MySQL Bugs: #3160: "mysqladmin password" doesn't work if --skip-grant-tables

Bug #3160	"mysqladmin password" doesn't work if --skip-grant-tables
Submitted:	12 Mar 2004 14:06	Modified:	16 Mar 2004 7:06
Reporter:	Sergei Golubchik	Email Updates:
Status:	Closed	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Command-line Clients	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	4.1	OS:
Assigned to:	Victor Vagin	CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
mysqladmin password fails to change password if a server is started with --skip-grant-tables

How to repeat:
% mysqld --skip-grant-tables
% mysqladmin -u root password 'mynewpassword'
mysqladmin: unable to change password; error: 'You must have privileges to update tables in the mysql database to be able to change passwords for others'

Suggested fix:
after issuing SET PASSWORD=... mysqladmin should check error code returned.
If it's 1290 (ER_OPTION_PREVENTS_STATEMENT) - in 4.1 tree, that is (as this cannot be fixed in an earlier version) - mysqladmin should try to set the password with UPDATE mysql.user SET ...

A workaround is to use flush-privileges before password
to re-enable the grant tables.  From the manual:

@item
Set a new password for the @code{root@@localhost} MySQL user:
@example
shell> mysqladmin -u root flush-privileges password "newpwd"
@end example
Replace ``newpwd'' with the actual @code{root} password that you want
to use.

That doesn't make a bug not a bug, but the problem isn't
insurmountable. :-)

bk commit - 4.1 tree (vva:1.1783)

ChangeSet
  1.1783 04/03/15 19:04:24 vva@eagle.mysql.r18.ru +5 -0
  fixed bug #3160 '"mysqladmin password" doesn't work if --skip-grant-tables'

Approved, but without test case (see email)

Thank you for your bug report. This issue has been committed to our
source repository of that product and will be incorporated into the
next release.

If necessary, you can access the source repository and build the latest
available version, including the bugfix, yourself. More information 
about accessing the source trees is available at
    http://www.mysql.com/doc/en/Installing_source_tree.html

Additional info:

The fix will be in mysql-4.1.2

now mysqladmin simply prints an error message with an advice to use 

mysqladmin flush-privileges password 'newpassword'