While it is possible to use the source code to build a special version of MySQL containing the InnoDB Plugin, we recommend you install the binary shared library for the InnoDB Plugin instead, without building from source. Replacing the shared library is simpler and much less error prone than building from source.

The InnoDB Plugin is included in the MySQL distribution, starting from MySQL 5.1.38. From MySQL 5.1.46 and up, this is the only download location for the InnoDB Plugin; it is not available from the InnoDB web site. If you used any scripts or configuration files with the earlier InnoDB Plugin from the InnoDB web site, be aware that the filename of the shared library as supplied by MySQL is ha_innodb_plugin.so or ha_innodb_plugin.dll, as opposed to ha_innodb.so or ha_innodb.dll in the older Plugin downloaded from the InnoDB web site. You might need to change the applicable file names in your startup or configuration scripts.

This discussion pertains to using the InnoDB Plugin with the MySQL Community Edition, whether source or binary. Except for download locations for MySQL software, the procedures documented here should work without change when you use MySQL Enterprise.

Whether you dynamically install the binary InnoDB Plugin or build from source, configure MySQL by editing the configuration file to use InnoDB as the default engine (if desired) and set appropriate configuration parameters to enable use of new InnoDB Plugin features, as described in Section 9.5, “Configuring the InnoDB Plugin”.

At this time, the InnoDB Plugin has not been compiled or tested with the Intel C Compiler (icc), so you should use a version of MySQL compiled with the GNU Compiler Collection (gcc).