Chapter 1 Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows

Installing MySQL Installer adds a link to the Start menu under the MySQL group. Click Start, All Programs, MySQL, MySQL Installer to reload the MySQL Installer GUI.

MySQL Installer requires you to accept the license agreement before it will install MySQL products.

Installing New Packages

Choose the appropriate Setup Type for your system. This type determines which MySQL products are initially installed on your system, or select Custom to manually choose the products.

MySQL Installer checks your system for the external requirements (pre-requisites) required to install the selected MySQL products. MySQL Installer can download and install some prerequisites, but others require manual intervention. Download and install all prerequisites that have Status set to "Manual". Click Check to recheck if a manual prerequisite was installed. After manually installing those requirements, click Execute to download and install the other prerequisites. Once finished, click Next to continue.

The next window lists the MySQL products that are scheduled for installation:

As components are installed, their Status changes from a progress percentage to "Complete".

After all components are installed, the next step configures some of the recently installed MySQL products. The Configuration Overview window displays the progress and then loads a configuration window, if required. Our example configures MySQL Server 5.6.x.

Configuring MySQL Server

Configuring the MySQL server begins with defining several Type and Networking options.

Server Configuration Type

Choose the MySQL server configuration type that describes your setup. This setting defines the amount of system resources (memory) that will be assigned to your MySQL server instance.

Connectivity

Connectivity options control how the connection to MySQL is made. Options include:

Advanced Configuration

Check Show Advanced Options to set additional Logging Options. This includes defining custom file paths for the error log, general log, slow query log (including the configuration of seconds it requires to execute a query), and the binary log.

Accounts and Roles

Next, define your MySQL account information. Assigning a root password is required.

Optionally, you can add additional MySQL user accounts with predefined user roles. Each predefined role, such as "DB Admin", are configured with their own set of privileges. For example, the "DB Admin" role has more privileges than the "DB Designer" role. Click the Role dropdown for a list of role descriptions.

Windows Service

Next, configure the Windows Service details. This includes the service name, whether the MySQL server should be loaded at startup, and how the MySQL server Windows service is executed.

Plugins and Extensions

Next, optionally enable MySQL plugins and extensions. In this example we enable X Plugin to use MySQL as a Document Store.

For additional information about enabling X Plugin, see Setting Up MySQL as a Document Store. This feature was added in MySQL Server 5.7.12.

Advanced Options

The next configuration step is available if the Advanced Configuration option was checked. This section includes options that are related to the MySQL log files:

Click Next to continue on to the final page before all of the requested changes are applied. This Apply Server Configuration page details the configuration steps that will be performed.

Click Execute to execute the configuration steps. The icon for each step toggles from white to green on success, or the process stops on failure. Click the Log tab to view the log.

After the MySQL Installer configuration process is finished, MySQL Installer reloads the opening page where you can execute other installation and configuration related actions.

MySQL Installer is added to the Microsoft Windows Start menu under the MySQL group. Opening MySQL Installer loads its dashboard where installed MySQL products are listed, and other MySQL Installer actions are available:

Adding MySQL Products

Click Add to add new products. This loads the Select Products and Features page:

From here, choose the MySQL products you want to install from the left Available Products pane, and then click the green right arrow to queue products for installation.

Optionally, click Edit to open the product and features search filter:

For example, you might choose to include Pre-Release products in your selections, such as a Beta product that has not yet reached General Availability (GA) status.

Select all of the MySQL products you want to install, then click Next to continue using the defaults, or highlight a selected product and click Advanced Options to optionally alter options such as the MySQL server data and installation paths. Click Execute to execute the installation process to install all of the selected products.

MySQLInstallerConsole provides functionality similar to the GUI version of MySQL Installer, but from the command-line. It is installed when MySQL Installer is initially executed, and then available within the MySQL Installer directory. Typically that is in C:\Program Files (x86)\MySQL\MySQL Installer\, and the console must be executed with administrative privileges.

To use, invoke the Command Prompt with administrative privileges by choosing Start, Accessories, then right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator. And from the command-line, optionally change the directory to where MySQLInstallerConsole is located:

C:\> cd "C:\Program Files (x86)\MySQL\MySQL Installer for Windows"
C:\> MySQLInstallerConsole.exe help

C:\Program Files (x86)\MySQL\MySQL Installer for Windows>MySQLInstallerConsole.exe help

The following commands are available:

Configure - Configures one or more of your installed programs.
Help      - Provides list of available commands.
Install   - Install and configure one or more available MySQL programs.
List      - Provides an interactive way to list all products available.
Modify    - Modifies the features of installed products.
Remove    - Removes one or more products from your system.
Status    - Shows the status of all installed products.
Update    - Update the current product catalog.
Upgrade   - Upgrades one or more of your installed programs.

