Learning MySQL

Starting the Monitor

The monitor program is called simply mysql and is found in a directory with the other MySQL programs. The exact location depends on your operating system and how you chose to install MySQL; we considered some of these in Error Message About MySQL Executable Programs Not Being Found or Recognized,” in Chapter 2.

If your MySQL server isn’t already running, start it using the appropriate procedure for your setup as discussed in Chapter 2. Now, follow these steps to start the monitor and connect to your MySQL server as the MySQL administrator (the MySQL root user) by typing this from the command line:

$ mysql --user=root

If you followed our instructions in Chapter 2, the MySQL root account is protected by the password you chose earlier, and so you’ll get a message saying that you’ve been denied access to the server. If your server has a password, you should specify the password as follows:

$ mysql --user=root --password=the_mysql_root_password

If you get a message from the operating system saying that it can’t find the MySQL program, you’ll need to specify the full path to the mysql executable file as discussed in Error Message About MySQL Executable Programs Not Being Found or Recognized.”

If you used a nonstandard socket file when starting your server, you’ll need to provide the details to any MySQL client programs you run, including mysql. For example, you might type:

$ mysql \
 --socket=server_socket \
 --user=root \
 --password=the_mysql_root_password

If you’re trying ...