Fnord wrote:
Basically, too many people are logging in at the same time.
Error messages can be generated as a knock-on effect from unrelated issues elsewhere and as a result, the error reported isn't always the root cause.
This error has been presumptively identified as being caused by a timeout adjustment made elsewhere; investigation continues.
Also, considering how it's produced at all times would tend to indicate it's not associated with the number of people logged on - when America & Canada sleep, the bulk of WP's logons disappear yet the error still occurs.
A knock-on effect example: trying to access a floppy disk with no disk in the drive would generate a "disk read error" message which would have been more accurately reported as "no disk present".
(early versions of Windows)
Fnord wrote:
the website software is nearly two decades old.
But unlike people, software doesn't age and become more error-prone.
Its functionality (granted, such as it is) is identical to the functionality when first installed. Ergo, the cause lies outside the software.
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Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.