title: How do I handle an unreachable database server gracefully?
body: <p>I have an app that is primarily in mysql, but for a few pages needs to connect to another mssql server.   I have sucessfully done this, but as I develop on a mac laptop, and the sql server is on another host, it sometimes is not available.   Is there a graceful way to handle the connection when the server is not available? Ie, I still want the development and tests to run the parts that do not depend on that server.</p>
  
  <p>This could also be handy in case the production rails app loses connectivity with the ms sql server - It might be nice then to be able to catch the error and display a nice "Server unavailable" message...  but still allow the rest of the app that does not depened on that database to function.</p>