<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title>Chapter 4. Using MySQL Programs</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="mysql-html.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.69.1"><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="MySQL 5.0 Reference Manual"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="MySQL 5.0 Reference Manual"><link rel="prev" href="tutorial.html" title="Chapter 3. Tutorial"><link rel="next" href="server-administration.html" title="Chapter 5. MySQL Server Administration"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 4. Using MySQL Programs</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="tutorial.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center"> </th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="server-administration.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="chapter" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="using-mysql-programs"></a>Chapter 4. Using MySQL Programs</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#program-overview">4.1. Overview of MySQL Programs</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#invoking-programs">4.2. Invoking MySQL Programs</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#program-options">4.3. Specifying Program Options</a></span></dt><dd><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#command-line-options">4.3.1. Using Options on the Command Line</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-files">4.3.2. Using Option Files</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#program-variables">4.3.3. Using Options to Set Program Variables</a></span></dt></dl></dd><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#setting-environment-variables">4.4. Setting Environment Variables</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
This chapter provides a brief overview of the command-line programs
provided by MySQL AB and discusses the general syntax for specifying
options when you run these programs. Most programs have options that
are specific to their own operation, but the option syntax is
similar for all of them. Later chapters provide more detailed
descriptions of individual programs, including which options they
recognize.
</p><p>
MySQL AB also provides three GUI client programs for use with MySQL
Server:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
MySQL Administrator: This tool is used for administering MySQL
servers, databases, tables, and user accounts.
</p></li><li><p>
MySQL Query Browser: This graphical tool is provided by MySQL AB
for creating, executing, and optimizing queries on MySQL
databases.
</p></li><li><p>
MySQL Migration Toolkit: This tool helps you migrate schemas and
data from other relational database management systems for use
with MySQL.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
These GUI programs each have their own manuals that you can access
at <a href="http://dev.mysql.com/doc/" target="_top">http://dev.mysql.com/doc/</a>.
</p><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="program-overview"></a>4.1. Overview of MySQL Programs</h2></div></div></div><p>
MySQL AB provides several types of programs:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
The MySQL server and server startup scripts:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="circle"><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span> is the MySQL server.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqld_safe</strong></span>,
<span><strong class="command">mysql.server</strong></span>, and
<span><strong class="command">mysqld_multi</strong></span> are server startup
scripts.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysql_install_db</strong></span> initializes the data
directory and the initial databases.
</p></li><li><p>
MySQL Instance Manager monitors and manages MySQL Server
instances.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
<a href="server-administration.html" title="Chapter 5. MySQL Server Administration">Chapter 5, <i>MySQL Server Administration</i></a>, discusses these
programs further.
</p></li><li><p>
Client programs that access the server:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="circle"><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> is a command-line client for
executing SQL statements interactively or in batch mode.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqladmin</strong></span> is an administrative client.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqlcheck</strong></span> performs table maintenance
operations.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqldump</strong></span> and
<span><strong class="command">mysqlhotcopy</strong></span> make database backups.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqlimport</strong></span> imports data files.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqlshow</strong></span> displays information about
databases and tables.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
<a href="client-utility-programs.html" title="Chapter 7. Client and Utility Programs">Chapter 7, <i>Client and Utility Programs</i></a>, discusses these
programs further.
</p></li><li><p>
Utility programs that operate independently of the server:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="circle"><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">myisamchk</strong></span> performs table maintenance
operations.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">myisampack</strong></span> produces compressed,
read-only tables.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">mysqlbinlog</strong></span> is a tool for processing
binary log files.
</p></li><li><p>
<span><strong class="command">perror</strong></span> displays the meaning of error
codes.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
<a href="client-utility-programs.html" title="Chapter 7. Client and Utility Programs">Chapter 7, <i>Client and Utility Programs</i></a>, discusses these
programs further.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
Most MySQL distributions include all of these programs, except for
those programs that are platform-specific. (For example, the
server startup scripts are not used on Windows.) The exception is
that RPM distributions are more specialized. There is one RPM for
the server, another for client programs, and so forth. If you
appear to be missing one or more programs, see
<a href="installing.html" title="Chapter 2. Installing and Upgrading MySQL">Chapter 2, <i>Installing and Upgrading MySQL</i></a>, for information on types of
distributions and what they contain. It may be that you have a
distribution that does not include all programs and you need to
install something else.
</p></div><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="invoking-programs"></a>4.2. Invoking MySQL Programs</h2></div></div></div><p>
To invoke a MySQL program from the command line (that is, from
your shell or command prompt), enter the program name followed by
any options or other arguments needed to instruct the program what
you want it to do. The following commands show some sample program
invocations. “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">shell></code></span>”
represents the prompt for your command interpreter; it is not part
of what you type. The particular prompt you see depends on your
command interpreter. Typical prompts are <code class="literal">$</code> for
<span><strong class="command">sh</strong></span> or <span><strong class="command">bash</strong></span>,
<code class="literal">%</code> for <span><strong class="command">csh</strong></span> or
<span><strong class="command">tcsh</strong></span>, and <code class="literal">C:\></code> for the
Windows <span><strong class="command">command.com</strong></span> or
<span><strong class="command">cmd.exe</strong></span> command interpreters.
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql --user=root test</code></strong>
shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysqladmin extended-status variables</code></strong>
shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysqlshow --help</code></strong>
shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysqldump -u root personnel</code></strong>
</pre><p>
Arguments that begin with a single or double dash
(“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">-</code></span>”,
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">--</code></span>”) are option arguments.
