Appendix B: Installing MySQL

This appendix is a quick-start guide to installing and running MySQL on Windows and Linux/ Unix. To start, download the appropriate MySQL installer from http://mysql.com/downloads/. Windows users have a choice of an MSI installer or a zipped file. Linux and Unix users have a huge array of binary installations as well as the source code.

Installing MySQL on Windows

If you’re using the installer, unzip the file to a suitable location and double-click the setup program in your desktop or Windows Explorer. After reading the standard introductory screens, choose the directory in which to install MySQL. Unless you have a really good reason not to, it’s better to install it in the default directory. On the next screen, choose the Typical installation unless you’re extremely short of space on your hard drive.

As with Tomcat, Windows 9x/ME users will need to run the mysqld.exe program as an application, but Windows NT/2000/XP users have the option to install it as a service. You can unzip and use the zipped file without using an installer.

To test the installation, open a DOS prompt and run the following command (run all commands from the bin subdirectory of the MySQL installation):

 > mysqlshow 

This will list the databases that come with MySQL. You’re now ready to work with MySQL, so you can skip ahead to the “Working with MySQL” section.