Peter Kiem wrote: > Hi Jim, > >> > Now normally I just move /var/lib/mysql to /home/mysql and symlink >> > it. >> >> Um... why? This seems like it would be more trouble than it's worth. >> and with the symlink, I don't see the benefit. > > The reason I move it is because I usually make my systems with a > 'small' / partition (say 10GB) and a large /home partition. > Thats the reason for a /var partition. I always have a huge var (400+G), and a small home (40G) All my samba shares (usually just /var/ftp/pub) go in /var > It is very easy to have large MySQL databases sitting in the default > location then use up all space on the / partition which causes all > sorts of havoc. > > By moving it off to the /home partition it is moved to where the > majority of the space is available and away from system data. MySQL > databases are user data and should be in the user area. > > The symlink allows you then to just start MySQL without changing any > of the config files and anything else that expects it to be in > /var/lib/mysql can still find it. > >> This is really how you should move the data directory anyway. Faking >> it as you were doing works, but it's not 'proper'. > > Symlinks were created for this very reason. > >> > WHY is mysqld trying to read / when I told it to use /home/mysql ? >> >> Because you have to get to / before you can get to /home/ and >> /home/mysql.. Directory traversal vulnerabilities are quite >> commonplace, which is why you see all the >> $DOCUMENT_ROOT/../../../etc/somedir/ type attempts in logs >> occasionally for things like apache. > > Well doesn't it have to traverse / to get to the default location of > /var/lib/mysql anyway? > > I can see where it may not have permission for /home but surely > everything can start at / ? > >