Chapter 1 Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows

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.

Figure 1.3 MySQL Notifier Service Instance menu

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.

Figure 1.4 MySQL Notifier Actions menu

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

Figure 1.5 MySQL Notifier Options menu

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

Figure 1.6 MySQL Notifier Manage Services menu

The Instances tab is similar:

Figure 1.7 MySQL Notifier Manage Instances menu

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.

Figure 1.8 MySQL Notifier Adding new services

Add instances:

Figure 1.9 MySQL Notifier Adding new 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.

Figure 1.10 MySQL Notifier Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)

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).

MySQL Installation Wizard is an installer for the MySQL server that uses the latest installer technologies for Microsoft Windows. The MySQL Installation Wizard, in combination with the MySQL Config Wizard, enables a user to install and configure a MySQL server that is ready for use immediately after installation.

The MySQL Installation Wizard uses the standard Microsoft Installer Engine (MSI) system is the standard installer for all MySQL server distributions. See Section 1.4.1.6, “MySQL Installation Wizard: Upgrading MySQL”, for more information on upgrading from a previous version.

If you are upgrading an installation from MySQL 5.1.31 or earlier to MySQL 5.1.32 or later, read the notes provided in Section 1.4.1.6, “MySQL Installation Wizard: Upgrading MySQL”.

The Microsoft Windows Installer Engine was updated with the release of Windows XP; those using a previous version of Windows can reference this Microsoft Knowledge Base article for information on upgrading to the latest version of the Windows Installer Engine.

In addition, Microsoft has introduced the WiX (Windows Installer XML) toolkit. This is the first highly acknowledged Open Source project from Microsoft. We have switched to WiX because it is an Open Source project and it enables us to handle the complete Windows installation process in a flexible manner using scripts.

Improving the MySQL Installation Wizard depends on the support and feedback of users like you. If you find that the MySQL Installation Wizard is lacking some feature important to you, or if you discover a bug, please report it in our bugs database using the instructions given in How to Report Bugs or Problems.

C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Workbench 5.1 OSS

The Microsoft Installer (MSI) supports a both a quiet and a passive mode that can be used to install MySQL automatically without requiring intervention. You can use this either in scripts to automatically install MySQL or through a terminal connection such as Telnet where you do not have access to the standard Windows user interface. The MSI packages can also be used in combination with Microsoft's Group Policy system (part of Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008) to install MySQL across multiple machines.

To install MySQL from one of the MSI packages automatically from the command line (or within a script), you need to use the msiexec.exe tool. For example, to perform a quiet installation (which shows no dialog boxes or progress):

shell> msiexec /i mysql-5.1.73.msi /quiet

The /i indicates that you want to perform an installation. The /quiet option indicates that you want no interactive elements.

To provide a dialog box showing the progress during installation, and the dialog boxes providing information on the installation and registration of MySQL, use /passive mode instead of /quiet:

shell> msiexec /i mysql-5.1.73.msi /passive

Regardless of the mode of the installation, installing the package in this manner performs a 'Typical' installation, and installs the default components into the standard location.

You can also use this method to uninstall MySQL by using the /uninstall or /x options:

shell> msiexec /x mysql-5.1.73.msi /uninstall

To install MySQL and configure a MySQL instance from the command line, see Section 1.5.13, “MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard: Creating an Instance from the Command Line”.

For information on using MSI packages to install software automatically using Group Policy, see How to use Group Policy to remotely install software in Windows Server 2003.

To uninstall a MySQL where you have used the MSI packages, you must use the Add/Remove Programs tool within Control Panel. To do this:

When MySQL is removed using this method, only the installed components are removed. Any database information (including the tables and data), import or export files, log files, and binary logs produced during execution are kept in their configured location.

If you try to install MySQL again the information will be retained and you will be prompted to enter the password configured with the original installation.

If you want to delete MySQL completely:

The MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard is normally started as part of the installation process. You should only need to run the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard again when you need to change the configuration parameters of your server.