Options typically specify the type of connection a program should
make to the server or affect its operational mode. Option syntax
is described in <a href="using-mysql-programs.html#program-options" title="4.3. Specifying Program Options">Section 4.3, “Specifying Program Options”</a>.
</p><p>
Non-option arguments (arguments with no leading dash) provide
additional information to the program. For example, the
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> program interprets the first non-option
argument as a database name, so the command <code class="literal">mysql
--user=root test</code> indicates that you want to use the
<code class="literal">test</code> database.
</p><p>
Later sections that describe individual programs indicate which
options a program understands and describe the meaning of any
additional non-option arguments.
</p><p>
Some options are common to a number of programs. The most common
of these are the <code class="option">--host</code> (or <code class="option">-h</code>),
<code class="option">--user</code> (or <code class="option">-u</code>), and
<code class="option">--password</code> (or <code class="option">-p</code>) options that
specify connection parameters. They indicate the host where the
MySQL server is running, and the username and password of your
MySQL account. All MySQL client programs understand these options;
they allow you to specify which server to connect to and the
account to use on that server.
</p><p>
Other connection options are <code class="option">--port</code> (or
<code class="option">-P</code>) to specify a TCP/IP port number and
<code class="option">--socket</code> (or <code class="option">-S</code>) to specify a
Unix socket file on Unix (or named pipe name on Windows).
</p><p>
The default hostname is <code class="literal">localhost</code>. For client
programs on Unix, the hostname <code class="literal">localhost</code> is
special. It causes the client to connect to the MySQL server
through a Unix socket file. This occurs even if a
<code class="option">--port</code> or <code class="option">-P</code> option is given to
specify a port number. To ensure that the client makes a TCP/IP
connection to the local server, use <code class="option">--host</code> or
<code class="option">-h</code> to specify a hostname value of
<code class="literal">127.0.0.1</code>, or the IP address or name of the
local server. You can also specify the connection protocol
explicitly, even for <code class="literal">localhost</code>, by using the
<code class="option">--protocol=tcp</code> option.
</p><p>
On Windows, the hostname <code class="literal">.</code> causes the client to
connect to the local server using a named pipe, if the server has
named-pipe connections enabled. If named-pipe connections are not
enabled, an error occurs.
</p><a class="indexterm" name="id2549495"></a><a class="indexterm" name="id2549504"></a><p>
You may find it necessary to invoke MySQL programs using the
pathname to the <code class="filename">bin</code> directory in which they
are installed. This is likely to be the case if you get a
“<span class="quote">program not found</span>” error whenever you attempt to run
a MySQL program from any directory other than the
<code class="filename">bin</code> directory. To make it more convenient to
use MySQL, you can add the pathname of the
<code class="filename">bin</code> directory to your <code class="literal">PATH</code>
environment variable setting. That enables you to run a program by
typing only its name, not its entire pathname. For example, if
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> is installed in
<code class="filename">/usr/local/mysql/bin</code>, you'll be able to run
it by invoking it as <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span>; it will not be
necessary to invoke it as
<span><strong class="command">/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysql</strong></span>.
</p><p>
Consult the documentation for your command interpreter for
instructions on setting your <code class="literal">PATH</code> variable. The
syntax for setting environment variables is interpreter-specific.
(Some information is given in
<a href="using-mysql-programs.html#setting-environment-variables" title="4.4. Setting Environment Variables">Section 4.4, “Setting Environment Variables”</a>.) After modifying
your <code class="literal">PATH</code> setting, open a new console window on
Windows or log in again on Unix so that the setting goes into
effect.
</p></div><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="program-options"></a>4.3. Specifying Program Options</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#command-line-options">4.3.1. Using Options on the Command Line</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-files">4.3.2. Using Option Files</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#program-variables">4.3.3. Using Options to Set Program Variables</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
There are several ways to specify options for MySQL programs:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
List the options on the command line following the program
name. This is most common for options that apply to a specific
invocation of the program.
</p></li><li><p>
List the options in an option file that the program reads when
it starts. This is common for options that you want the
program to use each time it runs.
</p></li><li><p>
List the options in environment variables (see
<a href="using-mysql-programs.html#setting-environment-variables" title="4.4. Setting Environment Variables">Section 4.4, “Setting Environment Variables”</a>). This method
is useful for options that you want to apply each time the
program runs. In practice, option files are used more commonly
for this purpose, but <a href="server-administration.html#multiple-unix-servers" title="5.11.2. Running Multiple Servers on Unix">Section 5.11.2, “Running Multiple Servers on Unix”</a>,
discusses one situation in which environment variables can be
very helpful. It describes a handy technique that uses such
variables to specify the TCP/IP port number and Unix socket
file for the server and for client programs.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
MySQL programs determine which options are given first by
examining environment variables, then by reading option files, and
then by checking the command line. This means that environment
variables have the lowest precedence and command-line options the
highest.
</p><p>
Because options are processed in order, if an option is specified
multiple times, the last occurrence takes precedence. The
following command causes <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> to connect to
the server running on <code class="literal">localhost</code>:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql -h example.com -h localhost</code></strong>
</pre><p>
If conflicting or related options are given, later options take
precedence over earlier options. The following command runs
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> in “<span class="quote">no column names</span>” mode:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql --column-names --skip-column-names</code></strong>
</pre><p>
An option can be specified by writing it in full or as any
unambiguous prefix. For example, the <code class="option">--compress</code>
option can be given to <span><strong class="command">mysqldump</strong></span> as
<code class="option">--compr</code>, but not as <code class="option">--comp</code>
because the latter is ambiguous:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysqldump --comp</code></strong>
mysqldump: ambiguous option '--comp' (compatible, compress)
</pre><p>
Be aware that the use of option prefixes can cause problems in the
event that new options are implemented for a program. A prefix
that is unambigious now might become ambiguous in the future.
