Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
$
ln --symbolic ~/mysql-5.0.22 ~/mysql
and refer to the directory as
~/mysql
.
Again, using a symbolic link in this way allows you to configure and use different ver-
sions of MySQL on a system, with the symbolic link pointing to the directory containing
the version you want to use.
Note that the configuration process assumes default values for anything that you don't
specify. For example, you can explicitly set the data directory, TCP port, and socket
file (more about these later):
$
./configure \
--prefix=/home/adam/mysql \
--localstatedir=/home/adam/mysql/data \
--with-unix-socket-path=/home/adam/mysql/mysql.sock \
--with-tcp-port=53306
However, we recommend you compile only with the prefix directory specified. You
can then modify other settings by passing options to MySQL from the command line;
we explain how to do this in “Configuring a local server,” later in this chapter. Even
better, you can specify the options in an options file as described in Chapter 11.
Installing MySQL, Apache, PHP, and Perl on Linux Using Distribution
Packages
Almost all distributions include packaged versions of the main pieces of software that
you need to follow this topic: MySQL, the Apache web server, and support for the PHP
and Perl scripting languages. In this section, we'll explain how to install these if they're
not already present on your Linux system.
The three main distributions we'll cover are Red Hat, Mandriva, and Debian, as well
as distributions associated with these, including Fedora, Mandrake, Ubuntu, and
Knoppix. These are very widely used, and are well supported by the distributors and
by the general Linux community. Configured correctly, they can automatically fetch
and install the required software from the installation media or from the Internet.
Most distributions have an easy-to-use graphical package-management tool that you
can use, but the command-line tools are generally more reliable, and we feel you'll
better understand how things fit together by carrying out the installation from the
command line.
Installation on Red Hat and Fedora Core
Red Hat is probably the most famous Linux distribution, and Fedora Core is the cut-
ting-edge version of Red Hat's Enterprise Linux distribution. If you're installing one of
these two from scratch, select the Custom installation option and, when you see the
package-selection list like that shown in Figure 2-5, select (put a checkmark) next to
