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2.4.8.11. Starting MySQL as a Windows Service

On the NT family (Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003), the recommended way to run MySQL is to install it as a Windows service, whereby MySQL starts and stops automatically when Windows starts and stops. A MySQL server installed as a service can also be controlled from the command line using NET commands, or with the graphical Services utility.

The Services utility (the Windows Service Control Manager) can be found in the Windows Control Panel (under Administrative Tools on Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003). To avoid conflicts, it is advisable to close the Services utility while performing server installation or removal operations from the command line.

Before installing MySQL as a Windows service, you should first stop the current server if it is running by using the following command: 

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqladmin" -u root shutdown

Note: If the MySQL root user account has a password, you need to invoke mysqladmin with the -p option and supply the password when prompted.

This command invokes the MySQL administrative utility mysqladmin to connect to the server and tell it to shut down. The command connects as the MySQL root user, which is the default administrative account in the MySQL grant system. Note that users in the MySQL grant system are wholly independent from any login users under Windows.

Install the server as a service using this command: 

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqld" --install

The service-installation command does not start the server. Instructions for that are given later in this section.

To make it easier to invoke MySQL programs, you can add the pathname of the MySQL bin directory to your Windows system PATH environment variable:

  • On the Windows desktop, right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties

  • Next select the Advanced tab from the System Properties menu that appears, and click the Environment Variables button.

  • Under System Variables, select Path, and then click the Edit button. The Edit System Variable dialogue should appear.

  • Place your cursor at the end of the text appearing in the space marked Variable Value. (Use the End key to ensure that your cursor is positioned at the very end of the text in this space.) Then enter the complete pathname of your MySQL bin directory (for example, C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin), Note that there should be a semicolon separating this path from any values present in this field. Dismiss this dialogue, and each dialogue in turn, by clicking OK until all of the dialogues that were opened have been dismissed. You should now be able to invoke any MySQL executable program by typing its name at the DOS prompt from any directory on the system, without having to supply the path. This includes the servers, the mysql client, and all MySQL command-line utilities such as mysqladmin and mysqldump.

    You should not add the MySQL bin directory to your Windows PATH if you are running multiple MySQL servers on the same machine.

Warning: You must exercise great care when editing your system PATH by hand; accidental deletion or modification of any portion of the existing PATH value can leave you with a malfunctioning or even unusable system.

The following additional arguments can be used in MySQL 5.0 when installing the service:

  • You can specify a service name immediately following the --install option. The default service name is MySQL.

  • If a service name is given, it can be followed by a single option. By convention, this should be --defaults-file=file_name to specify the name of an option file from which the server should read options when it starts.

    It is possible to use a single option other than --defaults-file, but this is discouraged. --defaults-file is more flexible because it enables you to specify multiple startup options for the server by placing them in the named option file. Also, in MySQL 5.0, use of an option different from --defaults-file is not supported until 5.0.3.

  • As of MySQL 5.0.1, you can also specify a --local-service option following the service name. This causes the server to run using the LocalService Windows account that has limited system privileges. This account is available only for Windows XP or newer. If both --defaults-file and --local-service are given following the service name, they can be in any order.

For a MySQL server that is installed as a Windows service, the following rules determine the service name and option files that the server uses:

  • If the service-installation command specifies no service name or the default service name (MySQL) following the --install option, the server uses the a service name of MySQL and reads options from the [mysqld] group in the standard option files.

  • If the service-installation command specifies a service name other than MySQL following the --install option, the server uses that service name. It reads options from the group that has the same name as the service, and reads options from the standard option files.

    The server also reads options from the [mysqld] group from the standard option files. This allows you to use the [mysqld] group for options that should be used by all MySQL services, and an option group with the same name as a service for use by the server installed with that service name.

  • If the service-installation command specifies a --defaults-file option after the service name, the server reads options only from the [mysqld] group of the named file and ignores the standard option files.

As a more complex example, consider the following command: 

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqld"
          --install MySQL --defaults-file=C:\my-opts.cnf

Here, the default service name (MySQL) is given after the --install option. If no --defaults-file option had been given, this command would have the effect of causing the server to read the [mysqld] group from the standard option files. However, because the --defaults-file option is present, the server reads options from the [mysqld] option group, and only from the named file.

You can also specify options as Start parameters in the Windows Services utility before you start the MySQL service.

Once a MySQL server has been installed as a service, Windows starts the service automatically whenever Windows starts. The service also can be started immediately from the Services utility, or by using a NET START MySQL command. The NET command is not case sensitive.

