ed7admin

This problem seems to somewhat similar to a previous WordPress problem:
https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/php-warning-error-while-sending-query-packet

but that error contained a bit more information:
[22-Jul-2013 15:10:13 UTC] PHP Warning: Error while sending QUERY packet. PID=14707 in …wp-content/plugins/wp-db-driver/drivers/pdo_mysql.php on line 109

The problem originator, J.D. Grimes, and the plugin author, Marko Heijnen, seem to conclude the problem is due to a “database connection timeout interval in WordPress, like just setting a constant in wp-config.php. E.g.: define( ‘WP_DB_TIMEOUT’, 300 );”
The plugin author dismisses the problem like this:
“Having this issues with MySQL would seem like a misconfiguration in MySQL …
So fixing it on the MySQL end seems the best place.”
But that confuses me a bit, since wp-config.php is a WordPress specific file, not a general MySQL file. (But later on at a different website I read that it may be that either the max_allowed_packet or wait_timeout MySQL values thatmay cause the “Error while sending QUERY packet” error. See
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/30753674/error-while-sending-query-packet.)

I’ve heard of the wp-config.php file before, but am unsure of where it is at. Doing a search I found:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-edit-wp-config-php-file-in-wordpress/
This website warns that you better do a backup before touching this file, whichI cannot do due to BackWPup failing. Yet increasing the value of WP_DB_TIMEOUT in wp-config.php certainly seems safe enough. (This website warns: “The wp-config.php file
is so crucial to a WordPress site that a tiny mistake will make your site inaccessible.”)

So, should I try changing WP_DB_TIMEOUT in wp-config.php file to try to fix this problem? Is that really the correct thing to try?

If that doesn’t work, should I try to muck with either the max_allowed_packet or wait_timeout MySQL values?

(By the way, BackWPup used to work for me. Something seems to have changed.)

(But before I try any of these things, I will try running my BackWPup again tonight. My site is trinityvcf.org.)

I also do not have Wordfence, but get the same problem when running a backup using plugin BackWPup. Here’s what I got for my last backup on April 22:
[22-Apr-2016 03:37:19] 1. Trying to create backup archive …
[22-Apr-2016 03:37:19] Compressing files as ZipArchive. Please be patient, this may take a moment.
[22-Apr-2016 03:42:00] WARNING: Error while sending QUERY packet. PID=593659
[22-Apr-2016 03:48:47] WARNING: Error while sending QUERY packet. PID=593659
[22-Apr-2016 03:54:11] WARNING: Job restarts due to inactivity for more than 5 minutes.
[22-Apr-2016 03:54:12] 2. Trying to create backup archive …
[22-Apr-2016 04:02:51] WARNING: Error while sending QUERY packet. PID=593659
[22-Apr-2016 04:04:53] WARNING: Error while sending QUERY packet. PID=607805
[22-Apr-2016 04:13:31] WARNING: Job restarts due to inactivity for more than 5 minutes.
[22-Apr-2016 04:13:32] 3. Trying to create backup archive …
[22-Apr-2016 04:21:55] WARNING: Job restarts due to inactivity for more than 5 minutes.
[22-Apr-2016 04:21:56] ERROR: Step aborted: too many attempts!

Support responded with: “So this issue comes up a lot with users who run maintenance mode plugins as it effects WP Cron from functioning properly.” It turns out that after I deactivated one of my other plugins, the problem was fixed, (meaning that I was now able to schedule automatic backups with BackUpWordPress).

I consider this issue to be resolved.

After re-reading some guidelines for support, I see I should’ve opened my own support thread in the forum. Sorry. Since I already started using this support thread, I will keep on using it.

I have some additional information.
My website is at https://test.smallchurchpayroll.com, and the site is hosted by Bluehost.

In my previous post I mention the Manage Backups screen. I did that to help with debugging. It is the Schedule Settings popup (obtained through the Manage Backup screen) where the only option for Schedule is “Manual Only”.

I had the same problem at my site. When on the WordPress backend, after activating backupwordpress, I went to Tools>Backups, (which is the Manage Backups screen for backupwordpress). On that screen there was the following: “Database Manually(0)”, “Complete Manually(0)”, and “+ add schedule”. When I click on “Settings” the screen I get only allows me to do a manual backup (and not a scheduled backup).

Someone else who was able to schedule backups had the following on their Manage Backups screen: “Complete Weekly (1) | Database Daily(14) | Complete Weekly(12) | + add schedule”.

So why did the other person have different options than me (on the Manage Backups screen)?