A quick Dreamhost site error fix Oct16 '06

Dreamhost is a relatively stable hosting service, but occasionally site errors will occur, for seemingly no reason at all.

There are two errors that occur quite frequently for me, and I've discovered a quick work-around to resolve the issue on my own - without having to consult Dreamhost tech support, which could take days to get resolved, when you need your site back up now.

The errors contain different "wording," but are both resolved using the same approach.

These errors are evident when you initially visit your web page. Keep in mind, other aspects of your site (FTP, databases, etc) may still be fully functional (and accessible), but visiting the page in the browser presents you with a blank screen, with one of two messages:

Site Temporarily Unavailable

We apologize for the inconvenience. Please contact the webmaster/ tech support immediately to have them rectify this.

error id: "bad_httpd_conf"

... or:

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, webmaster@yoursite.com and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

Additionally, a 500 Internal Server Error error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.

Both of these errors messages may be present on your main page, or perhaps your entire site - but in some cases, you can still access "parts" of your site. Regardless, your site will be anything but functional, at this point.

From my experience, these error messages have something to do with the Apache configuration for your site. Either you did something manually to cause these messages, or it's on Dreamhost's end.

When it happens due to your own fault, it's typically involving an .htaccess file. You may have changed something in the .htaccess file that is causing the interruption.

When it's on Dreamhost's end, your out of luck until a Dreamhost tech support analyst can assist you.

However, I've discovered (thanks to the Dreamhost Wiki) a way to resolve this issue on my own, without Dreamhost's involvement. This is especially helpful on weekends, when your site goes down, and Dreamhost won't reply to tech support emails until Monday.

Screen shot of Dreamhost Control Panel

Screen shot of Dreamhost Control Panel

Screen shot of Dreamhost Control Panel

I've removed my username information for security purposes.

You're not actually making any changes, but you'll hit that button anyway. Essentially it may "reset" something on Dreamhost's end, which typically clears up the error.

You'll know after a few minutes if this worked. Refresh your page after a few minutes, and it should be back to normal.

You can also consult the Dreamhost Wiki for further information.

Categories: Apache , Dreamhost , Tips , Tutorials

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That worked immediately - thanks for that tip - was showing my site to a potential client and it was down ... Read more.

thank you! this was making me crazy, and your fix worked. thank you for finding it and for posting it. ... Read more.

Worked just great. Thanks for taking the time to write this post. ... Read more.

Saved me God knows how much time!!! You're a Prince. Thanks ... Read more.

matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from Chicago. Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.

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