Why Can\'t I Connect to My Remote MySQL Database With PHP 5.3.0?

MySQL PHP Incompatibility: Resolving the Mysterious Error

When connecting to a remote MySQL database via PHP 5.3.0, users may encounter an enigmatic error, leading to a failed connection. The warning messages typically point to a mismatch in the expected length of the OK packet and an outdated authentication mechanism.

Upon investigation, it has been discovered that the underlying issue stems from the MySQL account's password length. If the password is 16 characters long, it is likely an old password hash that is incompatible with the mysqlnd driver used by PHP 5.3.0.

To resolve this issue, reset the password for the affected MySQL account using a new one. This can be done by executing the following SQL statement:

SET PASSWORD FOR 'username'@'hostmask' = PASSWORD('thepassword')

As a potential alternative, check if the MySQL server is configured to use or create old passwords by default. This can be verified by examining the server settings. Additionally, running the following query on the problematic server will provide further insights:

SELECT
  Length(`Password`),
  Substring(`Password`, 1, 1)
FROM
  `mysql`.`user`
WHERE
  `user`='username'

Replace 'username' with the actual account name being used in mysql_connect(). The returned values will indicate the length and first character of the password, providing more information about the root cause of the error.

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