Miscellaneous: Mysql: Change the location of mysql databases
(last edit: 2001-03-18)
                   You want to change the location of the mysql databases which is by default /var/db/mysql. 

safe_mysqld
If you start the mysql deamon with '/usr/local/bin/safe_mysqld' than you can just edit 
this script and change the variable (it's in the begining of the script) 'DATADIR'.

mysqld
If you start the mysql deamon with 'mysqld':

<http://www.mysql.com/php/manual.php?section=Option_files>

Make a 'my.cnf' file, put it in /usr/local/etc and make sure it looks like this:

[client]
port            = 3306
socket          = /tmp/mysql.sock

# The MySQL server
[mysqld]
port            = 3306
socket          = /tmp/mysql.sock
skip-locking
set-variable    = key_buffer=16M
set-variable    = max_allowed_packet=1M
set-variable    = thread_stack=128K
datadir		= [datadir]
# Start logging
log

[mysqldump]
quick
set-variable    = max_allowed_packet=16M

[mysql]
no-auto-rehash

[isamchk]
set-variable    = key_buffer=16M


MySQL reads default options from the following files on Unix: 

 Filename             Purpose 
 --------------------------------------------
 /etc/my.cnf          Global options 
 DATADIR/my.cnf       Server-specific options 
 ~/.my.cnf            User-specific options 

The following programs support option files: 

mysql, 
mysqladmin, 
mysqld, 
mysqldump, 
mysqlimport, 
mysql.server, 
myisamchk,
myisampack. 

You can use option files to specify any long option that a program supports! Run the 
program with --help to get a list of available options. 

An option file can contain lines of the following forms: 

#comment 
     Comment lines start with `#' or `;'. Empty lines are ignored. 
[group] 
     group is the name of the program or group for which you want to set options. After a 
     group line, any option or set-variable lines apply to the named group until the end 
     of the option file or another group line is given. 

option=value 
     This is equivalent to --option=value on the command line. 

set-variable = variable=value 
     This is equivalent to --set-variable variable=value on the command line. This syntax
     must be used to set a mysqld variable. 

The client group allows you to specify options that apply to all MySQL clients (not 
mysqld). This is the perfect group to use to specify the password you use to connect to 
the server. (But make sure the option file is readable and writable only to yourself.) 

Note that for options and values, all leading and trailing blanks are automatically deleted.
You may use the escape sequences `\b', `\t', `\n', `\r', `\\' and `\s' in your value 
string (`\s' == blank). 

If you have a source distribution, you will find sample configuration files named 
`my-xxxx.cnf' in the `support-files' directory. If you have a binary distribution, look in
the `DIR/share/mysql' directory, where DIR is the pathname to the MySQL installation 
directory (typically `/usr/local'). 

See mysqld --help for more options:

Usage: ./mysqld [OPTIONS]

  -b, --basedir=path    Path to installation directory. All paths are
                        usually resolved relative to this
  --big-tables          Allow big result sets by saving all temporary sets
                        on file (Solves most 'table full' errors)
  --bind-address=IP     Ip address to bind to
  --bootstrap           Used by mysql installation scripts
  --chroot=path         Chroot mysqld daemon during startup
  -h, --datadir=path    Path to the database root
  --enable-locking      Enable system locking
  -T, --exit-info       Print some debug info at exit
  -?, --help            Display this help and exit
  -L, --language=...    Client error messages in given language. May be
                        given as a full path
  -l, --log[=file]      Log connections and queries to file
  --log-update[=file]   Log updates to file.# where # is a unique number
                        if not given.
  --log-isam[=file]     Log all isam changes to file
  --log-long-format     Log some extra information to update log
  --low-priority-insert Inserts has lower priority than selects
  --pid-file=path       Pid file used by safe_mysqld
  -P, --port=...        Port number to use for connection
  -n, --new             Use very new possible 'unsafe' functions
  -o, --old-protocol    Use the old (3.20) protocol
  --one-thread          Only use one thread (for debugging under Linux)
  -O, --set-variable var=option
                        Give a variable an value. --help lists variables
  -Sg, --skip-grant-tables
                        Start without grant tables. This gives all users
                        FULL ACCESS to all tables!
  --safe-mode           Skip some optimize stages (for testing)
  --skip-locking        Don't use system locking. To use isamchk one has
                        to shut down the server.
  --skip-name-resolve   Don't resolve hostnames.
                        All hostnames are IP's or 'localhost'
  --skip-networking     Don't allow connection with TCP/IP.
  --skip-new            Don't use new, possible wrong routines.
  --skip-host-cache     Don't cache host names
  --skip-thread-priority
                        Don't give threads different priorities.
  --socket=...          Socket file to use for connection
  -t, --tmpdir=path     Path for temporary files
  -u, --user=user_name  Run mysqld daemon as user
  -V, --version         output version information and exit