If you chose not to open a port prior to installing MySQL on Windows Vista or newer, you can choose to use the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard after installation. However, you must open a port in the Windows Firewall. To do this see the instructions given in Section 1.4.1.1, “MySQL Installation Wizard: Downloading and Starting”. Rather than opening a port, you also have the option of adding MySQL as a program that bypasses the Windows Firewall. One or the other option is sufficient—you need not do both. Additionally, when running the MySQL Server Config Wizard on Windows Vista or newer, ensure that you are logged in as a user with administrative rights.

You can launch the MySQL Config Wizard by clicking the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard entry in the MySQL section of the Windows Start menu.

Alternatively, you can navigate to the bin directory of your MySQL installation and launch the MySQLInstanceConfig.exe file directly.

The MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard places the my.ini file in the installation directory for the MySQL server. This helps associate configuration files with particular server instances.

To ensure that the MySQL server knows where to look for the my.ini file, an argument similar to this is passed to the MySQL server as part of the service installation:

--defaults-file="C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\my.ini"

Here, C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1 is replaced with the installation path to the MySQL Server. The --defaults-file option instructs the MySQL server to read the specified file for configuration options when it starts.

Apart from making changes to the my.ini file by running the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard again, you can modify it by opening it with a text editor and making any necessary changes. You can also modify the server configuration with the http://www.mysql.com/products/administrator/ utility. For more information about server configuration, see Server Command Options.

MySQL clients and utilities such as the mysql and mysqldump command-line clients are not able to locate the my.ini file located in the server installation directory. To configure the client and utility applications, create a new my.ini file in the Windows installation directory (for example, C:\WINDOWS).

Under Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista, MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard will configure MySQL to work as a Windows service. To start and stop MySQL you use the Services application that is supplied as part of the Windows Administrator Tools.

If the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard detects an existing configuration file, you have the option of either reconfiguring your existing server, or removing the server instance by deleting the configuration file and stopping and removing the MySQL service.

To reconfigure an existing server, choose the Re-configure Instance option and click the Next button. Any existing configuration file is not overwritten, but renamed (within the same directory) using a timestamp (Windows) or sequential number (Linux). To remove the existing server instance, choose the Remove Instance option and click the Next button.

If you choose the Remove Instance option, you advance to a confirmation window. Click the Execute button. The MySQL Server Config Wizard stops and removes the MySQL service, and then deletes the configuration file. The server installation and its data folder are not removed.

If you choose the Re-configure Instance option, you advance to the Configuration Type dialog where you can choose the type of installation that you wish to configure.

When you start the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard for a new MySQL installation, or choose the Re-configure Instance option for an existing installation, you advance to the Configuration Type dialog.

There are two configuration types available: Detailed Configuration and Standard Configuration. The Standard Configuration option is intended for new users who want to get started with MySQL quickly without having to make many decisions about server configuration. The Detailed Configuration option is intended for advanced users who want more fine-grained control over server configuration.

If you are new to MySQL and need a server configured as a single-user developer machine, the Standard Configuration should suit your needs. Choosing the Standard Configuration option causes the MySQL Config Wizard to set all configuration options automatically with the exception of Service Options and Security Options.

The Standard Configuration sets options that may be incompatible with systems where there are existing MySQL installations. If you have an existing MySQL installation on your system in addition to the installation you wish to configure, the Detailed Configuration option is recommended.

To complete the Standard Configuration, please refer to the sections on Service Options and Security Options in Section 1.5.10, “MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard: The Service Options Dialog”, and Section 1.5.11, “MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard: The Security Options Dialog”, respectively.

There are three different server types available to choose from. The server type that you choose affects the decisions that the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard makes with regard to memory, disk, and processor usage.

The Database Usage dialog enables you to indicate the storage engines that you expect to use when creating MySQL tables. The option you choose determines whether the InnoDB storage engine is available and what percentage of the server resources are available to InnoDB.