MySQLInstallerConsole supports the following options, which are specified on the command line:

MySQL Notifier resides in the system tray and provides visual status information for your MySQL server instances. A green icon is displayed at the top left corner of the tray icon if the current MySQL server is running, or a red icon if the service is stopped.

MySQL Notifier automatically adds discovered MySQL services on the local machine, and each service is saved and configurable. By default, the Automatically add new services whose name contains option is enabled and set to mysql. Related Notifications Options include being notified when new services are either discovered or experience status changes, and are also enabled by default. And uninstalling a service will also remove the service from MySQL Notifier.

Clicking the system tray icon will reveal several options, as the follow figures show:

The Service Instance menu is the main MySQL Notifier window, and enables you to Stop, Start, and Restart the MySQL server.

The Actions menu includes several links to external applications (if they are installed), and a Refresh Status option to manually refresh the status of all monitored services (in both local and remote computers) and MySQL instances.

The Actions, Options menu configures MySQL Notifier and includes options to:

The Actions, Manage Monitored Items menu enables you to configure the monitored services and MySQL instances. First, with the Services tab open:

The Instances tab is similar:

Adding a service or instance (after clicking Add in the Manage Monitored Items window) enables you to select a running Microsoft Windows service or instance connection, and configure MySQL Notifier to monitor it. Add a new service or instance by clicking service name from the list, then OK to accept. Multiple services and instances may be selected.

Add instances:

MySQL Notifier uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to manage and monitor services on remote computers. This section explains how it works and how to set up your system to monitor remote MySQL instances.

In order to configure WMI, it is important to understand that the underlying Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) architecture is doing the WMI work. Specifically, MySQL Notifier is using asynchronous notification queries on remote Microsoft Windows hosts as .NET events. These events send an asynchronous callback to the computer running MySQL Notifier so it knows when a service status has changed on the remote computer. Asynchronous notifications offer the best performance compared to semisynchronous notifications or synchronous notifications that use timers.

Asynchronous notification requires the remote computer to send a callback to the client computer (thus opening a reverse connection), so the Windows Firewall and DCOM settings must be properly configured for the communication to function properly.

Most of the common errors thrown by asynchronous WMI notifications are related to Windows Firewall blocking the communication, or to DCOM / WMI settings not being set up properly. For a list of common errors with solutions, see Common Errors.

The following steps are required to make WMI function. These steps are divided between two machines. A single host computer that runs MySQL Notifier (Computer A), and multiple remote machines that are being monitored (Computer B).

To install MySQL manually, do the following:

If you need to specify startup options when you run the server, you can indicate them on the command line or place them in an option file. For options that are used every time the server starts, you may find it most convenient to use an option file to specify your MySQL configuration. This is particularly true under the following circumstances:

When the MySQL server starts on Windows, it looks for option files in several locations, such as the Windows directory, C:\, and the MySQL installation directory (for the full list of locations, see Using Option Files). The Windows directory typically is named something like C:\WINDOWS. You can determine its exact location from the value of the WINDIR environment variable using the following command:

C:\> echo %WINDIR%

MySQL looks for options in each location first in the my.ini file, and then in the my.cnf file. However, to avoid confusion, it is best if you use only one file. If your PC uses a boot loader where C: is not the boot drive, your only option is to use the my.ini file. Whichever option file you use, it must be a plain text file.

You can also make use of the example option files included with your MySQL distribution; see Server Configuration Defaults.

An option file can be created and modified with any text editor, such as Notepad. For example, if MySQL is installed in E:\mysql and the data directory is in E:\mydata\data, you can create an option file containing a [mysqld] section to specify values for the basedir and datadir options:

[mysqld]
# set basedir to your installation path
basedir=E:/mysql
# set datadir to the location of your data directory
datadir=E:/mydata/data

Microsoft Windows path names are specified in option files using (forward) slashes rather than backslashes. If you do use backslashes, double them:

[mysqld]
# set basedir to your installation path
basedir=E:\\mysql
# set datadir to the location of your data directory
datadir=E:\\mydata\\data

The rules for use of backslash in option file values are given in Using Option Files.

