MySQL Bugs: #56279: Mac installer does not work as documented

Bug #56279	Mac installer does not work as documented
Submitted:	26 Aug 2010 5:19	Modified:	29 Aug 2010 17:25
Reporter:	Hakan Küçükyılmaz	Email Updates:
Status:	Not a Bug	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Installing	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	5.1.50	OS:	MacOS (10.5, 10.6)
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
The installation document for MySQL on Mac OS X says

The Mac OS X PKG of MySQL installs itself into
`/usr/local/mysql-VERSION' and also installs a symbolic link,
`/usr/local/mysql', that points to the new location. If a directory
named `/usr/local/mysql' exists, it is renamed to
`/usr/local/mysql.bak' first. Additionally, the installer creates the
grant tables in the `mysql' database by executing `mysql_install_db'.

However, the mysql.bak renaming does not work. Also, mysql_install_db fails under certain conditions, too. I will report the mysql_install_db in a separate bug.

How to repeat:
I used mysql-5.1.50-osx10.6-x86.dmg on my Mac OS X 10.6.

* Mount the image
* Double click mysql-5.1.50-osx10.6-x86_64.dmg
* Click through the installation
* Result: the installation finishes and states that it was successful

Directory structure before installation. Please note the mysql symlink.
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.1
0 drwxrwxr-x   mariadb-5.1.49-osx10.6-x86
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.2
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.2-debug
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.3
4 lrwxr-xr-x   mysql -> mariadb-5.1.49-osx10.6-x86

Directory structure after the installation. Please note that the mysql symlink was not backuped like documented.

0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.1
0 drwxrwxr-x   mariadb-5.1.49-osx10.6-x86
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.2
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.2-debug
0 drwxr-xr-x   mariadb-5.3
4 lrwxr-xr-x   mysql -> mysql-5.1.50-osx10.6-x86_64
0 drwxr-xr-x   mysql-5.1.50-osx10.6-x86_64

Suggested fix:
The script preflight has a bug checking for existing mysql symlinks.

preflight reads:
PREFIX="/usr/local/mysql"
BASENAME=`basename $PREFIX`

if [ -d $PREFIX -a ! -L $PREFIX -a $BASENAME = "mysql" ] ; then
	mv $PREFIX $PREFIX.bak
fi

It should read (there is a ! too much):
PREFIX="/usr/local/mysql"
BASENAME=`basename $PREFIX`

if [ -d $PREFIX -a -L $PREFIX -a $BASENAME = "mysql" ] ; then
	mv $PREFIX $PREFIX.bak
fi

What installation document do you mean? 

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/mysql-installation-macosx-pkg.html, for example, does not mention renaming existing mysql directory (or symlink) to mysql.bak (and this renaming, indeed, never happens).

I mean the documentation delivered within the installer.

Indeed, ReadMe.txt in .dmg claims this:

"If a directory named `/usr/local/mysql' exists, it is renamed to `/usr/local/mysql.bak' first."

while this never happens.

The behavior in the readme.txt is consistent with what happens.

"If a *directory* named `/usr/local/mysql' exists, it is renamed to `/usr/local/mysql.bak'"

Notice: a directory, not a symlink.

Before the installation:
# ls -l -d mysql
drwxr-xr-x  2 root  wheel  68 Aug 28 21:56 mysql

This is a directory, not a symlink.

After the installation:
# ls -l -d mysql*
lrwxr-xr-x   1 root  wheel   24 Aug 28 21:58 mysql -> mysql-5.1.48-osx10.6-x86
drwxr-xr-x   2 root  wheel  136 Jun 23 07:44 mysql-5.1.38-osx10.5-x86
drwxr-xr-x  13 root  wheel  578 Jun  4 20:22 mysql-5.1.48-osx10.6-x86
drwxr-xr-x   2 root  wheel   68 Aug 28 21:56 mysql.bak

So, the installer does what the documentation says. Hence, it is not a bug.

Giuseppe, thanks for clarification.