Database Reference
In-Depth Information
MySQL installation files. Double-click on it to start the installation. From this point, the
installation process is pretty much the same for both types of packages.
After you've started the installation, once you get past the licensing question and so forth,
you will be given a few choices of which type of installation. The
Developer
choice is the
recommended one. However, it will not install the files need for an API, or some other
utilities. It will install the MySQL server, libraries, and several MySQL clients on your
computer. This is probably the best choice. However, if you're installing the software on a
server and you will be connecting to it from a different computer such as your deskop,
you could select “Server only” to install the MySQL server on your server. If you do so,
run the installer on your desktop machine and select “Client only” to install only the
MySQL clients locally. The MySQL files aren't very large, though. You could also install
the “Server only” on your server and the Developer package on your desktop. This would
allow you to use your desktop as a development environment to learn and test a database
before uploading it to your server and making it active. Choose the packages and combin-
ations that work best for you. Just be sure to have both the MySQL server and the MySQL
clients installed somewhere that you can access them.
On the same screen where you choose the setup type, there will be two boxes for file
paths: one where you install the utilities and the other where MySQL stores your data.
You can accept the default paths for these or change them, if you want to use a different
hard drive or location. The default settings are usually fine. Just make a copy of the paths
somewhere, because you may want to know this information later. You can find it later in
the configuration file for MySQL, but while it's handy now, copy it down: it might save
you some time later.
Next, the installer will check whether your computer has the required additional files, be-
sides the MySQL package. Allow it to install whatever files it says you need. For the TAR
package, you will have to decide which directory to use and put the files where you want
them. A typical choice is
C:\Program Data\MySQL\
for the installation path, and
C:\Program Data\MySQL\MySQL Server
version
\data\
for the data path, where the
word
version
is replaced with the version number.
The last section before the installer finishes is the Configuration screen, where you can set
some configuration options. If you want to set options, you can check the box labeled Ad-
vanced Configuration, but because you're still learning about MySQL, you should leave
this unchecked and accept the basic default settings for now. You can change the server
settings later.
If you're installing the MySQL server on this machine and not just the clients, you will
see a “Start the MySQL Server at System Startup” checkbox. It is a good idea to check
