MySQL Pocket Reference, 2nd Edition

Setup

You can install MySQL by compiling the source code with the options that best suit your needs, or by downloading and installing a prebuilt binary. In general, you’ll want to use the package management system (such as the BSD ports system) appropriate to your operating system. You can also find both binary and source code at the MySQL web site, http://www.mysql.com.

Before installing using either approach, you need to prepare your operating system for MySQL. Specifically, you should create a mysql user and group under which MySQL will run.

Downloading MySQL

MySQL AB changes the download process somewhat frequently, so the exact process of downloading MySQL may vary from the details described here. MySQL comes in standard and debug packages. When in doubt, get the standard package. It is generally what you will want for a production server.

If you are having runtime problems with your MySQL environment, you can test your application against a Debug install to get detailed debug information on your MySQL operation. You do not want to use the Debug package for any production environment.

The MySQL download page also provides a variety of additional tools, including test suites, client utilities, libraries, and header files. These tools are not essential to getting MySQL up and running, though they may be necessary for programming on a machine without a MySQL server installation or just to make life easier.

Configuration

MySQL has three different kinds of configuration, both for the server ...