MySQL Bugs: #29854: mysqld --help --verbose retuns [ERROR] instead of printing help

Bug #29854	mysqld --help --verbose retuns [ERROR] instead of printing help
Submitted:	17 Jul 2007 19:05	Modified:	5 Dec 2007 18:56
Reporter:	Jan Kneschke	Email Updates:
Status:	Verified	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Options	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	5.1.19, 5.1 BK	OS:	Any
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
If the configuration files of the mysqld are broken, you can't call the help. 

The configuration is evaluated and verified it is valid before the --help is executed. This makes finding the right options impossible and is a chicken-egg problem:

To fix the problem, you need the help. To get the help, you first have to fix the problem.

How to repeat:
Start mysqld as normal user outside the datadir.

$ /usr/sbin/mysqld --help --verbose
070717 21:02:01 [Warning] options --log-slow-admin-statements and --log-queries-not-using-indexes have no effect if --log-slow-queries is not set
070717 21:02:01 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/jan-dev.lower-test
070717 21:02:01 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/jan-dev.lower-test
/usr/sbin/mysqld: File './hostname-bin.index' not found (Errcode: 13)
070717 21:02:01 [ERROR] Aborting

070717 21:02:01 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld: Shutdown complete

Suggested fix:
Don't fail on fatal config errors when --help is called. 

If you ignore the config-files with --no-defaults, it works:

$ /usr/sbin/mysqld --no-defaults --help --verbose

Thank you for the report.

But version 5.1.19 is old and I can not repeat described behaviour with development sources.

Please try with current version 5.1.20 and if you can repeat attach your configuration file.

Thank you for the report.

Verified using last BK sources.

To repeat:

$bin/mysql_install_db --basedir=. --datadir=./bug29854
Installing MySQL system tables...
070718 12:28:14 [Note] Plugin 'InnoDB' disabled by command line option
OK
Filling help tables...
070718 12:28:17 [Note] Plugin 'InnoDB' disabled by command line option
OK

To start mysqld at boot time you have to copy
support-files/mysql.server to the right place for your system

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SET A PASSWORD FOR THE MySQL root USER !
To do so, start the server, then issue the following commands:
./bin/mysqladmin -u root password 'new-password'
./bin/mysqladmin -u root -h shella.mysql.com password 'new-password'
See the manual for more instructions.
You can start the MySQL daemon with:
cd /users/ssmirnova/build/mysql-5.1 ; ./bin/mysqld_safe &

You can test the MySQL daemon with mysql-test-run.pl
cd mysql-test ; perl mysql-test-run.pl

Please report any problems with the /users/ssmirnova/build/mysql-5.1/bin/mysqlbug script!

The latest information about MySQL is available on the web at
http://www.mysql.com
Support MySQL by buying support/licenses at http://shop.mysql.com

$chmod -R 000 bug29854/
chmod: `bug29854/': Permission denied

$libexec/mysqld --no-defaults --help --log-bin=./bug29854/foo --datadir=bug29854 --verbose
070718 12:28:26 [Warning] Can't create test file /users/ssmirnova/build/mysql-5.1/bug29854/host.lower-test
070718 12:28:26 [Warning] Can't create test file /users/ssmirnova/build/mysql-5.1/bug29854/host.lower-test
libexec/mysqld: Can't change dir to '/users/ssmirnova/build/mysql-5.1/bug29854/' (Errcode: 13)
070718 12:28:26 [Warning] You have enabled the binary log, but you haven't set server-id to a non-zero value: we force server id to 1; updates will be logged to the binary log, but connections from slaves will not be accepted.
libexec/mysqld: File './bug29854/foo.index' not found (Errcode: 13)
070718 12:28:26 [ERROR] Aborting

070718 12:28:26 [Note] libexec/mysqld: Shutdown complete

Version 5.0 is not affected.

Looking into the problem again and sorting out defaults:

The datadir has to exist, but should not be writable for the user.

$ /usr/sbin/mysqld \
  --no-defaults \
  --help --verbose \
  --log-bin=foo \
  --datadir=/var/lib/mysql/

070718 12:18:19 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/jan-dev.lower-test
070718 12:18:19 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/jan-dev.lower-test
/usr/sbin/mysqld: File './foo.index' not found (Errcode: 13)
070718 12:18:19 [ERROR] Aborting

$ /usr/sbin/mysqld --version
/usr/sbin/mysqld  Ver 5.1.19-beta-log for unknown-linux-gnu on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server (GPL))