The Config Wizard uses a template to generate the server configuration file. The Database Usage dialog sets one of the following option strings:

Multifunctional Database:        MIXED
Transactional Database Only:     INNODB
Non-Transactional Database Only: MYISAM

When these options are processed through the default template (my-template.ini) the result is:

Multifunctional Database:
default-storage-engine=InnoDB
_myisam_pct=50

Transactional Database Only:
default-storage-engine=InnoDB
_myisam_pct=5

Non-Transactional Database Only:
default-storage-engine=MyISAM
_myisam_pct=100
skip-innodb

The _myisam_pct value is used to calculate the percentage of resources dedicated to MyISAM. The remaining resources are allocated to InnoDB.

Some users may want to locate the InnoDB tablespace files in a different location than the MySQL server data directory. Placing the tablespace files in a separate location can be desirable if your system has a higher capacity or higher performance storage device available, such as a RAID storage system.

To change the default location for the InnoDB tablespace files, choose a new drive from the drop-down list of drive letters and choose a new path from the drop-down list of paths. To create a custom path, click the ... button.

If you are modifying the configuration of an existing server, you must click the Modify button before you change the path. In this situation you must move the existing tablespace files to the new location manually before starting the server.

To prevent the server from running out of resources, it is important to limit the number of concurrent connections to the MySQL server that can be established. The Concurrent Connections dialog enables you to choose the expected usage of your server, and sets the limit for concurrent connections accordingly. It is also possible to set the concurrent connection limit manually.

Use the Networking Options dialog to enable or disable TCP/IP networking and to configure the port number that is used to connect to the MySQL server.

TCP/IP networking is enabled by default. To disable TCP/IP networking, uncheck the box next to the Enable TCP/IP Networking option.

Port 3306 is used by default. To change the port used to access MySQL, choose a new port number from the drop-down box or type a new port number directly into the drop-down box. If the port number you choose is in use, you are prompted to confirm your choice of port number.

Set the Server SQL Mode to either enable or disable strict mode. Enabling strict mode (default) makes MySQL behave more like other database management systems. If you run applications that rely on MySQL's old “forgiving” behavior, make sure to either adapt those applications or to disable strict mode. For more information about strict mode, see Server SQL Modes.

The MySQL server supports multiple character sets and it is possible to set a default server character set that is applied to all tables, columns, and databases unless overridden. Use the Character Set dialog to change the default character set of the MySQL server.

On Windows platforms, the MySQL server can be installed as a Windows service. When installed this way, the MySQL server can be started automatically during system startup, and even restarted automatically by Windows in the event of a service failure.

The MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard installs the MySQL server as a service by default, using the service name MySQL. If you do not wish to install the service, uncheck the box next to the Install As Windows Service option. You can change the service name by picking a new service name from the drop-down box provided or by entering a new service name into the drop-down box.

To install the MySQL server as a service but not have it started automatically at startup, uncheck the box next to the Launch the MySQL Server Automatically option.

The content of the security options portion of the MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard will depend on whether this is a new installation, or modifying an existing installation.

To permit root logins from across the network, check the box next to the Enable root access from remote machines option. This decreases the security of your root account.

To create an anonymous user account, check the box next to the Create An Anonymous Account option. Creating an anonymous account can decrease server security and cause login and permission difficulties. For this reason, it is not recommended.

The final dialog in the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard is the Confirmation Dialog. To start the configuration process, click the Execute button. To return to a previous dialog, click the Back button. To exit the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard without configuring the server, click the Cancel button.

After you click the Execute button, the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard performs a series of tasks and displays the progress onscreen as the tasks are performed.

The MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard first determines configuration file options based on your choices using a template prepared by MySQL developers and engineers. This template is named my-template.ini and is located in your server installation directory.

The MySQL Config Wizard then writes these options to the corresponding configuration file.

If you chose to create a service for the MySQL server, the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard creates and starts the service. If you are reconfiguring an existing service, the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard restarts the service to apply your configuration changes.

If you chose to set a root password, the MySQL Config Wizard connects to the server, sets your new root password, and applies any other security settings you may have selected.

After the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard has completed its tasks, it displays a summary. Click the Finish button to exit the MySQL Server Config Wizard.

