[SOLVED] Mysq: Can't delete databases as root user, why?

robgeek · 06-30-2014, 07:28 PM

Hello!

I installed mysql in my Debian Wheezy and after install the first thing i did was log as root. As normal user for linux and as root for mysql with this command "mysql -u root -p"
Then, i entered with this command "show databases;" and mysql showed me this:

Quote:

+--------------------+
| Database |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| mysql |
| performance_schema |
+--------------------+

When i tried to delete them i got this error message:

Quote:

mysql> drop database information_schema;
ERROR 1044 (42000): Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost' to database 'information_schema'

So i would like to know why mysql doesn't let me delete these databases? I'm the root user i should have permission to delete these databases, i think.

astrogeek · 06-30-2014, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgeek

Hello!

I installed mysql in my Debian Wheezy and after install the first thing i did was log as root. As normal user for linux and as root for mysql with this command "mysql -u root -p"
Then, i entered with this command "show databases;" and mysql showed me this:

When i tried to delete them i got this error message:

So i would like to know why mysql doesn't let me delete these databases? I'm the root user i should have permission to delete these databases, i think.

Self preservation! The mysql database holds all the internal info, user access rights and other info for every other database and mysql cannot run without it! Similar for the others...

Why would you want to delete them?

EDIT*** - It is also worth pointing out that the mysql 'root' user is created mostly as a convenience and does not necessarily correspond to the system root user, so there is really no reason to think that the root user can do anything within mysql - a common misconception.

robgeek · 06-30-2014, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrogeek

Self preservation! The mysql database holds all the internal info, user access rights and other info for every other database and mysql cannot run without it! Similar for the others...

Why would you want to delete them?

EDIT*** - It is also worth pointing out that the mysql 'root' user is created mostly as a convenience and does not necessarily correspond to the system root user, so there is really no reason to think that the root user can do anything within mysql - a common misconception.

I tried to delete them just to see what happens. So, doing what i did, am i actually logged as root? And, being root, i'm the manager of the database, right? So i have freedom to do whatever i want on my system?

astrogeek · 06-30-2014, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgeek

I tried to delete them just to see what happens. So, doing what i did, am i actually logged as root? And, being root, i'm the manager of the database, right? So i have freedom to do whatever i want on my system?

And what you saw happen was that mysql will not allow you to drop those databases.

To repeat...

Quote:

The mysql 'root' user is created mostly as a convenience on most distros and does not necessarily correspond to the system root user, so there is really no reason to think that the root user can do anything within mysql - a common misconception.

Within mysql, "root" is just a user name - it is not a mysql version of the system root user and may have any allowable mysql permissions, or none at all.

It has nothing to do with you being root, mysql will not allow you to delete those databases because it would break mysql.

Unlike the Enterprise, mysql does not have a built in self-destruct mechanism!

robgeek · 06-30-2014, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrogeek

And what you saw happen was that mysql will not allow you to drop those databases.

To repeat...

Within mysql, "root" is just a user name - it is not a mysql version of the system root user and may have any allowable mysql permissions, or none at all.

It has nothing to do with you being root, mysql will not allow you to delete those databases because it would break mysql.

Unlike the Enterprise, mysql does not have a built in self-destruct mechanism!

Ok. I understand now.
Thank you!

astrogeek · 06-30-2014, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robgeek

Ok. I understand now.
Thank you!

You are welcome! Good luck!