</p><p>
You can take advantage of the way that MySQL programs process
options by specifying default values for a program's options in an
option file. That enables you to avoid typing them each time you
run the program, but also allows you to override the defaults if
necessary by using command-line options.
</p><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="command-line-options"></a>4.3.1. Using Options on the Command Line</h3></div></div></div><div class="toc"><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-modifiers">4.3.1.1. Program Option Modifiers</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
Program options specified on the command line follow these
rules:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
Options are given after the command name.
</p></li><li><p>
An option argument begins with one dash or two dashes,
depending on whether it has a short name or a long name.
Many options have both forms. For example,
<code class="option">-?</code> and <code class="option">--help</code> are the
short and long forms of the option that instructs a MySQL
program to display its help message.
</p></li><li><p>
Option names are case sensitive. <code class="option">-v</code> and
<code class="option">-V</code> are both legal and have different
meanings. (They are the corresponding short forms of the
<code class="option">--verbose</code> and <code class="option">--version</code>
options.)
</p></li><li><p>
Some options take a value following the option name. For
example, <code class="option">-h localhost</code> or
<code class="option">--host=localhost</code> indicate the MySQL server
host to a client program. The option value tells the program
the name of the host where the MySQL server is running.
</p></li><li><p>
For a long option that takes a value, separate the option
name and the value by an “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">=</code></span>”
sign. For a short option that takes a value, the option
value can immediately follow the option letter, or there can
be a space between: <code class="option">-hlocalhost</code> and
<code class="option">-h localhost</code> are equivalent. An exception
to this rule is the option for specifying your MySQL
password. This option can be given in long form as
<code class="option">--password=<em class="replaceable"><code>pass_val</code></em></code>
or as <code class="option">--password</code>. In the latter case (with
no password value given), the program prompts you for the
password. The password option also may be given in short
form as
<code class="option">-p<em class="replaceable"><code>pass_val</code></em></code> or as
<code class="option">-p</code>. However, for the short form, if the
password value is given, it must follow the option letter
with <span class="emphasis"><em>no intervening space</em></span>. The reason
for this is that if a space follows the option letter, the
program has no way to tell whether a following argument is
supposed to be the password value or some other kind of
argument. Consequently, the following two commands have two
completely different meanings:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql -ptest</code></strong>
shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql -p test</code></strong>
</pre><p>
The first command instructs <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> to use
a password value of <code class="literal">test</code>, but specifies
no default database. The second instructs
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> to prompt for the password value
and to use <code class="literal">test</code> as the default database.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
Another option that may occasionally be useful with
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> is the <code class="option">--execute</code> or
<code class="option">-e</code> option, which can be used to pass SQL
statements to the server. When this option is used,
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> executes the statements and exits. The
statements must be enclosed by quotation marks. For example, you
can use the following command to obtain a list of user accounts:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql -u root -p --execute="SELECT User, Host FROM user" mysql</code></strong>
Enter password: <strong class="userinput"><code>******</code></strong>
+------+-----------+
| User | Host |
+------+-----------+
| | gigan |
| root | gigan |
| | localhost |
| jon | localhost |
| root | localhost |
+------+-----------+
shell>
</pre><p>
Note that the long form (<code class="option">--execute</code>) is followed
by an equals sign (<code class="literal">=</code>).
</p><p>
If you wish to use quoted values within a statement, you will
either need to escape the inner quotes, or use a different type
of quotes within the statement from those used to quote the
statement itself. The capabilities of your command processor
dictate your choices for whether you can use single or double
quotation marks and the syntax for escaping quote characters.
For example, if your command processor supports quoting with
single or double quotes, you can double quotes around the
statement, and single quotes for any quoted values within the
statement.
</p><p>
In the preceding example, the name of the
<code class="literal">mysql</code> database was passed as a separate
argument. However, the same statement could have been executed
using this command, which specifies no default database:
</p><pre class="programlisting">mysql> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql -u root -p --execute="SELECT User, Host FROM mysql.user"</code></strong>
</pre><p>
Multiple SQL statements may be passed on the command line,
separated by semicolons:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql -u root -p -e "SELECT VERSION();SELECT NOW()"</code></strong>
Enter password: <strong class="userinput"><code>******</code></strong>
+------------+
| VERSION() |
+------------+
| 5.0.19-log |
+------------+
+---------------------+
| NOW() |
+---------------------+
| 2006-01-05 21:19:04 |
+---------------------+
</pre><p>
The <code class="option">--execute</code> or <code class="option">-e</code> option may
also be used to pass commands in an analogous fashion to the
<span><strong class="command">ndb_mgm</strong></span> management client for MySQL Cluster.
See <a href="mysql-cluster.html#mysql-cluster-multi-shutdown-restart" title="16.2.6. Safe Shutdown and Restart">Section 16.2.6, “Safe Shutdown and Restart”</a>, for
an example.
</p><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="option-modifiers"></a>4.3.1.1. Program Option Modifiers</h4></div></div></div><a class="indexterm" name="id2550155"></a><p>
Some options control behavior that can be turned on or off.
For example, the <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> client supports a
<code class="option">--column-names</code> option that determines whether
or not to display a row of column names at the beginning of
query results. By default, this option is enabled. However,
you may want to disable it in some instances, such as when
sending the output of <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> into another
program that expects to see only data and not an initial
header line.
