mariadb-install-db

mariadb-install-db initializes the MariaDB data directory and creates the in the database, if they do not exist.

MariaDB uses these tables to manage , , and . It also uses them to provide the data for the command in the client.

mariadb-install-db works by starting MariaDB Server's mariadbd process in mode and sending commands to create the and their content.

Usage

Invoke mariadb-install-db using the following syntax:

Because the MariaDB server (mariadbd) needs to access the data directory when it runs, you should either run mariadb-install-db from the same account that is used for running mariadbd, or run it as root and use the --user option to indicate the username that mariadbd runs as. It might be necessary to specify other options such as --basedir or --datadir if mariadb-install-db does not use the correct locations for the installation directory or data directory. Here is a typical invocation:

Options

mariadb-install-db supports the following options:

--auth-root-authentication-method={normal|socket}

If set to normal, it creates a root@localhost account that authenticates with the authentication plugin and that has no initial password set, which can be insecure. If set to socket, it creates a root@localhost account that authenticates with the authentication plugin. Set to socket by default.

--auth-root-socket-user=username

Used with --auth-root-authentication-method=socket. It specifies the name of the second account to create with privileges in addition to root, as well as of the system account allowed to access it. Defaults to the value of --user.

--basedir=path

The path to the MariaDB installation directory.

--builddir=directory

If using --srcdir with out-of-directory builds, you will need to set this to the location of the build directory where built files reside.

--catalogs=["list"]

Initialize MariaDB for . Argument is a list of the catalogs to create, separated with space or comma. The def catalog is created automatically. This option is available from MariaDB 11.7.

--catalog-user=username

User when adding catalogs to running server. This option is available from MariaDB 11.7.

--catalog-password[=password]

Password for . This option is available from MariaDB 11.7.

--catalog-client-arg=argument

Other arguments to mariadb when adding new . This option is available from MariaDB 11.7.

--cross-bootstrap

For internal use. Used when building the MariaDB system tables on a different host than the target.

--datadir=path, --ldata=path

The path to the MariaDB data directory.

--client-debug

Write commands to-be executed in /tmp/mariadb_install_db.log. This option is available from MariaDB 11.6.

--server-debug

Start mariadbd (server) with --debug.

--defaults-extra-file=file

Read this file after the global files are read. Must be given as the first option.

--defaults-file=file

Only read default options from the given file name. Must be given as the first option.

--defaults-group-suffix=suffix

In addition to the given groups, read also groups with this suffix.

--force

Causes mariadb-install-db to run even if DNS does not work. In that case, grant table entries that normally use host names will use IP addresses.

--no-defaults

Don't read default options from any option file. Must be given as the first option.

--print-defaults

Print the program argument list and exit. Must be given as the first option.

--rpm

For internal use. This option is used by RPM files during the MariaDB installation process.

--skip-name-resolve

Uses IP addresses rather than host names when creating grant table entries. This option can be useful if your DNS does not work.

--skip-test-db

Don't install the test database.

--srcdir=path

For internal use. The path to the MariaDB source directory. This option uses the compiled binaries and support files within the source tree, useful for if you don't want to install MariaDB yet and just want to create the system tables. The directory under which mariadb-install-db looks for support files such as the error message file and the file for populating the help tables.

--user=username

The login username to use for running mariadbd. Files and directories created by mariadbd is owned by this user. You must be root to use this option. By default, mariadbd runs using your current login name and files and directories that it creates is owned by you.

--verbose

Verbose mode. Print more information about what the program does.

--windows

For internal use. This option is used for creating Windows distributions.

Option Files

In addition to reading options from the command line, mariadb-install-db can also read options from . If an unknown option is provided to mariadb-install-db in an option file, then it is ignored.

The following options relate to how MariaDB command line tools handles option files. They must be given as the first argument on the command line:

Option Groups

mariadb-install-db reads options from the following from :

mariadb-install-db also reads options from the following server from :

Installing System Tables

Installing System Tables From a Source Tree

If you have just , and if you want to use mariadb-install-db from your source tree, then that can be done without having to actually install MariaDB. This is very useful if you want to test your changes to MariaDB without disturbing any existing installations of MariaDB.

To do so, you would have to provide the --srcdir option. For example:

Installing System Tables From a Binary Tarball

If you install a package in a non standard path, like your home directory, and if you already have a MariaDB / MySQL package installed, then you may get conflicts with the default /etc/my.cnf. This often results in permissions errors.

