Oracle 5.0 Reference Manual page 256

On Windows, MySQL programs read startup options from the following files, in the specified order (top
items are used first).
File Name
%WINDIR%\my.ini,
%WINDIR%\my.cnf
C:\my.ini, C:\my.cnf
INSTALLDIR\my.ini,
INSTALLDIR\my.cnf
defaults-extra-file
represents the location of your Windows directory. This is commonly C:\WINDOWS. You
%WINDIR%
can determine its exact location from the value of the
command:
C:\> echo %WINDIR%
represents the MySQL installation directory. This is typically
INSTALLDIR
\MySQL 5.0 Server
on English-language versions of Windows), when MySQL 5.0 has been installed using the
Files
installation and configuration wizards. See
Configuration Wizard".
On Unix, Linux and Mac OS X, MySQL programs read startup options from the following files, in the
specified order (top items are used first).
File Name
/etc/my.cnf
SYSCONFDIR/my.cnf
$MYSQL_HOME/my.cnf
defaults-extra-file
~/.my.cnf
represents the current user's home directory (the value of $HOME).
~
represents the directory specified with the
SYSCONFDIR
when MySQL was built. By default, this is the
directory. This location is used as of MySQL 5.0.21. (From 5.0.21 to 5.0.53, it was read last, after
~/.my.cnf.)
is an environment variable containing the path to the directory in which the server-
MYSQL_HOME
specific file resides. (This was
my.cnf
If is not set and you start the server using the
MYSQL_HOME
attempts to set
MYSQL_HOME
• Let and
BASEDIR DATADIR
directory, respectively.
• If there is a
my.cnf
DATADIR.
• Otherwise, if
MYSQL_HOME
to BASEDIR.
MYSQL_HOME
In MySQL 5.0, use of
DATADIR
Specifying Program Options
Purpose
Global options
Global options
Global options
The file specified with
any
where represents the programs directory (usually
PROGRAMDIR
Section 2.10.3.1, "Starting the MySQL Server Instance
Purpose
Global options
Global options
Server-specific options
The file specified with
any
User-specific options
DATADIR
as follows:
represent the path names of the MySQL base directory and data
file in but not in BASEDIR,
DATADIR
is not set and there is no
as the location for
236
--defaults-extra-file=path
environment variable using the following
WINDIR
--defaults-extra-file=path
--sysconfdir
directory located under the compiled-in installation
etc
prior to MySQL version 5.0.3.)
mysqld_safe
mysqld_safe
file in DATADIR,
my.cnf
is deprecated.
my.cnf
[239], if
C:\PROGRAMDIR\MySQL
Program
[239], if
option to
configure
program,
mysqld_safe
sets to
MYSQL_HOME
mysqld_safe
sets