</p><p>
To disable column names, you can specify the option using any
of these forms:
</p><pre class="programlisting">--disable-column-names
--skip-column-names
--column-names=0
</pre><p>
The <code class="option">--disable</code> and <code class="option">--skip</code>
prefixes and the <code class="literal">=0</code> suffix all have the
same effect: They turn the option off.
</p><p>
The “<span class="quote">enabled</span>” form of the option may be specified
in any of these ways:
</p><pre class="programlisting">--column-names
--enable-column-names
--column-names=1
</pre><p>
If an option is prefixed by <code class="option">--loose</code>, a
program does not exit with an error if it does not recognize
the option, but instead issues only a warning:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql --loose-no-such-option</code></strong>
mysql: WARNING: unknown option '--no-such-option'
</pre><p>
The <code class="option">--loose</code> prefix can be useful when you run
programs from multiple installations of MySQL on the same
machine and list options in an option file, An option that may
not be recognized by all versions of a program can be given
using the <code class="option">--loose</code> prefix (or
<code class="literal">loose</code> in an option file). Versions of the
program that recognize the option process it normally, and
versions that do not recognize it issue a warning and ignore
it.
</p></div></div><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="option-files"></a>4.3.2. Using Option Files</h3></div></div></div><div class="toc"><dl><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-file-options">4.3.2.1. Command-Line Options that Affect Option-File Handling</a></span></dt><dt><span class="section"><a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-files-preconfigured">4.3.2.2. Preconfigured Option Files</a></span></dt></dl></div><a class="indexterm" name="id2550295"></a><a class="indexterm" name="id2550304"></a><a class="indexterm" name="id2550313"></a><a class="indexterm" name="id2550326"></a><a class="indexterm" name="id2550339"></a><p>
Most MySQL programs can read startup options from option files
(also sometimes called configuration files). Option files
provide a convenient way to specify commonly used options so
that they need not be entered on the command line each time you
run a program. For the MySQL server, MySQL provides a number of
<a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-files-preconfigured" title="4.3.2.2. Preconfigured Option Files">preconfigured option
files</a>.
</p><p>
To determine whether a program reads option files, invoke it
with the <code class="option">--help</code> option. (For
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span>, use <code class="option">--verbose</code> and
<code class="option">--help</code>.) If the program reads option files, the
help message indicates which files it looks for and which option
groups it recognizes.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
Option files used with MySQL Cluster programs are covered in
<a href="mysql-cluster.html#mysql-cluster-configuration" title="16.3. MySQL Cluster Configuration">Section 16.3, “MySQL Cluster Configuration”</a>.
</p></div><p>
On Windows, MySQL programs read startup options from the
following files:
</p><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><td><span class="bold"><strong>Filename</strong></span></td><td><span class="bold"><strong>Purpose</strong></span></td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename"><em class="replaceable"><code>WINDIR</code></em>\my.ini</code>,
<code class="filename"><em class="replaceable"><code>WINDIR</code></em>\my.cnf</code></td><td>Global options</td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename">C:\my.ini</code>, <code class="filename">C:\my.cnf</code></td><td>Global options</td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename"><em class="replaceable"><code>INSTALLDIR</code></em>\my.ini</code>,
<code class="filename"><em class="replaceable"><code>INSTALLDIR</code></em>\my.cnf</code></td><td>Global Options</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal">defaults-extra-file</code></td><td>The file specified with
<code class="option">--defaults-extra-file=<em class="replaceable"><code>path</code></em></code>,
if any</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>WINDIR</code></em> represents the location of
your Windows directory. This is commonly
<code class="filename">C:\WINDOWS</code>. You can determine its exact
location from the value of the <code class="filename">WINDIR</code>
environment variable using the following command:
</p><pre class="programlisting">C:\> <strong class="userinput"><code>echo %WINDIR%</code></strong>
</pre><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>INSTALLDIR</code></em> represents the MySQL
installation directory. This is typically
<code class="filename">C:\<em class="replaceable"><code>PROGRAMDIR</code></em>\MySQL\MySQL
5.0 Server</code> where
<em class="replaceable"><code>PROGRAMDIR</code></em> represents the programs
directory (usually <code class="filename">Program Files</code> on
English-language versions of Windows), when MySQL
5.0 has been installed using the installation and
configuration wizards. See
<a href="installing.html#mysql-config-wizard-starting-windows" title="2.4.8.4.1.1. The MySQL Server Configuration Wizard on Windows">Section 2.4.8.4.1.1, “The MySQL Server Configuration Wizard on Windows”</a>.
</p><p>
On Unix, MySQL programs read startup options from the following
files:
</p><a class="indexterm" name="id2550608"></a><div class="informaltable"><table border="1"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><td><span class="bold"><strong>Filename</strong></span></td><td><span class="bold"><strong>Purpose</strong></span></td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename">/etc/my.cnf</code></td><td>Global options</td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename"><em class="replaceable"><code>SYSCONFDIR</code></em>/my.cnf</code></td><td>Global Options</td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename">$MYSQL_HOME/my.cnf</code></td><td>Server-specific options</td></tr><tr><td><code class="literal">defaults-extra-file</code></td><td>The file specified with
<code class="option">--defaults-extra-file=<em class="replaceable"><code>path</code></em></code>,
if any</td></tr><tr><td><code class="filename">~/.my.cnf</code></td><td>User-specific options</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>SYSCONFDIR</code></em> represents the directory
specified with the <code class="literal">--sysconfdir</code> option to
<span><strong class="command">configure</strong></span> when MySQL was built. By default,
this is the <code class="filename">etc</code> directory located under the
compiled-in installation directory. This location is used as of
MySQL 5.0.21. (From 5.0.21 to 5.0.53, it was read last, after
<code class="filename">~/.my.cnf</code>.)
