MySQL Bugs: #63539: Can't get rid of unused general

Bug #63539	Can't get rid of unused general_log table
Submitted:	2 Dec 2011 13:17	Modified:	6 Jan 2012 11:40
Reporter:	Peter Laursen (Basic Quality Contributor)	Email Updates:
Status:	No Feedback	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Logging	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	5.1, 5.5 (5.6 not tested)	OS:	Any
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
If an old log table exists and logging is still enabled *but now to a file*, the general_log file cannot be dropped.

How to repeat:
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'general_log'; -- ON
SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'log_output'; -- FILE

USE mysql;

SHOW TABLES LIKE 'gen%'; 
-- tables_in_mysql (gen%): general_log 

DROP TABLE general_log; 
-- Error Code: 1580 - You cannot 'DROP' a log table if logging is enabled

Suggested fix:
Why this blocade?  To me it makes perfect sense to drop the table when logging happens to a file. 

Not a big deal to "SET GLOBAL general_log = OFF", drop the table and re-enable the log.  But you will miss some records in the log.

Make the condition depend on both 'general_log' and 'log_output' settings (ie this error condition should require both 'general_log = ON' and 'log_output = TABLE'. In the 3 other cartesian cases for the variables the table can safely be dropped.

Description should read like

Description:
If an old log table exists and logging is still enabled *but now to a file*, the
general_log table cannot be dropped.

(file >> table)

.. and I assume the same is the case for the slow log!

Changed category to 'logging'.  I never noticed this category before!

Please, check http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/log-destinations.html. Proper procedure to disable log tables if you want to drop them is described there.

No feedback was provided for this bug for over a month, so it is
being suspended automatically. If you are able to provide the
information that was originally requested, please do so and change
the status of the bug back to "Open".