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2.7. Installation Layouts

This section describes the default layout of the directories created by installing binary or source distributions provided by Oracle Corporation. A distribution provided by another vendor might use a layout different from those shown here.

For MySQL 5.0 on Windows, the default installation directory is C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0. (Some Windows users prefer to install in C:\mysql, the directory that formerly was used as the default. However, the layout of the subdirectories remains the same.) The installation directory has the following subdirectories:

Table 2.2. MySQL Installation Layout for Windows

Directory Contents of Directory
bin Client programs and the mysqld server
data Log files, databases
examples Example programs and scripts
include Include (header) files
lib Libraries
scripts Utility scripts
share Miscellaneous support files, including error messages, character set files, sample configuration files, SQL for database installation

Installations created from our Linux RPM distributions result in files under the following system directories:

Table 2.3. MySQL Installation Layout for Linux RPM

Directory Contents of Directory
/usr/bin Client programs and scripts
/usr/sbin The mysqld server
/var/lib/mysql Log files, databases
/usr/share/info Manual in Info format
/usr/share/man Unix man pages
/usr/include/mysql Include (header) files
/usr/lib/mysql Libraries
/usr/share/mysql Miscellaneous support files, including error messages, character set files, sample configuration files, SQL for database installation
/usr/share/sql-bench Benchmarks

On Unix, a tar file binary distribution is installed by unpacking it at the installation location you choose (typically /usr/local/mysql) and creates the following directories in that location:

Table 2.4. MySQL Installation Layout for Generic Unix/Linux Binary Package

Directory Contents of Directory
bin Client programs and the mysqld server
data Log files, databases
docs Manual in Info format
man Unix manual pages
include Include (header) files
lib Libraries
scripts mysql_install_db
share/mysql Miscellaneous support files, including error messages, character set files, sample configuration files, SQL for database installation
sql-bench Benchmarks

By default, when you install MySQL after compiling it from a source distribution, the installation step installs files under /usr/local. Components are installed in the directories shown in the following table. To configure particular installation locations, use the options described at Section 2.17.3, “MySQL Source-Configuration Options”.

Table 2.5. MySQL Layout for Installation from Source

Directory Contents of Directory
bin Client programs and scripts
include/mysql Include (header) files
Docs Manual in Info format
man Unix manual pages
lib/mysql Libraries
libexec The mysqld server
share/mysql Miscellaneous support files, including error messages, character set files, sample configuration files, SQL for database installation
sql-bench Benchmarks
var Log files, databases

Within its installation directory, the layout of a source installation differs from that of a binary installation in the following ways:

  • The mysqld server is installed in the libexec directory rather than in the bin directory.

  • The data directory is var rather than data.

  • mysql_install_db is installed in the bin directory rather than in the scripts directory.

  • The header file and library directories are include/mysql and lib/mysql rather than include and lib.

To create your own binary installation from a compiled source distribution, execute the scripts/make_binary_distribution script from the top directory of the source distribution.

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