Server Command Options be started, because system tables on which the replication internals depend are not updated, and reduced functionality might also be apparent in other areas. The server upgrades the data dictionary, the Performance Schema, and the  INFORMATION_SCHEMA , if necessary (step 1). In addition, the server forces an upgrade of everything else (step 2). Expect server startup to take longer with this option because the server checks all objects in all schemas. FORCE  is useful to force step 2 actions to be performed if the server thinks they are not necessary. For example, you may believe that a system table is missing or has become damaged and want to force a repair. The following table summarizes the actions taken by the server for each option value. Run the  mysqld  server as the user having the name  user_name  or the numeric user ID  user_id . (“User”  in this context refers to a system login account, not a MySQL user listed in the grant tables.) This option is  mandatory  when starting  mysqld  as  root . The server changes its user ID during its startup sequence, causing it to run as that particular user rather than as  root . See Section 6.1.1, “Security Guidelines” . To avoid a possible security hole where a user adds a  --user=root  option to a  my.cnf  file (thus causing the server to run as  root ),  mysqld  uses only the first  --user  option specified and produces a warning if there are multiple  --user  options. Options in  /etc/my.cnf  and  $MYSQL_HOME/my.cnf  are processed before command-line options, so it is recommended that you put a  --user  option in  /etc/ my.cnf  and specify a value other than  root . The option in  /etc/my.cnf  is found before any other  -- user  options, which ensures that the server runs as a user other than  root , and that a warning results if any other  --user  option is found. Validate the server startup configuration. If no errors are found, the server terminates with an exit code of 0. If an error is found, the server displays a diagnostic message and terminates with an exit code of 1. Warning and information messages may also be displayed, depending on the  log_error_verbosity 760 • --validate-config • --user={ user_name | user_id } ,  -u { user_name | user_id } • FORCE Option Value Server Performs Step 1? Server Performs Step 2? AUTO If necessary If necessary NONE No No MINIMAL If necessary No FORCE If necessary Yes Command-Line Format --user=name Type String Command-Line Format --validate-config[={OFF|ON}] Introduced 8.0.16 Type Boolean Default Value OFF