zc_install failure: 1286: Unknown storage engine 'MyISAM'

I've got a friend that's trying to install Zen Cart 1.5.5a on a site hosted by Network Solutions that's receiving the above error on the install. He checked with NetSol and their statement was: We don't support MyISAM in version 5.6 of MySQL.

So does that mean that Zen Cart can't be installed on Network Solutions servers?

1. MyISAM is a db engine that requires less overhead than InnoDB (but it's arguably older tech and less efficient)
2. It is safe to expect that the server has been reasonably "tuned" to work with MyISAM, but rarely so with InnoDB

That said, many high-traffic tables are indeed more performant on InnoDB (as long as the server has been tuned for it).

Zen Cart CAN work fine on InnoDB ... but the install script does specify MyISAM in the zc_install SQL files. You can easily remove ENGINE=MyISAM from all those files and it'll just automatically use whatever default db type the server is configured for.

It's also worth noting that there ARE differences in the way MyISAM and InnoDB work. Generally Zen Cart tries to use the "right tool for the right job" as much as possible.

If your friend uses it and has trouble with performance, it'd be advisable to find a different host. NetSol is well known for marching to the beat of their own drum instead of doing what's best generally. (NetSol is also well known for being incapable of properly configuring SSL. I've no idea if they've finally fixed that, as they've declined comment too many times to be bothered asking anymore.)

Thanks, DrByte. I'll pass this information on.

Hey all. I'm lat9's friend with the problem. I removed all the ENGINE=MyISAM commands in the mysql_zencart.sql script and it installed like a champ.

Thanks for the help. This would be good to know for anyone trying to install on NetSol. I hate NetSol as a host but my client has all of their domains and sites there and, well, you know how that is, trying to get someone to uproot all their stuff and move it elsewhere.

i have moved a client to a new host. and i'm getting the dreaded:

PHP Warning: mysqli_connect(): Too many connections

error numerous times during the day.

one of the their suggestions is converting to InnoDB from MyISAM.

when i look at my v160 install, its all MyISAM and i'm curious if this is a conscious decision to stay with MyISAM.

i'm also curious if it is problematic should i decide to revert back to MyISAM after giving InnoDB a try.

thanks in advance!

DrByte:

... NetSol is also well known for being incapable of properly configuring SSL.

I roared with laughter upon reading this. :) Well done, sir.

carlwhat:

i have moved a client to a new host. and i'm getting the dreaded:

PHP Warning: mysqli_connect(): Too many connections

error numerous times during the day.

one of the their suggestions is converting to InnoDB from MyISAM.

when i look at my v160 install, its all MyISAM and i'm curious if this is a conscious decision to stay with MyISAM.

i'm also curious if it is problematic should i decide to revert back to MyISAM after giving InnoDB a try.

thanks in advance!
Seems like the host is not properly configured to handle the traffic that site is experiencing. Switching to InnoDB won't fully solve that issue.
Switching between InnoDB and MyISAM can be done, but I recommend sticking with one or the other.

As for ZC and v160, it's doubtful that we'd ever use InnoDB exclusively, because different database engines are designed for different purposes. Using InnoDB is not a magic pill to solve all MySQL performance problems. Properly tuning the MySQL server is the proper solution.

swguy:

DrByte:

... NetSol is also well known for being incapable of properly configuring SSL.

I roared with laughter upon reading this. :) Well done, sir.
The sad part is one can find a ton of forum posts specifically about that very issue.

DrByte:

Using InnoDB is not a magic pill to solve all MySQL performance problems. Properly tuning the MySQL server is the proper solution.

i do not claim to be the DB performance tuning guru. nor do i fully understand the differences between these 2 DB engines.

that said, i did switch all of my tables to InnoDB yesterday. and the too many connections error did disappear. when running the MyISAM engire, i was getting the too many connections error at a frequency of maybe once every 90 minutes. maybe a bit more. i would track the IP address down to users, spiders, as well as store administrators. at no time did i ever hear any complaints about the site, but obviously the error was right there in the logs.

so perhaps the host has their server better configured for InnoDB and did know what they were talking about with regards to their specific server. they did say the default value for max_connections is 150, and that they were not willing to change it. but clearly in this specific case, InnoDB seems to have done the trick for me. and in case any one is interested, i would say the amount of traffic on the site stays relatively consistent.

seems like i spoke too soon.

i changed the DB engine to InnoDB on tuesday. 28 orders that day.... no problems.... yesterday, 15 orders... no problems.... today, 15 orders, 25 log files. all rel;etaed to the too many connections as well as the Resource temporarily unavailable...

the troubleshooting continues..

Seems we've strayed from the original topic.

If the hosting company can't tune the server to operate properly, then it's probably a strong indicator that it's time to find a host who can do such a basic thing.

They probably give you no control at all over those settings, but here is some basic guidance: https://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?262-webserver-tuning-tips