In addition to using the GUI interface to the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard, you can also create instances automatically from the command line.

To use the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard on the command line, you need to use the MySQLInstanceConfig.exe command that is installed with MySQL in the bin directory within the installation directory. MySQLInstanceConfig.exe takes a number of command-line arguments the set the properties that would normally be selected through the GUI interface, and then creates a new configuration file (my.ini) by combining these selections with a template configuration file to produce the working configuration file.

The main command line options are provided in the table below. Some of the options are required, while some options are optional.

The -t and -c options work together to set the configuration parameters for a new instance. The -t option specifies the template configuration file to use as the basic configuration, which are then merged with the configuration parameters generated by the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard into the configuration file specified by the -c option.

A sample template file, my-template.ini is provided in the toplevel MySQL installation directory. The file contains elements are replaced automatically by the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard during configuration.

If you specify a configuration file that already exists, the existing configuration file will be saved in the file with the original, with the date and time added. For example, the mysql.ini will be copied to mysql 2009-10-27 1646.ini.bak.

The parameters that you can specify on the command line are listed in the table below.

The following command installs a MySQL Server 5.1 instance from the directory C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1 using the service name MySQL51 and setting the root password to 1234.

shell> MySQLInstanceConfig.exe -i -q "-lC:\mysql_install_log.txt" »
   "-nMySQL Server 5.1" "-pC:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1" -v5.1.73 »
   "-tmy-template.ini" "-cC:\mytest.ini" ServerType=DEVELOPMENT DatabaseType=MIXED »
   ConnectionUsage=DSS Port=3311 ServiceName=MySQL51 RootPassword=1234

In the above example, a log file will be generated in mysql_install_log.txt containing the information about the instance creation process. The log file generated by the above example is shown below:

Welcome to the MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard 1.0.16.0
Date: 2009-10-27 17:07:21

Installing service ...

Product Name:         MySQL Server 5.1
Version:              5.1.73
Installation Path:    C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\

Creating configuration file C:\mytest.ini using template my-template.ini.
Options:
DEVELOPMENT
MIXED
DSS
STRICTMODE

Variables:
port: 3311
default-character-set: latin1
basedir: "C:/Program Files/MySQL/MySQL Server 5.1/"
datadir: "C:/Program Files/MySQL/MySQL Server 5.1/Data/"


Creating Windows service entry.
Service name: "MySQL51"
Parameters:   "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\bin\mysqld" --defaults-file="C:\mytest.ini" MySQL51.
Windows service MySQL51 installed.

When using the command line, the return values in the following table indicate an error performing the specified option.

You can perform an installation of MySQL automatically using the MSI package. For more information, see Section 1.4.2, “Automating MySQL Installation on Microsoft Windows Using the MSI Package”.

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.

In MySQL 5.1.23 and earlier, the MySQL installer places the data directory directly under the directory where you install MySQL. On MySQL 5.1.24 and later, the data directory is located within the AppData directory for the user running MySQL.

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 5.1.20 and earlier.

The following table shows the available servers for Windows in MySQL 5.1.21 and later.

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 5.1 servers have support for symbolic linking of database directories.

MySQL supports TCP/IP on all Windows platforms. MySQL servers on Windows support named pipes as indicated in the following list. However, the default is to use TCP/IP regardless of platform. (Named pipes are slower than TCP/IP in many Windows configurations.)

Use of named pipes is subject to these conditions:

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 5.1. 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 1.6.3, “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 5.1\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: '5.1.73'  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 5.1\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 5.1\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 5.1\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 5.1\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:

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, and can be managed using the service manager framework. 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 5.1\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 5.1\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 5.1\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 5.1\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 5.1\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 5.1\bin\mysqld" --remove

If mysqld is not running as a service, you can start it from the command line. For instructions, see Section 1.6.5, “Starting MySQL Server from the Windows Command Line”.

If you encounter difficulties during installation, see Section 1.7, “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 5.1\bin\mysqlshow"
C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\bin\mysqlshow" -u root mysql
C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\bin\mysqladmin" version status proc
C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\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.