2.1 Quick Standard Installation of MySQL

2.1.1 Installing MySQL on Linux

The recommended way to install MySQL on Linux is by using an RPM file. The MySQL RPMs are currently being built on a RedHat Version 6.2 system but should work on other versions of Linux that support rpm and use glibc.

If you have problems with an RPM file, for example, if you receive the error ``Sorry, the host 'xxxx' could not be looked up'', see section 2.6.1.1 Linux Notes for Binary Distributions.

The RPM files you may want to use are:

• MySQL-VERSION.i386.rpm The MySQL server. You will need this unless you only want to connect to a MySQL server running on another machine.
• MySQL-client-VERSION.i386.rpm The standard MySQL client programs. You probably always want to install this package.
• MySQL-bench-VERSION.i386.rpm Tests and benchmarks. Requires Perl and msql-mysql-modules RPMs.
• MySQL-devel-VERSION.i386.rpm Libraries and include files needed if you want to compile other MySQL clients, such as the Perl modules.
• MySQL-VERSION.src.rpm This contains the source code for all of the above packages. It can also be used to try to build RPMs for other architectures (for example, Alpha or SPARC).

To see all files in an RPM package, run:

shell> rpm -qpl MySQL-VERSION.i386.rpm

To perform a standard minimal installation, run:

shell> rpm -i MySQL-VERSION.i386.rpm MySQL-client-VERSION.i386.rpm

To install just the client package, run:

shell> rpm -i MySQL-client-VERSION.i386.rpm

The RPM places data in `/var/lib/mysql'. The RPM also creates the appropriate entries in `/etc/rc.d/' to start the server automatically at boot time. (This means that if you have performed a previous installation, you may want to make a copy of your previously installed MySQL startup file if you made any changes to it, so you don't lose your changes.)

After installing the RPM file(s), the mysqld daemon should be running and you should now be able to start using MySQL. See section 2.4 Post-installation Setup and Testing.

M.1 Installing a MySQL Binary Distribution

You need the following tools to install a MySQL binary distribution:

• GNU gunzip to uncompress the distribution.
• A reasonable tar to unpack the distribution. GNU tar is known to work. Sun tar is known to have problems.

An alternative installation method under Linux is to use RPM (RedHat Package Manager) distributions. See section 2.1.1 Installing MySQL on Linux.

If you run into problems, PLEASE ALWAYS USE mysqlbug when posting questions to mysql@lists.mysql.com. Even if the problem isn't a bug, mysqlbug gathers system information that will help others solve your problem. By not using mysqlbug, you lessen the likelihood of getting a solution to your problem! You will find mysqlbug in the `bin' directory after you unpack the distribution. See section 1.2.22.3 How to Report Bugs or Problems.

The basic commands you must execute to install and use a MySQL binary distribution are:

shell> groupadd mysql
shell> useradd -g mysql mysql
shell> cd /usr/local
shell> gunzip < /path/to/mysql-VERSION-OS.tar.gz | tar xvf -
shell> ln -s mysql-VERSION-OS mysql
shell> cd mysql
shell> scripts/mysql_install_db
shell> chown -R root  /usr/local/mysql
shell> chown -R mysql /usr/local/mysql/data
shell> chgrp -R mysql /usr/local/mysql
shell> chown -R root /usr/local/mysql/bin
shell> bin/safe_mysqld --user=mysql &

You can add new users using the bin/mysql_setpermission script if you install the DBI and Msql-Mysql-modules Perl modules.

A more detailed description follows.

To install a binary distribution, follow the steps below, then proceed to section 2.4 Post-installation Setup and Testing, for post-installation setup and testing:

1. Pick the directory under which you want to unpack the distribution, and move into it. In the example below, we unpack the distribution under `/usr/local' and create a directory `/usr/local/mysql' into which MySQL is installed. (The following instructions therefore assume you have permission to create files in `/usr/local'. If that directory is protected, you will need to perform the installation as root.)
2. Obtain a distribution file from one of the sites listed in section 2.2.1 How to Get MySQL. MySQL binary distributions are provided as compressed tar archives and have names like `mysql-VERSION-OS.tar.gz', where VERSION is a number (for example, 3.21.15), and OS indicates the type of operating system for which the distribution is intended (for example, pc-linux-gnu-i586).
3. If you see a binary distribution marked with the -max prefix, this means that the binary has support for transaction-safe tables and other features. See section 4.7.5 mysqld-max, An extended mysqld server. Note that all binaries are built from the same MySQL source distribution.
4. Add a user and group for mysqld to run as:

   shell> groupadd mysql
   shell> useradd -g mysql mysql
   

   These commands add the mysql group and the mysql user. The syntax for useradd and groupadd may differ slightly on different versions of Unix. They may also be called adduser and addgroup. You may wish to call the user and group something else instead of mysql.
5. Change into the intended installation directory:

   shell> cd /usr/local
   

6. Unpack the distribution and create the installation directory:

   shell> gunzip < /path/to/mysql-VERSION-OS.tar.gz | tar xvf -
   shell> ln -s mysql-VERSION-OS mysql
   