</p><p>
<code class="literal">MYSQL_HOME</code> is an environment variable
containing the path to the directory in which the
server-specific <code class="filename">my.cnf</code> file resides. (This
was <em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em> prior to MySQL version
5.0.3.)
</p><p>
If <code class="literal">MYSQL_HOME</code> is not set and you start the
server using the <span><strong class="command">mysqld_safe</strong></span> program,
<span><strong class="command">mysqld_safe</strong></span> attempts to set
<code class="literal">MYSQL_HOME</code> as follows:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
Let <em class="replaceable"><code>BASEDIR</code></em> and
<em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em> represent the pathnames
of the MySQL base directory and data directory,
respectively.
</p></li><li><p>
If there is a <code class="filename">my.cnf</code> file in
<em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em> but not in
<em class="replaceable"><code>BASEDIR</code></em>,
<span><strong class="command">mysqld_safe</strong></span> sets
<code class="literal">MYSQL_HOME</code> to
<em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em>.
</p></li><li><p>
Otherwise, if <code class="literal">MYSQL_HOME</code> is not set and
there is no <code class="filename">my.cnf</code> file in
<em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em>,
<span><strong class="command">mysqld_safe</strong></span> sets
<code class="literal">MYSQL_HOME</code> to
<em class="replaceable"><code>BASEDIR</code></em>.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
In MySQL 5.0, use of
<em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em> as the location for
<code class="filename">my.cnf</code> is deprecated.
</p><p>
Typically, <em class="replaceable"><code>DATADIR</code></em> is
<code class="filename">/usr/local/mysql/data</code> for a binary
installation or <code class="filename">/usr/local/var</code> for a source
installation. Note that this is the data directory location that
was specified at configuration time, not the one specified with
the <code class="option">--datadir</code> option when
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span> starts. Use of
<code class="option">--datadir</code> at runtime has no effect on where the
server looks for option files, because it looks for them before
processing any options.
</p><p>
MySQL looks for option files in the order just described and
reads any that exist. If an option file that you want to use
does not exist, create it with a plain text editor.
</p><p>
If multiple instances of a given option are found, the last
instance takes precedence. There is one exception: For
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span>, the <span class="emphasis"><em>first</em></span>
instance of the <code class="option">--user</code> option is used as a
security precaution, to prevent a user specified in an option
file from being overridden on the command line.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
On Unix platforms, MySQL ignores configuration files that are
world-writable. This is intentional as a security measure.
</p></div><p>
Any long option that may be given on the command line when
running a MySQL program can be given in an option file as well.
To get the list of available options for a program, run it with
the <code class="option">--help</code> option.
</p><p>
The syntax for specifying options in an option file is similar
to command-line syntax, except that you omit the leading two
dashes. For example, <code class="option">--quick</code> or
<code class="option">--host=localhost</code> on the command line should be
specified as <code class="literal">quick</code> or
<code class="literal">host=localhost</code> in an option file. To specify
an option of the form
<code class="option">--loose-<em class="replaceable"><code>opt_name</code></em></code> in
an option file, write it as
<code class="literal">loose-<em class="replaceable"><code>opt_name</code></em></code>.
</p><p>
Empty lines in option files are ignored. Non-empty lines can
take any of the following forms:
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p>
<code class="literal">#<em class="replaceable"><code>comment</code></em></code>,
<code class="literal">;<em class="replaceable"><code>comment</code></em></code>
</p><p>
Comment lines start with “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">#</code></span>”
or “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">;</code></span>”. A
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">#</code></span>” comment can start in the
middle of a line as well.
</p></li><li><p>
<code class="literal">[<em class="replaceable"><code>group</code></em>]</code>
</p><p>
<em class="replaceable"><code>group</code></em> is the name of the program
or group for which you want to set options. After a group
line, any option-setting lines apply to the named group
until the end of the option file or another group line is
given.
</p></li><li><p>
<code class="literal"><em class="replaceable"><code>opt_name</code></em></code>
</p><p>
This is equivalent to
<code class="option">--<em class="replaceable"><code>opt_name</code></em></code> on
the command line.
</p></li><li><p>
<code class="literal"><em class="replaceable"><code>opt_name</code></em>=<em class="replaceable"><code>value</code></em></code>
</p><p>
This is equivalent to
<code class="option">--<em class="replaceable"><code>opt_name</code></em>=<em class="replaceable"><code>value</code></em></code>
on the command line. In an option file, you can have spaces
around the “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">=</code></span>” character,
something that is not true on the command line. You can
enclose the value within single quotes or double quotes,
which is useful if the value contains a
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">#</code></span>” comment character or
whitespace.
</p></li></ul></div><p>
For options that take a numeric value, the value can be given
with a suffix of <code class="literal">K</code>, <code class="literal">M</code>, or
<code class="literal">G</code> (either uppercase or lowercase) to indicate
a multiplier of 1024, 1024<sup>2</sup> or
1024<sup>3</sup>. For example, the following
command tells <span><strong class="command">mysqladmin</strong></span> to ping the server
1024 times, sleeping 10 seconds between each ping:
</p><pre class="programlisting">mysql> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysqladmin --count=1K --sleep=10 ping</code></strong>
</pre><p>
Leading and trailing blanks are automatically deleted from
option names and values. You may use the escape sequences
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\b</code></span>”,
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\t</code></span>”,
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\n</code></span>”,
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\r</code></span>”,
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\\</code></span>”, and
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\s</code></span>” in option values to
represent the backspace, tab, newline, carriage return,
backslash, and space characters.