As of MySQL 5.7.6, the Zip Archive no longer includes a data directory. To initialize a MySQL installation by creating the data directory and populating the tables in the mysql system database, initialize MySQL using either --initialize or --initialize-insecure. For additional information, see Initializing the Data Directory Manually Using mysqld.

If you would like to use a data directory in a different location, you should copy the entire contents of the data directory to the new location. For example, if you want to use E:\mydata as the data directory instead, you must do two things:

The following table shows the available servers for Windows in MySQL 5.7.

All of the preceding binaries are optimized for modern Intel processors, but should work on any Intel i386-class or higher processor.

Each of the servers in a distribution support the same set of storage engines. The SHOW ENGINES statement displays which engines a given server supports.

All Windows MySQL 5.7 servers have support for symbolic linking of database directories.

MySQL supports TCP/IP on all Windows platforms. MySQL servers on Windows also support named pipes, if you start the server with the --enable-named-pipe option. It is necessary to use this option explicitly because some users have experienced problems with shutting down the MySQL server when named pipes were used. The default is to use TCP/IP regardless of platform because named pipes are slower than TCP/IP in many Windows configurations.

If you installed MySQL using the Noinstall package, you may need to initialize the data directory:

This section gives a general overview of starting the MySQL server. The following sections provide more specific information for starting the MySQL server from the command line or as a Windows service.

The information here applies primarily if you installed MySQL using the Noinstall version, or if you wish to configure and test MySQL manually rather than with the GUI tools.

The examples in these sections assume that MySQL is installed under the default location of C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7. Adjust the path names shown in the examples if you have MySQL installed in a different location.

Clients have two options. They can use TCP/IP, or they can use a named pipe if the server supports named-pipe connections.

MySQL for Windows also supports shared-memory connections if the server is started with the --shared-memory option. Clients can connect through shared memory by using the --protocol=MEMORY option.

For information about which server binary to run, see Section 1.5.3, “Selecting a MySQL Server Type”.

Testing is best done from a command prompt in a console window (or “DOS window”). In this way you can have the server display status messages in the window where they are easy to see. If something is wrong with your configuration, these messages make it easier for you to identify and fix any problems.

To start the server, enter this command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqld" --console

For a server that includes InnoDB support, you should see the messages similar to those following as it starts (the path names and sizes may differ):

InnoDB: The first specified datafile c:\ibdata\ibdata1 did not exist:
InnoDB: a new database to be created!
InnoDB: Setting file c:\ibdata\ibdata1 size to 209715200
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
InnoDB: Log file c:\iblogs\ib_logfile0 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file c:\iblogs\ib_logfile0 size to 31457280
InnoDB: Log file c:\iblogs\ib_logfile1 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file c:\iblogs\ib_logfile1 size to 31457280
InnoDB: Log file c:\iblogs\ib_logfile2 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file c:\iblogs\ib_logfile2 size to 31457280
InnoDB: Doublewrite buffer not found: creating new
InnoDB: Doublewrite buffer created
InnoDB: creating foreign key constraint system tables
InnoDB: foreign key constraint system tables created
011024 10:58:25  InnoDB: Started

When the server finishes its startup sequence, you should see something like this, which indicates that the server is ready to service client connections:

mysqld: ready for connections
Version: '5.7.15'  socket: ''  port: 3306

The server continues to write to the console any further diagnostic output it produces. You can open a new console window in which to run client programs.

If you omit the --console option, the server writes diagnostic output to the error log in the data directory (C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\data by default). The error log is the file with the .err extension, and may be set using the --log-error option.

The MySQL server can be started manually from the command line. This can be done on any version of Windows.

To start the mysqld server from the command line, you should start a console window (or “DOS window”) and enter this command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqld"

The path to mysqld may vary depending on the install location of MySQL on your system.

You can stop the MySQL server by executing this command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqladmin" -u root shutdown

This command invokes the MySQL administrative utility mysqladmin to connect to the server and tell it to shut down. The command connects as the MySQL root user, which is the default administrative account in the MySQL grant system.

If mysqld doesn't start, check the error log to see whether the server wrote any messages there to indicate the cause of the problem. By default, the error log is located in the C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\data directory. It is the file with a suffix of .err, or may be specified by passing in the --log-error option. Alternatively, you can try to start the server with the --console option; in this case, the server may display some useful information on the screen that will help solve the problem.

