Server reboot not likely an option? If nothing has changed in WordPress maybe it isn’t WordPress. Can you get to your MySQL database and backup it up?
Can you get phpinfo? See http://codex.wordpress.org/Finding_Server_Info
How often are these dumps appearing ?
Where EXACTLY on the server are they appearing ?
What plugins do you have running ?
After I deleted the first batch, two of them appeared inside nine minutes. So I’d guess about one every five minutes until my storage gets maxed (my domain host has since set up a cronjob to delete them that runs every five minutes).
Plugins:
Bad Behaviour
Blacklist
Comment Quicktags
ESF 1.0 Feed
Fancy Excerpt
Fancy Tooltips
Follow URL
Force Word Wrapping
Frame Buster
Mod-Rewrite Trackback Spam Blocker
Official Comments
RSD 1.0
Simple Search & Replace
Tag Remix
As for the phpinfo, heres what I got, I’ve just copypasted it if that’s OK (file is at http://www.davidarussell.co.uk/info.php):
System Linux server1.dnsblock.com 2.4.30-grsec #1 Wed Apr 20 07:39:42 BST 2005 i686
Build Date Apr 21 2005 14:20:32
Configure Command ‘./configure’ ‘–prefix=/usr’ ‘–with-xml’ ‘–enable-bcmath’ ‘–enable-calendar’ ‘–with-curl’ ‘–with-dom’ ‘–with-dom-xslt’ ‘–with-dom-exslt’ ‘–with-swf=/usr/local/flash’ ‘–enable-ftp’ ‘–with-gd’ ‘–with-jpeg-dir=/usr/local’ ‘–with-png-dir=/usr’ ‘–with-xpm-dir=/usr/X11R6’ ‘–with-gettext’ ‘–with-imap’ ‘–with-kerberos’ ‘–with-mcrypt’ ‘–with-mhash’ ‘–with-ming=../ming-0.2a’ ‘–enable-magic-quotes’ ‘–with-mysql’ ‘–enable-discard-path’ ‘–with-pear’ ‘–enable-safe-mode’ ‘–enable-sockets’ ‘–enable-track-vars’ ‘–with-ttf’ ‘–with-freetype-dir=/usr’ ‘–enable-gd-native-ttf’ ‘–enable-versioning’ ‘–with-xmlrpc’ ‘–with-zip’ ‘–with-zlib’
Server API CGI
Virtual Directory Support disabled
Configuration File (php.ini) Path /home/usrback/Zend/etc/php.ini
PHP API 20020918
PHP Extension 20020429
Zend Extension 20021010
Debug Build no
Thread Safety disabled
Registered PHP Streams php, http, ftp, compress.zlib
Got phpmyadmin ?
Go look at the database WP is in. Look at the sizes of each table.
Optimise / repair the tables ( http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/repair/ )
Which tables are the biggest ?
You didn’t mention where these dumps are being saved on the server.
Sorry, they’re being saved in the ‘root ‘of my web-accessible area (/public_html/)- the same directory that I have WordPress in.
EDIT: I’ve done the repair process you linked to, some of those ‘overhead’ numbers were worryingly large. I’ll keep an eye on it and see if any more coredumps occur.
The overhead numbers do occur, it’s normal – a bit like having to defrag your HD.
Look at the overall size of each table – I’m wondering of your host has a setup which causes certain data to be dumped if the db size exceeds a set level. If so, then there may be a way to limit or remove tables.
It’s still doing it (after the PHP MyAdmin repair) and the database is only 1.38 megs. I’ll backup my database and try a full, fresh install of WordPress, maybe one of the plugins I had before has screwed something up.
Still don’t have the faintest idea what was causing it, but reinstalling WordPress (although a bit of a pain) seems to have solved the problem
Perhaps you should ask some friends to monkey-proof trial and error parts of the site while you check the serverload. part by part you can determine where the problem is located.
