Installing a MySQL Binary Distribution
--------------------------------------
See also *Note Windows binary installation::, *Note Linux-RPM::, and
*Note Building clients::.
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-based (RPM
Package Manager) distributions. *Note Linux-RPM::.
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. *Note Bug reports::.
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 full-path-to-mysql-VERSION-OS mysql
shell> cd mysql
shell> scripts/mysql_install_db
shell> chown -R root .
shell> chown -R mysql data
shell> chgrp -R mysql .
shell> bin/safe_mysqld --user=mysql &
or
shell> bin/mysqld_safe --user=mysql &
if you are running MySQL 4.x
You can add new users using the `bin/mysql_setpermission' script if you
install the `DBI' and `DBD-mysql' Perl modules.
A more detailed description follows.
To install a binary distribution, follow these steps, then proceed to
*Note Post-installation::, for post-installation setup and testing:
1. Pick the directory under which you want to unpack the
distribution, and move into it. In the following example, 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 *Note
Getting MySQL: Getting 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' suffix,
this means that the binary has support for transaction-safe tables
and other features. *Note `mysqld-max': mysqld-max. 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 full-path-to-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. *Note Environment variables::.
`scripts'
This directory contains the `mysql_install_db' script used to
initialise 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 *Note Perl support::.
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
*Note Automatic start::.
After everything has been unpacked and installed, you should initialise
and test your distribution.
You can start the MySQL server with the following command:
shell> bin/safe_mysqld --user=mysql &
Now proceed to *Note `safe_mysqld': safe_mysqld, and *Note
Post-installation::.
