MYSQL_INSTALL_DB\(1)

NAME
mysql_install_db - initialize MySQL data directory

SYNOPSIS

mysql_install_db [options]

DESCRIPTION

mysql_install_db initializes the MySQL data directory and creates the system tables that it contains, if they do not exist. Because the MySQL server, mysqld, needs to access the data directory when it runs later, you should either run mysql_install_db from the same account that will be used for running mysqld or run it as root and use the --user option to indicate the username that mysqld will run as.

To invoke mysql_install_db, use the following syntax:

    shell> mysql_install_db [options]

mysql_install_db needs to invoke mysqld with the --bootstrap and --skip-grant-tables options (see Section 4.15.2, “Typical configure Options”). If MySQL was configured with the --disable-grant-options option, --bootstrap and --skip-grant-tables will be disabled. To handle this, set the MYSQLD_BOOTSTRAP environment variable to the full pathname of a server that has all options enabled. mysql_install_db will use that server.

mysql_install_db supports the following options:

•   --basedir=path

    The path to the MySQL installation directory.

•   --force

    Causes mysql_install_db to run even if DNS does not work. In that case, grant table entries that normally use hostnames will use IP addresses.

•   --datadir=path, --ldata=path

    The path to the MySQL data directory.

•   --rpm

    For internal use. This option is used by RPM files during the MySQL installation process.

•   --skip-name-resolve

    Use IP addresses rather than hostnames when creating grant table entries. This option can be useful if your DNS does not work.

•   --srcdir=path

    For internal use. The directory under which mysql_install_db looks for support files such as the error message file and the file for populating the help tables. This option was added in MySQL 5.0.32.

•   --user=user_name

    The login username to use for running mysqld. Files and directories created by mysqld will be owned by this user. You must be root to use this option. By default, mysqld runs using your current login name and files and directories that it creates will be owned by you.

•   --verbose

    Verbose mode. Print more information about what the program does.

•   --windows

    For internal use. This option is used for creating Windows distributions.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright 2007 MySQL AB

This documentation is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; version 2 of the License.

This documentation is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with the program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA or see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/.

Please email <docs@mysql.com> for more information or if you are interested in doing a translation.

SEE ALSO
For more information, please refer to the MySQL Reference Manual, which may already be installed locally and which is also available online at http://dev.mysql.com/doc/.

AUTHOR
MySQL AB (http://www.mysql.com/).