MySQL service on xepher.net is offically "deprecated" as of this post. I will continue to run the service for a while yet, but will not be upgrading to the newer releases of the MySQL package. There are several reasons for this. First, it's a royal pain to manage and maintain. Secondly, there's now a very viable (and much more portable) option in the form of SQLite. Third, the overhead and resources for the mysql server could be better spent elsewhere. There's a reason most serious MySQL installations are on dedicated machines, seperate from the webserver.
What this means though, is that web applications that rely on MySQL (such as phpBB) will need to be either replaced or upgraded to something that supports another method of storage. I personally have to rewrite a lot of the backend software for xepher.net itself to move away from MySQL, so this a headache for me as well.
I think this is a good time to mention that phpBB is also going to be "deprecated." Basically, there have been so many problems (many of them security related) with phpBB that I want everyone to stop using it. I'm not going to out-and-out ban it like many hosting providers are doing, but I will ask that no NEW installs of phpBB be made, and that users do their best to phase out existing installations as soon as possible. I'm not saying you have to have it figured out by next week or anything, but now is the time to start looking for alternatives. I'd personally suggest
www.punbb.org which is what runs these forums, and so far, hasn't had any gaping security holes. Also, it supports SQLite and is a double-bonus in that respect. The easiest way to do this is to do what I did here. Make a punBB (or other forum package) install using SQLite, and let it coexist with your old forum for a while as users move over.
Any questions and comments on this policy should be posted here. Requests for technical help with installing/upgrading software should be placed under the technical support forum.