One possible solution is to use the --no-defaults option, so that it does not read any . For example:

Another possible solution is to use the defaults-file option, so that you can specify your own . For example:

User Accounts Created by Default

mariadb-install-db sets --auth-root-authentication-method=socket by default. When this is set, the default root@localhost user account is created with the ability to use two :

• First, it is configured to try to use the authentication plugin. This allows the root@localhost user to login without a password via the local Unix socket file defined by the system variable, as long as the login is attempted from a process owned by the operating system root user account.

• Second, if authentication fails with the authentication plugin, then it is configured to try to use the authentication plugin.

The definition of the default root@localhost user account is:

Since mariadb-install-db sets --auth-root-authentication-method=socket by default, the following additional user accounts are not created by default:

• root@127.0.0.1

• root@::1

• root@${current_hostname}

However, an additional user account that is defined by the --auth-root-socket-user option is created. If this option is not set, then the value defaults to the value of the --user option. On most systems, the --user option will use the value of mysql by default, so this additional user account would be called mysql@localhost.

The definition of this mysql@localhost user account is similar to the root@localhost user account:

An invalid password is initially set for both of these user accounts. This means that before a password can be used to authenticate as either of these user accounts, the accounts must first be given a valid password by executing the statement.

For example, here is an example of setting the password for the root@localhost user account immediately after installation:

You may notice in the above example that the command-line client is executed via . This allows the root@localhost user account to successfully authenticate via the authentication plugin.

Troubleshooting Issues

Checking the Error Log

If mariadb-install-db fails, you should examine the in the data directory, which is the directory specified with --datadir option. This should provide a clue about what went wrong.

Testing With mariadbd

You can also test that this is not a general fault of MariaDB Server by trying to start the mariadbd process. The option will tell it to ignore the . Enabling the can help you determine what queries are being run on the server. For example:

At this point, you can use the client to connect to the database and look at the . For example:

Using a Server Compiled With --disable-grant-options

The following only apply in the exceptional case that you are using a mariadbd server which is configured with the --disable-grant-options option:

mariadb-install-db needs to invoke mariadbd with the--bootstrap and --skip-grant-tables options. A MariaDB configured with the --disable-grant-options option has --bootstrap and --skip-grant-tables disabled. To handle this case, set the MYSQLD_BOOTSTRAP environment variable to the full path name of a mariadbd server that is configured without --disable-grant-options. mariadb-install-db will use that server.

The test and test_% Databases

When calling the mariadb-install-db script, a new folder called test is created in the data directory. It only has the single db.opt file, which sets the client options default-character-set and default-collation only.

If you run mysql as an anonymous user, mysql -u''@localhost, and look for the grants and databases you are able to work with, you will get the following:

Shown are the information_schema as well as test databases that are built in databases. But looking from appears to be a paradox; how can the current user see something if they don't have privileges for that?

Let's go a step further. Now, use the root/unix user, which has all rights, in order to create a new database with the prefix test_ , something like:

With the above change, a new directory is created in the data directory. Now login again with the anonymous user and run :

Again we are able to see the newly created database, without any rights? We have an anonymous user that has no privileges, but still can see the test and test_electricity databases. Where does this come from?

Log in with the root/unix user to find out all privileges that the anonymous user has:

As seen above from the table, the anonymous user doesn't have any global privileges. Still, the anonymous user can see databases, so there must be a way so that anonymous user can see the test and test_electricity databases.

Let's check for grants on the database level. That information can be found in the table. Looking at the mysql.db table, it already contains 2 rows created when the mariadb-install-db script was invoked.

The anonymous user has database privileges (without grant, alter_routine and execute) on test and test_% databases:

The first row is reserved for explicit usage for the test database, which is automatically created with mariadb-install-db.

Since database test_electricity satisfies the test_% pattern where test_ is a prefix, we can understand why the user has the right to work with the newly-created database.

As long as records in mysql.db for the anonymous user exists, each new user created will have the privileges for the test and test_% databases.

Other databases privileges are not automatically granted for the newly created user. We have to grant privileges, which is visible in mysql.db table.

Not Creating the test Database and Anonymous User

If you run mariadb-install-db with the --skip-test-db option, no test database is created, which we can see as follows:

Also, no anonymous user is created (only unix/mariadb.sys/root users):

See Also

• The Windows version of mariadb-install-db:

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