   The first command creates a directory named `mysql-VERSION-OS'. The second command makes a symbolic link to that directory. This lets you refer more easily to the installation directory as `/usr/local/mysql'.
7. Change into the installation directory:

   shell> cd mysql
   

   You will find several files and subdirectories in the mysql directory. The most important for installation purposes are the `bin' and `scripts' subdirectories.

   `bin'

   This directory contains client programs and the server You should add the full pathname of this directory to your PATH environment variable so that your shell finds the MySQL programs properly. See section H Environment Variables.

   `scripts'

   This directory contains the mysql_install_db script used to initialize the mysql database containing the grant tables that store the server access permissions.

8. If you would like to use mysqlaccess and have the MySQL distribution in some non-standard place, you must change the location where mysqlaccess expects to find the mysql client. Edit the `bin/mysqlaccess' script at approximately line 18. Search for a line that looks like this:

   $MYSQL     = '/usr/local/bin/mysql';    # path to mysql executable
   

   Change the path to reflect the location where mysql actually is stored on your system. If you do not do this, you will get a Broken pipe error when you run mysqlaccess.
9. Create the MySQL grant tables (necessary only if you haven't installed MySQL before):

   shell> scripts/mysql_install_db
   

   Note that MySQL versions older than Version 3.22.10 started the MySQL server when you run mysql_install_db. This is no longer true!
10. Change ownership of binaries to root and ownership of the data directory to the user that you will run mysqld as:

    shell> chown -R root  /usr/local/mysql
    shell> chown -R mysql /usr/local/mysql/data
    shell> chgrp -R mysql /usr/local/mysql
    

    The first command changes the owner attribute of the files to the root user, the second one changes the owner attribute of the data directory to the mysql user, and the third one changes the group attribute to the mysql group.
11. If you want to install support for the Perl DBI/DBD interface, see section M.2 Perl Installation Comments.
12. If you would like MySQL to start automatically when you boot your machine, you can copy support-files/mysql.server to the location where your system has its startup files. More information can be found in the support-files/mysql.server script itself and in section 2.4.3 Starting and Stopping MySQL Automatically.

After everything has been unpacked and installed, you should initialize and test your distribution.

You can start the MySQL server with the following command:

shell> bin/safe_mysqld --user=mysql &

See section 4.7.2 safe_mysqld, the wrapper around mysqld.

See section 2.4 Post-installation Setup and Testing.

2.4 Post-installation Setup and Testing

Once you've installed MySQL (from either a binary or source distribution), you need to initialize the grant tables, start the server, and make sure that the server works okay. You may also wish to arrange for the server to be started and stopped automatically when your system starts up and shuts down.

Normally you install the grant tables and start the server like this for installation from a source distribution:

shell> ./scripts/mysql_install_db
shell> cd mysql_installation_directory
shell> ./bin/safe_mysqld --user=mysql &

For a binary distribution (not RPM or pkg packages), do this:

shell> cd mysql_installation_directory
shell> ./bin/mysql_install_db
shell> ./bin/safe_mysqld --user=mysql &

This creates the mysql database which will hold all database privileges, the test database which you can use to test MySQL and also privilege entries for the user that run mysql_install_db and a root user (without any passwords). This also starts the mysqld server.

2.4.3 Starting and Stopping MySQL Automatically

The mysql.server and safe_mysqld scripts can be used to start the server automatically at system startup time. mysql.server can also be used to stop the server.

The mysql.server script can be used to start or stop the server by invoking it with start or stop arguments:

shell> mysql.server start
shell> mysql.server stop

mysql.server can be found in the `share/mysql' directory under the MySQL installation directory or in the `support-files' directory of the MySQL source tree.

Before mysql.server starts the server, it changes directory to the MySQL installation directory, then invokes safe_mysqld. You might need to edit mysql.server if you have a binary distribution that you've installed in a non-standard location. Modify it to cd into the proper directory before it runs safe_mysqld. If you want the server to run as some specific user, add an appropriate user line to the `/etc/my.cnf' file