /usr/local/apache/domlogs/daveschultz.com
125500 /usr/local/apache/domlogs/moparstyle.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can I get an explaination of why this email is being sent.

Thank You

 

I appreciate the help -- but when I click that link I get a message telling that I'm already loged in.

the address changes to http://216.118.116.105/member.php?action=login&redirect=/read.php?TID=5324

BK

 

OK -- I played around with the address and found the links at http://216.118.116.105/read.php?TID=5324 -- don't ask me why it won't work when I click the link in the above post -- but it doesn't.

My server is has very little traffic from the sites. I have one medium size board and about 15 small web sites. It was suggested in the other thread that there might be a worm at work -- is that the case and what can I do?

 

Ozzie thanx for the help.

Here's my situation, I'm a web master with about 15 (and counting) sites I designed, which I also host. I made a deal with the people that use to host me to maintain my leased server because I was too frustrated with overworked discount servers down as much as up (that is an exageration). I really only know how to set up accounts in WHM (but I want to learn and this is my first step in trying to be more pro-active in leaning) -- but know nothing about configuration. I have left that to the guy who I pay a monthly fee to maintain the server. He maintains about five of his own servers (visits this board) knows what he is doing -- but explains every &Do not Ignore& email I get as &Don't worry about it.& Like I say I have decided to be more proactive with learning what is happening -- but I just assume have this guy watch my server.

I will suggest to him to raise the number of MAX CLIENTS to 256 -- but I do not know how to open up mu/etc/my.cnf file and tell you whats in there.

What I can tell you is that there is a total of 7 Mysql databases for the entire server -- period. One is a fairly active vbulletin message board www.moparstyle.net, 2 are pretty muuch inactive guestbooks (the ones found in Cpanel), 3 inactive Red Lantern (provided by Cpanel) message boards, and a relatively inactive Chat Room (may see 15 people at one time about once a week).

Does that help?

 

It all makes sense know. It looks like I do have hackers taking a shot to get in, are unsuccessful -- but are using a lot of Max Clients trying. I'll watch the IP addresses and they are regular -- I'll have the server ignore them.

Thank you

 

I think what might have happened is:

I had 5 of my customer's XMB boards hacked into and trashed. It looks like King of the Hackers published a way to destroy these boards -- and it may be why so many were chosing my server(from the search engine hits on XMB boards). They appear to have gone away in the last couple of days. I was told tens of thousands of these boards were trashed in the last week.

BTW -- the XMB (free versio of vBuletin) boards that my customers use are from the Cpanel. XMB claims that version is the older version of 1.6 (suggesting cPanel update to a newer one) that includes the Indexlog.log and three lines in Index.php that allows this hacking. Is it possible for Cpanel to update to the newer version of 1.6 (1.8 isn't released yet and they pulled 1.7) to save the Host the headaches of customer support from restoring from daily and weekly backups, making the fixes and having customer have all of their member's change all of their passwords? Even the support telling them what to do is a headache. Since XMB is an option of Cpanel, many customers use it. I would like to see it stay (because of the auto-installion of MySql) but the updated version would help.