</p><p>
Because the “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\\</code></span>” escape sequence
represents a single backslash, you must write each
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\</code></span>” as
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\\</code></span>”. Alternatively, you can
specify the value using “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">/</code></span>”
rather than “<span class="quote"><code class="literal">\</code></span>” as the pathname
separator.
</p><p>
If an option group name is the same as a program name, options
in the group apply specifically to that program. For example,
the <code class="literal">[mysqld]</code> and <code class="literal">[mysql]</code>
groups apply to the <span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span> server and the
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> client program, respectively.
</p><p>
The <code class="literal">[client]</code> option group is read by all
client programs (but <span class="emphasis"><em>not</em></span> by
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span>). This allows you to specify options
that apply to all clients. For example,
<code class="literal">[client]</code> is the perfect group to use to
specify the password that you use to connect to the server. (But
make sure that the option file is readable and writable only by
yourself, so that other people cannot find out your password.)
Be sure not to put an option in the <code class="literal">[client]</code>
group unless it is recognized by <span class="emphasis"><em>all</em></span> client
programs that you use. Programs that do not understand the
option quit after displaying an error message if you try to run
them.
</p><p>
Here is a typical global option file:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[client]
port=3306
socket=/tmp/mysql.sock
[mysqld]
port=3306
socket=/tmp/mysql.sock
key_buffer_size=16M
max_allowed_packet=8M
[mysqldump]
quick
</pre><p>
The preceding option file uses
<code class="literal"><em class="replaceable"><code>var_name</code></em>=<em class="replaceable"><code>value</code></em></code>
syntax for the lines that set the
<code class="literal">key_buffer_size</code> and
<code class="literal">max_allowed_packet</code> variables.
</p><p>
Here is a typical user option file:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[client]
# The following password will be sent to all standard MySQL clients
password="my_password"
[mysql]
no-auto-rehash
connect_timeout=2
[mysqlhotcopy]
interactive-timeout
</pre><p>
If you want to create option groups that should be read by
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span> servers from a specific MySQL release
series only, you can do this by using groups with names of
<code class="literal">[mysqld-4.1]</code>,
<code class="literal">[mysqld-5.0]</code>, and so forth. The
following group indicates that the <code class="option">--new</code> option
should be used only by MySQL servers with 5.0.x
version numbers:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[mysqld-5.0]
new
</pre><p>
In shell scripts, you can use the
<span><strong class="command">my_print_defaults</strong></span> program to parse option
files and see what options would be used by a given program. The
following example shows the output that
<span><strong class="command">my_print_defaults</strong></span> might produce when asked to
show the options found in the <code class="literal">[client]</code> and
<code class="literal">[mysql]</code> groups:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>my_print_defaults client mysql</code></strong>
--port=3306
--socket=/tmp/mysql.sock
--no-auto-rehash
</pre><p>
<span class="bold"><strong>Note for developers</strong></span>: Option
file handling is implemented in the C client library simply by
processing all options in the appropriate group or groups before
any command-line arguments. This works well for programs that
use the last instance of an option that is specified multiple
times. If you have a C or C++ program that handles multiply
specified options this way but that doesn't read option files,
you need add only two lines to give it that capability. Check
the source code of any of the standard MySQL clients to see how
to do this.
</p><p>
Several other language interfaces to MySQL are based on the C
client library, and some of them provide a way to access option
file contents. These include Perl and Python. For details, see
the documentation for your preferred interface.
</p><p>
Beginning with MySQL 5.0.4, it is possible to use
<code class="literal">!include</code> directives in option files to
include other option files and <code class="literal">!includedir</code> to
search specific directories for option files. For example, to
include the <code class="filename">/home/mydir/myopt.cnf</code> file, use
the following directive:
</p><pre class="programlisting">!include /home/mydir/myopt.cnf
</pre><p>
To search the <code class="filename">/home/mydir</code> directory and
read option files found there, use this directive:
</p><pre class="programlisting">!includedir /home/mydir
</pre><p>
There is no guarantee about the order in which the option files
in the directory will be read.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
Currently, any files to be found and included using the
<code class="literal">!includedir</code> directive on Unix operating
systems <span class="emphasis"><em>must</em></span> have filenames ending in
<code class="filename">.cnf</code>. On Windows, this directive checks
for files with the <code class="filename">.ini</code> or
<code class="filename">.cnf</code> extension.
</p></div><p>
Write the contents of an included option file like any other
option file. That is, it should contain groups of options, each
preceded by a
<code class="literal">[<em class="replaceable"><code>group</code></em>]</code> line that
indicates the program to which the options apply.
</p><p>
While an included file is being processed, only those options in
groups that the current program is looking for are used. Other
groups are ignored. Suppose that a <code class="filename">my.cnf</code>
file contains this line:
</p><pre class="programlisting">!include /home/mydir/myopt.cnf
</pre><p>
And suppose that <code class="filename">/home/mydir/myopt.cnf</code>
looks like this:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[mysqladmin]
force
[mysqld]
key_buffer_size=16M
</pre><p>
If <code class="filename">my.cnf</code> is processed by
<span><strong class="command">mysqld</strong></span>, only the <code class="literal">[mysqld]</code>
group in <code class="filename">/home/mydir/myopt.cnf</code> is used. If
the file is processed by <span><strong class="command">mysqladmin</strong></span>, only the
<code class="literal">[mysqldamin]</code> group is used. If the file is
processed by any other program, no options in
<code class="filename">/home/mydir/myopt.cnf</code> are used.
