Deciding On an Installation Method: Pros and Cons

only for RuBoard - do not distribute or recompile

Deciding On an Installation Method: Pros and Cons

For starters and demo projects, I recommend the Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) method. It is quick and works well. Defaults are preset so that you can see how the databases are structured after they are installed. Installing from binaries and from source are the other options. You might install from binaries if you have a predefined need to put MySQL somewhere in a location other than the default. Install from source if you have a very advanced need or you just like the pain.

RPM: The Quickest and Easiest

This section explains what RPM is and why you should care about it. The RPM is the closest thing the Linux world has to an installer/ uninstaller , which everyone in the Windows world is familiar with. Obviously, it can be used on Red Hat systems, but it can also be used on Caldera and SuSE (and Mandrake, which is built on Red Hat). For other distributions, check the vendor s system documentation.

In addition to installing and uninstalling, RPM can be used to verify a package, query it, or identify dependencies. It is more flexible and powerful than most of the installer programs for Windows, but it is still very easy for the beginner to use. More software needs to be built this way: powerful enough for the power user , but simple enough for the newbie.

RPM maintains an embedded database as part of the package (not of the MySQL variety, though) that lists which packages are installed, where, and so on. You can query this database to see information on your system, use RPM to help update a new software package, and perform other related functions.

Just as in the Windows world, it is not absolutely necessary that you use an installer. You can copy files, make Registry entries, and so on. In Linux, this is called installing from binaries. See the next section for more information on that type of installation.

Binaries

For systems that don t support RPM or require more installation customization, you can install from binaries. This means you will be installing the precompiled application and support files, which are normally downloaded in a *.tar.gz file. Because this is a quick and dirty section, I won t cover this installation method. Simply be aware that if you need more customization in areas such as the location in the directory tree of certain files, this method is available to you. For instructions, go to the MySQL Web site or pick up full-blown book on MySQL, such as Paul DuBois MySQL (New Riders Publishing, 2000).

However, for 99% of all installations, the following command sequence should work:

 % gunzip < mysql-distribution.tar.gz  tar xf - % cd mysql-distribution  % scripts/mysql_install_db  % bin/safe_mysqld & 

If this fails you, check the documentation that came with MySQL or the Web site for help.

Source ”For Experts Only

Although it is possible to recompile the application from the source code, this is not something a Linux newbie should tackle. Although it is possible to install MySQL from the source code, I am also not going to cover this. First, the need to do so is very rare, and second, I have never had any reason to do it. The only reasons I have heard of others doing this was for something like a single-purpose machine, in which case performance is the driving parameter and they probably have recompiled their kernel also to support that end. If you have a reason to tweak the source code to MySQL, you have moved way beyond the scope of this book. Just know that it is possible if you want to do it.

only for RuBoard - do not distribute or recompile


MySQL Building User Interfaces
MySQL: Building User Interfaces (Landmark)
ISBN: 073571049X
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2001
Pages: 119

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