After reading several posts on this and other forums, I still have yet to successfully get the mySQL server up and running. I can only assume it's because I'm looking at installs for RedHat (which most tutorials go through) and not a Slackware specific tutorial. Most things I read have different directories, etc. which I can deal with, but the one I'm reading now says to change permissions on /usr/local/mysql/data, and after searching, there is no data folder under a mysql folder on the entire drive. I know RPM installs do automatic things and have also discovered that the mySQL user is already setup on my install. What I don't know is what comes after mysql_install_db. I'll post commands and error logs though, so maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

bash-2.05b# /usr/bin/mysqld_safe &
[1] 2549
bash-2.05b# Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /var/lib/mysql
040625 23:23:36 mysqld ended

Here is the error file.

bash-2.05b# cat Rage.err
040625 23:19:20 mysqld started
InnoDB: The first specified data file ./ibdata1 did not exist:
InnoDB: a new database to be created!
040625 23:19:20 InnoDB: Setting file ./ibdata1 size to 10 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
040625 23:19:21 InnoDB: Log file ./ib_logfile0 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file ./ib_logfile0 size to 5 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
040625 23:19:21 InnoDB: Log file ./ib_logfile1 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file ./ib_logfile1 size to 5 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
InnoDB: Doublewrite buffer not found: creating new
InnoDB: Doublewrite buffer created
InnoDB: Creating foreign key constraint system tables
InnoDB: Foreign key constraint system tables created
040625 23:19:22 InnoDB: Started
040625 23:19:22 Fatal error: Can't open privilege tables: Can't find file: './mysql/host.frm' (errno: 13)
040625 23:19:22 Aborting

040625 23:19:22 InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
040625 23:19:24 InnoDB: Shutdown completed
040625 23:19:24 /usr/libexec/mysqld: Shutdown Complete

040625 23:19:24 mysqld ended

040625 23:23:06 mysqld started
040625 23:23:06 InnoDB: Started
040625 23:23:06 Fatal error: Can't open privilege tables: Can't find file: './mysql/host.frm' (errno: 13)
040625 23:23:06 Aborting

040625 23:23:06 InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
040625 23:23:09 InnoDB: Shutdown completed
040625 23:23:09 /usr/libexec/mysqld: Shutdown Complete

040625 23:23:09 mysqld ended

040625 23:23:34 mysqld started
040625 23:23:34 InnoDB: Started
040625 23:23:34 Fatal error: Can't open privilege tables: Can't find file: './mysql/host.frm' (errno: 13)
040625 23:23:34 Aborting

040625 23:23:34 InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
040625 23:23:36 InnoDB: Shutdown completed
040625 23:23:36 /usr/libexec/mysqld: Shutdown Complete

040625 23:23:36 mysqld ended

040626 13:12:54 mysqld started
040626 13:12:55 InnoDB: Started
040626 13:12:55 Fatal error: Can't open privilege tables: Can't find file: './mysql/host.frm' (errno: 13)
040626 13:12:55 Aborting

040626 13:12:55 InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
040626 13:12:57 InnoDB: Shutdown completed
040626 13:12:57 /usr/libexec/mysqld: Shutdown Complete

040626 13:12:57 mysqld ended

did you read the comment in /etc/rc.d/rc.mysqld ? Did you chown -R mysql /var/lib/mysql ?
Did you try install script like /usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation ?

ok, did the chown and tried running the script, here's what I got

/usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation




NOTE: RUNNING ALL PARTS OF THIS SCRIPT IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL MySQL
SERVERS IN PRODUCTION USE! PLEASE READ EACH STEP CAREFULLY!


In order to log into MySQL to secure it, we'll need the current
password for the root user. If you've just installed MySQL, and
you haven't set the root password yet, the password will be blank,
so you should just press enter here.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): *entered password*
ERROR 2002: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysql/mysql.sock' (2)
Enter current password for root (enter for none):

try /etc/rc.d/rc.mysqld start before
This is root password for mysql not the same as system

I get a permission denied here logged as root

I haven't set a mysql root password as far as I know.

chmod +x /etc/rc.d/rc.mysqld then, but if you don't want mysqld runinng automatically at boot, do /usr/bin/mysqld_safe & by hand

wow, with that one command it's up and running. Thanks so much, didn't want to have nothing to show for 4 hours of searching and reading today.

btw, would this mean it's running mysql as root or the mysql user?