</p><p>
The <code class="literal">!includedir</code> directive is processed
similarly except that all option files in the named directory
are read.
</p><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="option-file-options"></a>4.3.2.1. Command-Line Options that Affect Option-File Handling</h4></div></div></div><p>
Most MySQL programs that support option files handle the
following options. They affect option-file handling, so they
must be given on the command line and not in an option file.
To work properly, each of these options must immediately
follow the command name, with the exception that
<code class="option">--print-defaults</code> may be used immediately
after <code class="option">--defaults-file</code> or
<code class="option">--defaults-extra-file</code>. Also, when specifying
filenames, you should avoid the use of the
“<span class="quote"><code class="literal">~</code></span>” shell metacharacter
because it might not be interpreted as you expect.
</p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul type="disc"><li><p><a name="option_no-defaults"></a>
<a class="indexterm" name="id2551856"></a>
<code class="option">--no-defaults</code>
</p><p>
Don't read any option files.
</p></li><li><p><a name="option_print-defaults"></a>
<a class="indexterm" name="id2551882"></a>
<code class="option">--print-defaults</code>
</p><p>
Print the program name and all options that it gets from
option files.
</p></li><li><p><a name="option_defaults-file"></a>
<a class="indexterm" name="id2551909"></a>
<code class="option">--defaults-file=<em class="replaceable"><code>file_name</code></em></code>
</p><p>
Use only the given option file.
<em class="replaceable"><code>file_name</code></em> is the full pathname
to the file. If the file does not exist or is otherwise
inaccessible, the program will exit with an error.
</p></li><li><p><a name="option_defaults-extra-file"></a>
<a class="indexterm" name="id2551944"></a>
<code class="option">--defaults-extra-file=<em class="replaceable"><code>file_name</code></em></code>
</p><p>
Read this option file after the global option file but (on
Unix) before the user option file.
<em class="replaceable"><code>file_name</code></em> is the full pathname
to the file. As of MySQL 5.0.6, if the file does not exist
or is otherwise inaccessible, the program will exit with
an error.
</p></li><li><p><a name="option_defaults-group-suffix"></a>
<a class="indexterm" name="id2551981"></a>
<code class="option">--defaults-group-suffix=<em class="replaceable"><code>str</code></em></code>
</p><p>
If this option is given, the program reads not only its
usual option groups, but also groups with the usual names
and a suffix of <em class="replaceable"><code>str</code></em>. For
example, the <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> client normally
reads the <code class="literal">[client]</code> and
<code class="literal">[mysql]</code> groups. If the
<code class="option">--default-group-suffix=_other</code> option is
given, <span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> also reads the
<code class="literal">[client_other]</code> and
<code class="literal">[mysql_other]</code> groups. This option was
added in MySQL 5.0.10.
</p></li></ul></div></div><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title"><a name="option-files-preconfigured"></a>4.3.2.2. Preconfigured Option Files</h4></div></div></div><p>
MySQL provides a number of preconfigured option files that can
be used as a basis for tuning the MySQL server. Look for files
such as <code class="filename">my-small.cnf</code>,
<code class="filename">my-medium.cnf</code>,
<code class="filename">my-large.cnf</code>, and
<code class="filename">my-huge.cnf</code>, which are sample option
files for small, medium, large, and very large systems. On
Windows, the extension is <code class="filename">.ini</code> rather
than <code class="filename">.cnf</code> extension.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
On Windows, the <code class="filename">.cnf</code> or
<code class="filename">.ini</code> option file extension might not be
displayed.
</p></div><p>
For a binary distribution, look for the files in or under your
installation directory. If you have a source distribution,
look in the <code class="filename">support-files</code> directory. You
can rename a copy of a sample file and place it in the
appropriate location for use as a base configuration file.
Regarding names and appropriate location, see the general
information provided in <a href="using-mysql-programs.html#option-files" title="4.3.2. Using Option Files">Section 4.3.2, “Using Option Files”</a>.
</p></div></div><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="program-variables"></a>4.3.3. Using Options to Set Program Variables</h3></div></div></div><a class="indexterm" name="id2552160"></a><a class="indexterm" name="id2552172"></a><p>
Many MySQL programs have internal variables that can be set at
runtime. Program variables are set the same way as any other
long option that takes a value. For example,
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> has a
<code class="literal">max_allowed_packet</code> variable that controls the
maximum size of its communication buffer. To set the
<code class="literal">max_allowed_packet</code> variable for
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> to a value of 16MB, use either of the
following commands:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql --max_allowed_packet=16777216</code></strong>
shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql --max_allowed_packet=16M</code></strong>
</pre><p>
The first command specifies the value in bytes. The second
specifies the value in megabytes. For variables that take a
numeric value, the value can be given with a suffix of
<code class="literal">K</code>, <code class="literal">M</code>, or
<code class="literal">G</code> (either uppercase or lowercase) to indicate
a multiplier of 1024, 1024<sup>2</sup> or
1024<sup>3</sup>. (For example, when used to set
<code class="literal">max_allowed_packet</code>, the suffixes indicate
units of kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes.)
