MySQL 5.6 Reference Manual Including MySQL NDB Cluster 7.3-7.4 Reference Guide

4.4.3 mysql_install_db — Initialize MySQL Data Directory

mysql_install_db initializes the MySQL data directory and creates the system tables that it contains, if they do not exist. It also initializes the system tablespace and related data structures needed to manage InnoDB tables. As of MySQL 5.6.8, mysql_install_db is a Perl script and can be used on any system with Perl installed. Before 5.6.8, it is a shell script and is available only on Unix platforms.

As of MySQL 5.6.8, on Unix platforms, mysql_install_db creates a default option file named my.cnf in the base installation directory. This file is created from a template included in the distribution package named my-default.cnf. You can find the template in or under the base installation directory. When started using mysqld_safe, the server uses my.cnf file by default. If my.cnf already exists, mysql_install_db assumes it to be in use and writes a new file named my-new.cnf instead.

With one exception, the settings in the default option file are commented and have no effect. The exception is that the file sets the sql_mode system variable to NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION,STRICT_TRANS_TABLES. This setting produces a server configuration that results in errors rather than warnings for bad data in operations that modify transactional tables. See Section 5.1.10, “Server SQL Modes”.

To invoke mysql_install_db, use the following syntax:

shell> mysql_install_db [options]

Because the MySQL server, mysqld, must access the data directory when it runs later, you should either run mysql_install_db from the same system account that is used for running mysqld, or run it as root and specify the --user option to indicate the user name that mysqld runs as. It might be necessary to specify other options such as --basedir or --datadir if mysql_install_db does not use the correct locations for the installation directory or data directory. For example:

shell> scripts/mysql_install_db --user=mysql \
         --basedir=/opt/mysql/mysql \
         --datadir=/opt/mysql/mysql/data
Note

After mysql_install_db sets up the InnoDB system tablespace, changes to some tablespace characteristics require setting up a whole new instance. This includes the file name of the first file in the system tablespace and the number of undo logs. If you do not want to use the default values, make sure that the settings for the innodb_data_file_path and innodb_log_file_size configuration parameters are in place in the MySQL configuration file before running mysql_install_db. Also make sure to specify as necessary other parameters that affect the creation and location of InnoDB files, such as innodb_data_home_dir and innodb_log_group_home_dir.

If those options are in your configuration file but that file is not in a location that MySQL reads by default, specify the file location using the --defaults-extra-file option when you run mysql_install_db.

Note

If you have set a custom TMPDIR environment variable when performing the installation, and the specified directory is not accessible, mysql_install_db may fail. If so, unset TMPDIR or set TMPDIR to point to the system temporary directory (usually /tmp).

mysql_install_db supports the following options, which can be specified on the command line or in the [mysql_install_db] group of an option file. (Options that are common to mysqld can also be specified in the [mysqld] group.) Other options are passed to mysqld. For information about option files used by MySQL programs, see Section 4.2.2.2, “Using Option Files”.

Table 4.7 mysql_install_db Options

Option Name Description Introduced Deprecated
--basedir Path to base directory
--builddir Path to build directory (for out-of-source builds)
--cross-bootstrap For internal use
--datadir Path to data directory
--defaults-extra-file Read named option file in addition to usual option files
--defaults-file Read only named option file
--force Run even if DNS does not work
--help Display help message and exit
--keep-my-cnf Keep existing my.cnf file, do not create new one 5.6.20 5.6.20
--ldata Synonym for --datadir
--no-defaults Read no option files
--random-passwords Generate administrative account random password
--rpm For internal use
--skip-name-resolve Use IP addresses rather than host names in grant tables
--srcdir For internal use
--user Operating system user under which to execute mysqld
--verbose Verbose mode
--windows For internal use