Overcoming the "Connect Error (2000): mysqlnd cannot connect to MySQL 4.1 using old authentication" Obstacle

Connecting to a MySQL database with an old authentication scheme can trigger the "Connect Error (2000)" error. To resolve this issue, consider the following steps:

1. Assess Server Password Schema

Run the SQL query "SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'old_passwords'" to determine if the server uses the old password schema by default. If it returns "old_passwords,Off," you likely have old password entries in the user table.

2. Check Password Length in mysql.user Table

Examine the "mysql.user" table to determine which authentication routine will be used for each account. Accounts with old passwords have password length 16, while those with new passwords have length 41.

3. Update Old Passwords

If accounts have old passwords, update their passwords using the query "SET PASSWORD FOR 'User'@'Host'=PASSWORD('yourpassword');" followed by "FLUSH Privileges;." Check the password length again; it should now be 41.

4. Additional Resources

Refer to the following MySQL documentation for further information:

• http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/old-client.html
• http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/password-hashing.html
• http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/set-password.html