</p><p>
In an option file, variable settings are given without the
leading dashes:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[mysql]
max_allowed_packet=16777216
</pre><p>
Or:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[mysql]
max_allowed_packet=16M
</pre><p>
If you like, underscores in a variable name can be specified as
dashes. The following option groups are equivalent. Both set the
size of the server's key buffer to 512MB:
</p><pre class="programlisting">[mysqld]
key_buffer_size=512M
[mysqld]
key-buffer-size=512M
</pre><p>
A variable can be specified by writing it in full or as any
unambiguous prefix. For example, the
<code class="literal">max_buffer_length</code> variable can be set for
<span><strong class="command">mysql</strong></span> as <code class="option">--max_a</code>, but not as
<code class="option">--max</code> because the latter is ambiguous:
</p><pre class="programlisting">shell> <strong class="userinput"><code>mysql --max=1000000</code></strong>
mysql: ambiguous option '--max=1000000' (max_allowed_packet, max_join_size)
</pre><p>
Be aware that the use of variable prefixes can cause problems in
the event that new variables are implemented for a program. A
prefix that is unambigious now might become ambiguous in the
future.
</p><div class="note" style="margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in;"><h3 class="title">Note</h3><p>
Before MySQL 4.0.2, the only syntax for setting program
variables was
<code class="option">--set-variable=<em class="replaceable"><code>option</code></em>=<em class="replaceable"><code>value</code></em></code>
(or
<code class="option">set-variable=<em class="replaceable"><code>option</code></em>=<em class="replaceable"><code>value</code></em></code>
in option files). Underscores cannot be given as dashes, and
the variable name must be specified in full. This syntax still
is recognized, but is now deprecated.
</p></div><p>
Many server system variables can also be set at runtime. For
details, see <a href="server-administration.html#dynamic-system-variables" title="5.2.4.2. Dynamic System Variables">Section 5.2.4.2, “Dynamic System Variables”</a>.
</p></div></div><div class="section" lang="en"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="setting-environment-variables"></a>4.4. Setting Environment Variables</h2></div></div></div><a class="indexterm" name="id2552407"></a><p>
Environment variables can be set at the command prompt to affect
the current invocation of your command processor, or set
permanently to affect future invocations. To set a variable
permanently, you can set it in a startup file or by using the
interface provided by your system for this purpose. Consult the
documentation for your command interpreter for specific details.
<a href="installing.html#environment-variables" title="2.4.20. Environment Variables">Section 2.4.20, “Environment Variables”</a>, lists all environment
variables that affect MySQL program operation.
</p><p>
To specify a value for an environment variable, use the syntax
appropriate for your command processor. For example, on Windows or
NetWare, you can set the <code class="literal">USER</code> variable to
specify your MySQL account name. To do so, use this syntax:
</p><pre class="programlisting">SET USER=<em class="replaceable"><code>your_name</code></em>
</pre><p>
The syntax on Unix depends on your shell. Suppose that you want to
specify the TCP/IP port number using the
<code class="literal">MYSQL_TCP_PORT</code> variable. Typical syntax (such
as for <span><strong class="command">sh</strong></span>, <code class="literal">bash</code>,
<span><strong class="command">zsh</strong></span>, and so on) is as follows:
</p><pre class="programlisting">MYSQL_TCP_PORT=3306
export MYSQL_TCP_PORT
</pre><p>
The first command sets the variable, and the
<code class="literal">export</code> command exports the variable to the
shell environment so that its value becomes accessible to MySQL
and other processes.
</p><p>
For <span><strong class="command">csh</strong></span> and <span><strong class="command">tcsh</strong></span>, use
<span><strong class="command">setenv</strong></span> to make the shell variable available to
the environment:
</p><pre class="programlisting">setenv MYSQL_TCP_PORT 3306
</pre><p>
The commands to set environment variables can be executed at your
command prompt to take effect immediately, but the settings
persist only until you log out. To have the settings take effect
each time you log in, use the interface provided by your system or
place the appropriate command or commands in a startup file that
your command interpreter reads each time it starts.
</p><p>
On Windows, you can set environment variables using the System
Control Panel (under Advanced).
</p><p>
On Unix, typical shell startup files are
<code class="filename">.bashrc</code> or <code class="filename">.bash_profile</code>
for <span><strong class="command">bash</strong></span>, or <code class="filename">.tcshrc</code> for
<span><strong class="command">tcsh</strong></span>.
</p><p>
Suppose that your MySQL programs are installed in
<code class="literal">/usr/local/mysql/bin</code> and that you want to make
it easy to invoke these programs. To do this, set the value of the
<code class="literal">PATH</code> environment variable to include that
directory. For example, if your shell is <span><strong class="command">bash</strong></span>,
add the following line to your <code class="filename">.bashrc</code> file:
</p><pre class="programlisting">PATH=${PATH}:/usr/local/mysql/bin
</pre><p>
<span><strong class="command">bash</strong></span> uses different startup files for login and
non-login shells, so you might want to add the setting to
<code class="filename">.bashrc</code> for login shells and to
<code class="filename">.bash_profile</code> for non-login shells to make
sure that <code class="literal">PATH</code> is set regardless.
</p><p>
If your shell is <span><strong class="command">tcsh</strong></span>, add the following line
to your <code class="filename">.tcshrc</code> file:
</p><pre class="programlisting">setenv PATH ${PATH}:/usr/local/mysql/bin
</pre><p>
If the appropriate startup file does not exist in your home
directory, create it with a text editor.
</p><p>
After modifying your <code class="literal">PATH</code> setting, open a new
console window on Windows or log in again on Unix so that the
setting goes into effect.
</p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="tutorial.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"> </td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="server-administration.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 3. Tutorial </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 5. MySQL Server Administration</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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Mandriva
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x86_64
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main-testing
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b1e2421f2416edfc24c5845fbc1c5a2e
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