I've get this error during a SP call on a ISP shared MySQL server.
perror 24 says that
OS error code 24: Too many open files

Ok... It's almost clear but..

1) My SP calls two UPDATE calls inside a transaction. One of them (the
first) succeded, the second one failed, before the COMMIT statement was
reached.

2) The mySql server is shared. I can't modify any setting. This error
depends on my SP / sql calls or on global server access only ? So,
should I change something by my side ?

Google says that "One will get this error if so many instances of
table(s) is used in a query". But, only me has access to this table and
it can't happened that too many instanced of that table is used: up to 3
clients are connected, so up to 3 connections are opened with 3
simultaneous SP calls x 4 update calls (up to 12 update calls, worst case).

Anyway, the point 2) is not worrying. If an error happens I catch the
exception and manage it. And I did.
The point 1) is. This might cause a data lack, and it did. The driver
autocommit feature arouses suspicion. Do you confirm ?

best regards,
M.

Mau C wrote:
Plus a X number of others have connections to their databases and
reading/writing to those tables they have, so the number of open files that
the OS allows has been reached and those MySQL can't open a new file (another
table) until someone else has ended their use of their table.

The error depends on your mysql providers OS settings, either it's too low
default values or they have far more shared databases on the server than there
should be (other words overcrowded), in both cases I would recommend you to
start looking for another host who can give you a better environment and knows
what they are doing.


--

//Aho

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:11:31 +0100, Mau C wrote:
Since it's a shared server, it's not your problem, and you need to
report the problem to your ISP and tell them that the MySQL instance
needs more file handles availible to it. This isn't that YOU have opened
too many files, but rather that there are too many open tables across
the whole MySQL instance, for all the users using the DB server.

--
I picked up a Magic 8-Ball the other day and it said 'Outlook not so
good.' I said 'Sure, but Microsoft still ships it.'
-- Anonymous