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All Good:

Mysql server installed just fine by using the following command:

sudo apt-get install mysql-server

During installation I was prompted to choose a root password. After install I was able to log in to mysql monitor using this command:

mysql -u root -p

and when prompted I entered the password and logged in successfully.


When I reboot my server and then try to login to mysql monitor, upon entering the password I get this error:


When I look in /var/run/mysqld/ I do not see any file called mysqld.sock. Previously before the reboot there was a file by that name in that location. It was also highlighted red in my client shell program (mRemoteNG).

If I try to create that file by doing:

sudo touch mysqld.sock

It does get created but it isn't highlighted red, and when I try to login again, I get the same error as before.

I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling mysql and mysql-server countless times and the same issue arises every time.

I also tried stropping and starting mysql service and that didn't make any difference.


I am only prompted to choose a password during the very 1st install of mysql-server on a clean Ubuntu install. After that whenever I uninstall and reinstall it, it doesn't prompt me to choose a password, just says it has been installed successfully.


How to properly install mysql-server so that it will always be there even after rebooting the server?

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4 Answers 4

The way to get mysql-server installed and running on Debian or Ubuntu is literally apt-get install mysql-server.

If that doesn't work you have another problem, best solved by going to the logs and trying to work out why it doesn't start - the problem is absolutely not how you installed it.

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Make sure it's configured to start up properly upon reboot. This typically means running "update-rc.d mysqld defaults" (or something very similar). update-rc.d will create symlinks from /etc/init.d to the startup script directories, e.g., /etc/rc3.d.

I don't know if mysqld starts off using Upstart on your version of Ubuntu. There will be a similar process to get the mysqld start script into /etc/init in that case.

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Depends on the distro, you shouldn't need to manually create the socket file.

Use chkconfig (CentOS):

chkconfig --level 345 mysqld on

Or create a symlink to the run levels you want the service executed on:

# Mysql Startup
ln -s /etc/init.d/mysqld /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S85mysqld
ln -s /etc/init.d/mysqld /etc/rc.d/rc4.d/S85mysqld
ln -s /etc/init.d/mysqld /etc/rc.d/rc5.d/S85mysqld

# MySQL clean shutdown
ln -s /etc/init.d/mysqld /etc/rc.d/rc0.d/K85mysqld
ln -s /etc/init.d/mysqld /etc/rc.d/rc6.d/K85mysqld

When you say you've tried starting/stoping the service and that didn't do in anything, do you mean that: It did nothing in terms of auto-starting after reboot, or that it did nothing in terms of starting the mysql service period?

EDIT: Just realized you tagged the post with Ubuntu, Checkout Ubuntu's upstart scripts if you are on 10.04+, seems like aptitude should have dropped one in for you upon installation. Checkout the logs in /var/log/mysql(d) also if you think it's configured to autostart and is failing to do so.

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First, delete the mysqld.sock file you created - the server will create that automatically, and having a file there may cause it not to start anymore.

Install it with apt-get install mysql-server (like you said).

Reboot. If it's not running after the reboot, do "sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start"

Check that it's running now. If not, look in /var/log/mysql and /var/log/daemon.log for any error messages

To make it always start on boot, run "update-rc.d mysql defaults"

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