MySQL root password and other configuration issues Options

[Christian J]

I'm finally going to try learning MySQL, and have installed a MySQL server on my computer (Windows with Apache and PHP). After some confusion I found that in order to succeed with PHP mysql_connect() I needed the username "root" and the MySQL root password created during the installation. Related questions:

- Is a root password necessary or useful on an offline testing server? Is it practical to make a new user account (with passwords?) in addition to root for each site I'm testing offline?

- Any other security precautions? For example there's a "skip-networking" directive, which stops MySQL from listening on a TCP/IP port.

- In phpinfo.php the "mysql.default_user" and "mysql.default_password" directives are listed. What are they used for? Apparently they're not the same as the MySQL root and password.

- What is http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.sql.safe-mode used for? When enabled mysql_connect() fails, apparently because it makes PHP ignore my root password. So when do you use safe mode --when passwords are not used (sounds contradictory)?

- Anything else to think of, so that my offline configurations won't differ too much from what online webhosts look like? I don't have any web host offering MySQL, so I can't check.

[Brian Chandler]

The short answers is that I don't know: I use mysql on my hosting service (pair), and am saved having to administer the db server.

For each DB I create (using the pair web interface) I get new user names (actually three: full, read-write, and read-only) and passwords. I *guess* that you need the mysql _root_ password to do things like Create new database.

In phpinfo.php the "mysql.default_user" and "mysql.default_password" directives are listed. What are they used for?

I guess (again) that these are defaults php will use to connect to mysql. In a low/zero security system this would mean you don't need to suppy them to the mysql_connect() function. Perhaps?

At some stage I must have an offline system for testing my shop. I would be grateful to hear any feedback on how you get on.

[Christian J]

I use mysql on my hosting service (pair), and am saved having to administer the db server.

Does that mean you must test DB-related PHP scripts online too, or are there tricks you can use to test without uploading them (like temporarily substituting the DB data with e.g. a PHP array)? If so maybe I don't really need an offline DB.

I guess (again) that these are defaults php will use to connect to mysql. In a low/zero security system this would mean you don't need to suppy them to the mysql_connect() function. Perhaps?

Could be. Can't remember if the root password was mandatory during the MySQL installation, if not the PHP defaults make sense.

At some stage I must have an offline system for testing my shop. I would be grateful to hear any feedback on how you get on.

So far it's just as terrible as I recalled it was last time I tried (and gave up). Can't even find a link to the MySQL manual on the site (Google found it though).

[pandy]

I've never set up MySQL locally. It's been years since I even had Apache installed. Not much point anymore when it's almost as quick to play on the remote server with the advantage of being in the environment the stuff is supposed to work in all along.

[Christian J]

Not much point anymore when it's almost as quick to play on the remote server with the advantage of being in the environment the stuff is supposed to work in all along.

That sounds pretty persuasive, but how about fixing errors on published pages? I rather do things like that offline, without any stress. When it comes to databases coding mistakes may even distort the data, so again it may be safer to work with a dummy DB offline.