php - Elgg white screen: undefined function Elgg\\mysql_connect() -

i have elgg website running on ubuntu 12.04 abruptly started producing white screen of death. no changes made php files, of working moments before. error in apache error.log:

[thu jul 23 09:45:49.672038 2015] [:error] [pid 6905] [client 127.0.0.1:53280] php fatal error:  call undefined function elgg\\mysql_connect() in /var/www/my-website/engine/classes/elgg/database.php on line 144 

apache2 can load html , php pages , can log mysql command line. i've restarted apache2 , mysql. php, afaik, @ recent version. have restarted computer , installed recent updates. following test page produces nothing seems out of ordinary untrained eye:

<?php echo "test!"; error_reporting(e_all); ini_set('display_errors', true); ini_set('display_startup_errors', true);  phpinfo();  exit();   ?> 

this post makes me think maybe update ran , broke php / mysql connection, can't confirm that. simpy put, i'm stumped. given error isundefined function elgg\\mysql_connect(), presume something's gone awry @ configuration level, have no idea how fix nor firm hypotheses might've caused it. should try next?

it namespacing issue. php assuming own native mysql api function declared inside elgg\ namespace. so, go 'database.php' , on line 144 change:

mysql_connect(); \mysql_connect();

the \ backslash instruct php function exists outside elgg\ namespace, or within global scope.

you'll encounter similar issues must solve using same method described above.