In trying to resolve my problem with getting a Disk quota exceeded (122) error on MYSQL Database apps, I received the following email from 1&1 Internet support (in my spam folder, as usual):

Thank you for contacting us.

This case needs to be escalated since we dont root access on our server.

As a temporary workaround, you can create a php.ini file on folder where
your script is running. The file should have like this.

session.save_path = physical path of the temporary folder where you want to save the seesion on your webspace

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I have nearly 20 database aps and don’t really want to do this for each one as a temporary workaround, so I waited for the permanent fix. Unfortunately, this is the next email I received:

We are always glad to assist you in a timely manner as possible.
We see since you’ve opted to change a file to a .Ini, this has resolved
the issue.
Your disk quota is fine from our end and all looks good from here.

Please clarify if you need any additional assistance regarding this
issue.

Thanks for your patience and for choosing 1&1.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I didn’t opt to do anything. I am waiting for them to fix it, so looks like time for some more emails! This is the typical 1&1 support approach. Classic. That’s why I don’t have any client sites on 1&1 Internet. Right now I am recommending WestHost.

I just started receiving the the following errors on all my websites hosted on 1&1 internet that have MYSQL databases.

Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: open(/tmp/sess_x, O_RDWR) failed: Disk quota exceeded (122) in /path/page.php on line 20

The result is that no session is created, so things that require a session don’t work too well.

Since I am nowhere near my allocated storage capacity, I’m not sure why this is occuring, and feel pretty confident that 1&1 support won’t tell me, even if they know. The support people that I’ve talked to so far don’t even have root access to the server, so I hope they fix it sometime soon. The temporary workaround is just to point the session.save_path somewhere else.

Luckily I use 1&1 for development only, as they are not reliable enough to host client websites, so no customers are effected.

Don’t
1. Don’t go strictly on price. The top selling webhosting companies are the cheapest, and the are also the worst. Don’t touch Godaddy or 1&1 Internet with a 10 foot pole!
2. Don’t use “Web Hosting Review” sites. They make their money by signing you up with the companies they push. These companies are usually bad.
3. Don’t get caught up in the side by side feature comparison. Find out what you need, but don’t try to get the best bang for your buck. A bargain can turn into a nightmare if you hook up with the wrong company.

Do
1. Ask your web developer or designer for recommendations, unless they are getting a cut. Do some research to find out if there is an affiliation between them and the company they are recommending, or just ask.
2. Search for problems or complaints connected with the web host, especially where customer service or technical issues are concerned.
3. Search Webmaster forums for recommendations, or post to a forum asking for a recommendation. You will usually get detailed responses based upon experience.

The vast majority of webhosting companies that are selling space on shared servers are HORRIBLE. You really need to do your homework, especially if your staking your business on your website.

I logged onto my 1&1 Internet Control Panel last week and noticed a new category: Marketing Center. One of the items in that category was “Google Webmaster Tools.” “Excellent,” I thought to myself.

The 1&1 Internet Google Webmaster Tools feature consists of an automated script that generates a file called google_sitemap.xml.gz, which is a compressed xml sitemap file, for the selected domain. It also submits it to Google for you.

The sitemap creation dialog gives you the following options to customize your sitemap file:
-Directory Selection
-File Category Selection
-Excluded Files

Once submitted you can update your sitemap once a day, and it will be resubmitted through the control panel. That’s about it.

This is a really stripped down version of Google Webmaster Tools. If you are just starting out, and want to get sitemaps up quick and easily, 1 &1′s Google Webmaster Tools feature could be the way to go for you. If you want more control over your sitemap and more detailed information on your sites performance and Google’s indexing of it, I’d recommend opening up a Google Account, and downloading GSiteCrawler sitemap generator.