When run as a service, mysqld has no access to a console window, so no messages can be seen there. If mysqld does not start, check the error log to see whether the server wrote any messages there to indicate the cause of the problem. The error log is located in the MySQL data directory (for example, C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\data). It is the file with a suffix of .err.

When a MySQL server has been installed as a service, and the service is running, Windows stops the service automatically when Windows shuts down. The server also can be stopped manually by using the Services utility, the NET STOP MySQL command, or the mysqladmin shutdown command.

You also have the choice of installing the server as a manual service if you do not wish for the service to be started automatically during the boot process. To do this, use the --install-manual option rather than the --install option: 

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqld" --install-manual

To remove a server that is installed as a service, first stop it if it is running by executing NET STOP MySQL. Then use the --remove option to remove it: 

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqld" --remove

If mysqld is not running as a service, you can start it from the command line. For instructions, see Section 2.4.8.10, “Starting MySQL from the Windows Command Line”.

Please see Section 2.4.8.13, “Troubleshooting a MySQL Installation Under Windows”, if you encounter difficulties during installation.


User Comments

Posted by Leonardo Diaz on July 29 2005 5:20pm[Delete] [Edit]

Be nice and do what it says. READ the error log.
The system error 1067 seems generic. If your problems says something like:

InnoDB: Error: log file .\ib_logfile{0,1} is of different size 0 0 bytes
InnoDB: than specified in the .cnf file 0 10485760 bytes!
050729 12:07:40 [ERROR] Can't init databases
050729 12:07:40 [ERROR] Aborting

Go ahead and delete both files. Yes, BOTH. They will be recreated with the right size, and the server will star cleanly.

Posted by Rob Thijssen on March 15 2006 1:22pm[Delete] [Edit]

I am happy to report that MySQL Server 5.0 installs and runs correctly on Windows Vista (December 05 CTP).

I installed using the msi download. Configuration failed initially because of a permissions issue but re-running the configuration tool from a cmd prompt with "run elevated" let me continue through the my.ini config and started the MySQL service.

Posted by Barry Burns on April 15 2006 9:35am[Delete] [Edit]

I attempted to install Mysql 5.0 for 64 bit on Windows Server 2003 64-bit edition. The installation package seems to have some issues on this platform. I was unable to get the MySQL daemon to run, for one thing; another, the auto-config wizard bailed at the end with a message about being unable to load libmysql.dll (despite copying it to c:\windows, c:\windows\system32, and c:\windows\syswow64). In addition, it didn't generate any log files or event log entries beyond simply telling me that "The MySQL service terminated unexpectedly." just after it entered the running state.

I was, however, able to install from the no-install ZIP without a hitch.

Posted by arshia attar on April 16 2006 10:21am[Delete] [Edit]

Ok this is the way I installed mysql in my windows xp.
-downloaded the mysql-noinstall-5.0.20-win32.zip
-unziped it under c:\mysql. now my new path to mysql is: C:\mysql\mysql-5.0.20-win32
- I added the C:\mysql\mysql-5.0.20-win32\bin into my windowsxp path.
- started the server for the first time as I mentioned in section:
2.3.9. Starting the Server for the First Time
- Added the mysql as a service to windowsxp with using one of pre-configured ".ini" (option file, see 2.3.7. Creating an Option File) files in "C:\mysql\mysql-5.0.20-win32" path.
as the following:
C:\mysql\mysql-5.0.20-win32\bin>mysqld-nt --install mysql5

--defaults-file=C:\mysql\mysql-5.0.20-win32\my-small.ini
- then test the service by using:
C:\mysql\mysql-5.0.20-win32\bin>mysqlshow -u root mysql
>>> resutl <<<
Database: mysql

+---------------------------+
|          Tables           |
+---------------------------+
| columns_priv              |
| db                        |
| func                      |
| help_category             |
| help_keyword              |
| help_relation             |
| help_topic                |
| host                      |
| proc                      |
| procs_priv                |
| tables_priv               |
| time_zone                 |
| time_zone_leap_second     |
| time_zone_name            |
| time_zone_transition      |
| time_zone_transition_type |
| user                      |
+---------------------------+

Posted by Phil Collett on November 8 2006 7:18am[Delete] [Edit]

Watch out for windows defender blocking mysqld --install.
took me a minute, but as I was just tinkering after a webcast with --log="path" on my install and it worked fine before I tracked it down in event log.
(allow in control panel->system explorer/windows defender)

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