500 errors in the HTTP cycle
Any client (e.g. your Web browser or our CheckUpDown robot) goes through the following cycle when it communicates with the Web server:
- Obtain an IP address from the IP name of the site (the site URL without the leading 'http://'). This lookup (conversion of IP name to IP address) is provided by domain name servers (DNSs).
- Open an IP socket connection to that IP address.
- Write an HTTP data stream through that socket.
- Receive an HTTP data stream back from the Web server in response. This data stream contains status codes whose values are determined by the HTTP protocol. Parse this data stream for status codes and other useful information.
This error occurs in the final step above when the client receives an HTTP status code that it recognises as '500'. Frank Vipond. September 2010.
Fixing 500 errors - general
This error can only be resolved by fixes to the Web server software. It is not a client-side problem. It is up to the operators of the Web server site to locate and analyse the logs which should give further information about the error.
Fixing 500 errors - CheckUpDown
Please contact us (email preferred) whenever you encounter 500 errors on your CheckUpDown account. We then have to liaise with your ISP and the vendor of the Web server software so they can trace the exact reason for the error. Correcting the error may require recoding program logic for the Web server software, which could take some time.
http://www.checkupdown.com/status/E500.html