MySQL Options

To start MySQL you simply specify mysql in a console window and press Return. The mysql programs are normally installed in the directory /usr/bin, so that it is unnecessary to provide the name of the directory.

When you start mysql you can use various options. To get a connection to the server you generally need two options, namely, -u name -p. The following list describes these and a few additional options and also gives some background information. These options are not only for mysql, but also for mysqladmin, mysqldump, and most other command tools.

-u name or —user=name: This option specifies which MySQL user name you wish to use. Depending on how MySQL is configured, there can be many MySQL users (see also Chapter 11). If no users have yet been set up or if you have administrative tasks to perform, use the user name root.

This user exists in every MySQL installation and is considered the system administrator.
If you omit the option -u, then under Unix/Linux the current login name will be used, while
under Windows, it will be ODBC. A login is possible only if users with these names have been
set up on the MySQL server.