Warning - mysql_pconnect(): Client does not support authentication protocol ...

Problem

I get the following error message after installing:

Warning: mysql_pconnect(): Client does not support authentication protocol requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client

Reason

New versions of MySQL (4.1 and above) use a new method of authentication and are incompatible with PHP versions below PHP 5. (New versions of MySQL have changed the way passwords are stored and PHP has not been updated to use the new format.)

Solution

One of the following options can be used to correct this issue:

1. Add the following line just below the [mysqld] line in the my.ini file (usually located in the folder where MySQL is installed):

   old-passwords

   Note: We recommended trying this option first.

2. Update the passwords in the database to use the old format, rather than the new format - See: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/4.1/en/old-client.html
3. Upgrade PHP to version 5.0+, and ensure the mysqli extension is installed and is being used (change the database type to "mysqli" in config.php in AWM).

   Note: this option requires the latest version of PHP as well as MySQL.

The MySQL server will need to be restarted after any changes. In addition the awm_site users password might need to be reset.