The last option is to start mysqld with the --standalone and --debug options. In this case, mysqld writes a log file C:\mysqld.trace that should contain the reason why mysqld doesn't start. See The DBUG Package.

Use mysqld --verbose --help to display all the options that mysqld supports.

To make it easier to invoke MySQL programs, you can add the path name of the MySQL bin directory to your Windows system PATH environment variable:

You should not add the MySQL bin directory to your Windows PATH if you are running multiple MySQL servers on the same machine.

On Windows, the recommended way to run MySQL is to install it as a Windows service, so that MySQL starts and stops automatically when Windows starts and stops. A MySQL server installed as a service can also be controlled from the command line using NET commands, or with the graphical Services utility. Generally, to install MySQL as a Windows service you should be logged in using an account that has administrator rights.

The Services utility (the Windows Service Control Manager) can be found in the Windows Control Panel (under Administrative Tools on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and Server 2003). To avoid conflicts, it is advisable to close the Services utility while performing server installation or removal operations from the command line.

Installing the service

Before installing MySQL as a Windows service, you should first stop the current server if it is running by using the following command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqladmin"
          -u root shutdown

This command invokes the MySQL administrative utility mysqladmin to connect to the server and tell it to shut down. The command connects as the MySQL root user, which is the default administrative account in the MySQL grant system.

Install the server as a service using this command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqld" --install

The service-installation command does not start the server. Instructions for that are given later in this section.

To make it easier to invoke MySQL programs, you can add the path name of the MySQL bin directory to your Windows system PATH environment variable:

The following additional arguments can be used when installing the service:

For a MySQL server that is installed as a Windows service, the following rules determine the service name and option files that the server uses:

As a more complex example, consider the following command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqld"
          --install MySQL --defaults-file=C:\my-opts.cnf

Here, the default service name (MySQL) is given after the --install option. If no --defaults-file option had been given, this command would have the effect of causing the server to read the [mysqld] group from the standard option files. However, because the --defaults-file option is present, the server reads options from the [mysqld] option group, and only from the named file.

You can also specify options as Start parameters in the Windows Services utility before you start the MySQL service.

Starting the service

Once a MySQL server has been installed as a service, Windows starts the service automatically whenever Windows starts. The service also can be started immediately from the Services utility, or by using a NET START MySQL command. The NET command is not case sensitive.

When run as a service, mysqld has no access to a console window, so no messages can be seen there. If mysqld does not start, check the error log to see whether the server wrote any messages there to indicate the cause of the problem. The error log is located in the MySQL data directory (for example, C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\data). It is the file with a suffix of .err.

When a MySQL server has been installed as a service, and the service is running, Windows stops the service automatically when Windows shuts down. The server also can be stopped manually by using the Services utility, the NET STOP MySQL command, or the mysqladmin shutdown command.

You also have the choice of installing the server as a manual service if you do not wish for the service to be started automatically during the boot process. To do this, use the --install-manual option rather than the --install option:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqld" --install-manual

Removing the service

To remove a server that is installed as a service, first stop it if it is running by executing NET STOP MySQL. Then use the --remove option to remove it:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqld" --remove

If mysqld is not running as a service, you can start it from the command line. For instructions, see Section 1.5.6, “Starting MySQL from the Windows Command Line”.

If you encounter difficulties during installation, see Section 1.6, “Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows MySQL Server Installation”.

For more information about stopping or removing a MySQL Windows service, see Starting Multiple MySQL Instances as Windows Services.

You can test whether the MySQL server is working by executing any of the following commands:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqlshow"
C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqlshow" -u root mysql
C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysqladmin" version status proc
C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.7\bin\mysql" test

If mysqld is slow to respond to TCP/IP connections from client programs, there is probably a problem with your DNS. In this case, start mysqld with the --skip-name-resolve option and use only localhost and IP addresses in the Host column of the MySQL grant tables. (Be sure that an account exists that specifies an IP address or you may not be able to connect.)

You can force a MySQL client to use a named-pipe connection rather than TCP/IP by specifying the --pipe or --protocol=PIPE option, or by specifying . (period) as the host name. Use the --socket option to specify the name of the pipe if you do not want to use the default pipe name.

If you have set a password for the root account, deleted the anonymous account, or created a new user account, then to connect to the MySQL server you must use the appropriate -u and -p options with the commands shown previously. See Connecting to the MySQL Server.

For more information about mysqlshow, see mysqlshow — Display Database, Table, and Column Information.