Bug #95138 Execl add-in will not connect, just spins.
Submitted: 25 Apr 2019 23:07 Modified: 24 May 2019 21:06
Reporter: Glenn Giordano Email Updates:
Status: Can't repeat Impact on me:
None 
Category:MySQL for Windows: MySQL for Excel Severity:S1 (Critical)
Version:1.3.7 OS:Windows (10 Pro, Ver. 1803, Bld. 17134.648)
Assigned to: CPU Architecture:x86
Tags: 92566, add-in, Connection, execl, remote host

[25 Apr 2019 23:07] Glenn Giordano
Description:
Issue was originally reported as an addition to bug 92566.  It probably should not have been associated with that but.  It appeared that the latest Workbench update fixed it because it started working again after the update was installed, but has since stopped working again...

The issue is that the Excel Add-in 1.3.7 will not connect to a database on a remote host.  It just spins, not fails.  The only way to get it to stop spinning (showing the hourglass) is to try a different connection or close excel.  ODBC connection works, the add-in connection I am using also works fine from Workbench and the user has not changed since when it was working.  It is not related to the newer password format, that has been addressed.

Server version is: Ver 8.0.15 for Linux on x86_64

The connection works fine from Workbench and the user has not changed since when it was working.

I have tried making a new connection and a new user. Same result.  I don't think this is on the server / user side since the connections to the remote server work fine from Workbench, and the ODBC works from Excel.  It seems to be directly associated with the Add-in.  

I have removed the Add-in, and reinstalled it with no improvement.

How to repeat:
It is reliably repeating on my system right now. But I have no steps on how or why it is broken.  It was working, then it wasn't, then it started working again, now it's not.  No idea what changed or is changing.
[23 May 2019 14:16] MySQL Verification Team
Thank you for the bug report. I couldn't repeat connecting in local network with an Ubuntu 19.04 Linux against a 8.0.16 server.
[24 May 2019 19:57] Glenn Giordano
Thanks Miguel,
I guess that's no surprise... ;)  In a desperate shotgun move today, I shutdown the server, cleared the default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password from the config.  Restarted.  Deleted the connection and the user.  Shut down again.  Placed default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password back in the config.  Restarted.  Recreated the user and the connection.  And Poof.  It works.  No idea what / why was the actual cause.  There was no real indication that this was an issue (i.e. no warnings or logs about authentication).  No idea how it broke for sure.  Only thing that comes to mind is on the latest DB server update did something to the user table for the password hash.  Simply deleting and re adding the user did not fix it.  I had to do all the steps above.

Not sure I could, or want to reproduce the initial problem, but maybe some of what I have observed will give you a clue where the trigger was.

In any case, this one is in the history books for me. 

Regards,
G^2
[24 May 2019 21:06] MySQL Verification Team
Thank you for the feedback.