Appendix A. Troubleshooting

Like any software, MySQL can occasionally cause those bang-your-head-against-the-wall moments, so this book includes a troubleshooting appendix to help address the most common problems. On the bright side, once it gets going, MySQL tends to run for extended periods of time with few to no issues. On the other hand, sometimes getting the server itself to start, before you even attempt to connect to it, can be unduly troublesome.

This section of the book will address the most frequently witnessed problems, giving a sense of what the cause is and what can be done to remedy the situation. As you might expect, you can always turn to the MySQL manual (or visit your friendly neighborhood search engine) for a more complete list of problems and solutions. In fact, the first appendix in the MySQL manual is also about troubleshooting.

I'll go through this appendix in rough sequential order: installing MySQL, starting it, accessing MySQL using a client or programming language, and debugging odd query results. The appendix ends with two specific issues that you hopefully may not face.