2.7 Installing MySQL on Other Unix-Like Systems
===============================================

This section covers the installation of MySQL binary distributions that
are provided for various platforms in the form of compressed `tar' files
(files with a `.tar.gz' extension).  See *Note MySQL binaries:: for a
detailed list.

To obtain MySQL, see *Note Getting MySQL::.

MySQL `tar' file binary distributions have names of the form
`mysql-VERSION-OS.tar.gz', where `VERSION' is a number (for example,
`4.0.17'), and OS indicates the type of operating system for which the
distribution is intended (for example, `pc-linux-i686').

In addition to these generic packages, we also offer binaries in
platform-specific package formats for selected platforms.  See *Note
Quick Standard Installation:: for more information on how to install
these.

You need the following tools to install a MySQL `tar' file binary
distribution:

   * GNU `gunzip' to uncompress the distribution.

   * A reasonable `tar' to unpack the distribution. GNU `tar' is known
     to work. Some operating systems come with a pre-installed version
     of `tar' that is known to have problems.  For example, Mac OS X
     `tar' and Sun `tar' are known to have problems with long
     filenames.  On Mac OS X, you can use the pre-installed `gnutar'
     program.  On other systems with a deficient `tar', you should
     install GNU `tar' first.

If you run into problems, _please always use `mysqlbug'_ when posting
questions to a MySQL mailing list.  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 --user=mysql
     shell> chown -R root  .
     shell> chown -R mysql data
     shell> chgrp -R mysql .
     shell> bin/mysqld_safe --user=mysql &

For versions of MySQL older than 4.0, substitute `bin/safe_mysqld' for
`bin/mysqld_safe' in the final command.

*Note*: This procedure does not set up any passwords for MySQL
accounts.  After following the procedure, proceed to *Note
Post-installation::.

A more detailed version of the preceding description for installing a
binary distribution follows:

  1. Add a login 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 might want to call the user and group something else instead
     of `mysql'.  If so, substitute the appropriate name in the
     following steps.

  2. Pick the directory under which you want to unpack the
     distribution, and change location into it. In the following
     example, we unpack the distribution under `/usr/local'. (The
     instructions, therefore, assume that you have permission to create
     files and directories in `/usr/local'.  If that directory is
     protected, you will need to perform the installation as `root'.)

          shell> cd /usr/local

  3. Obtain a distribution file from one of the sites listed in *Note
     Getting MySQL: Getting MySQL.  For a given release, binary
     distributions for all platforms are built from the same MySQL
     source distribution.

  4. Unpack the distribution, which will create the installation
     directory.  Then create a symbolic link to that directory:

          shell> gunzip < /PATH/TO/MYSQL-VERSION-OS.tar.gz | tar xvf -
          shell> ln -s FULL-PATH-TO-MYSQL-VERSION-OS mysql

     The `tar' command creates a directory named `mysql-VERSION-OS'.
     The `ln' command makes a symbolic link to that directory.  This
     lets you refer more easily to the installation directory as
     `/usr/local/mysql'.

     With GNU `tar', no separate invocation of `gunzip' is necessary.
     You can replace the first line with the following alternative
     command to uncompress and extract the distribution:

          shell> tar zxvf /PATH/TO/MYSQL-VERSION-OS.tar.gz

  5. Change location 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
          initialize the `mysql' database containing the grant tables
          that store the server access permissions.

  6. If you haven't installed MySQL before, you must create the MySQL
     grant tables:

          shell> scripts/mysql_install_db --user=mysql

     If you run the command as `root', you should use the `--user'
     option as shown.  The value of the option should be the name of
     the login account that you created in the first step to use for
     running the server.  If you run the command while logged in as
     that user, you can omit the `--user' option.

     Note that for MySQL versions older than 3.22.10,
     `mysql_install_db' left the server running after creating the grant
     tables.  This is no longer true; you will need to restart the
     server after performing the remaining steps in this procedure.

  7. Change the ownership of program binaries to `root' and ownership
     of the data directory to the user that you will run `mysqld' as.
     Assuming that you are located in the installation directory
     (`/usr/local/mysql'), the commands look like this:

          shell> chown -R root  .
          shell> chown -R mysql data
          shell> chgrp -R mysql .

     The first command changes the owner attribute of the files to the
     `root' user. The second changes the owner attribute of the data
     directory to the `mysql' user. The third changes the group
     attribute to the `mysql' group.

  8. 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::.

  9. You can set up new accounts using the `bin/mysql_setpermission'
     script if you install the `DBI' and `DBD::mysql' Perl modules.
     For instructions, see *Note Perl support::.

 10. 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'.


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

You can start the MySQL server with the following command:

     shell> bin/mysqld_safe --user=mysql &

For versions of MySQL older than 4.0, substitute `bin/safe_mysqld' for
`bin/mysqld_safe' in the command.

More information about `mysqld_safe' is given in *Note `mysqld_safe':
mysqld_safe.

*Note*: The accounts that are listed in the MySQL grant tables
initially have no passwords.  After starting the server, you should set
up passwords for them using the instructions in *Note
Post-installation::.

