I'm trying to get mysql working on MEPIS 3.3.1.

I've installed mysql client & server 4.0.24 using synaptic package manager. When I run the mysql command, I get the follwoing error msg

ERROR 2002: Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)

I changed the owner of the /var/run/mysqld directory to mysql user and gave all users read/write access (thought this may be a permission problem), but I still have the error msg. I get the same error msg when I try to access mysql through a php script.

Any pointer's?

sounds like your mysql server isn't even running. it needs to be running in the background before you connect to it with a client.

u may try
ps -e | grep mysqld
to see if its running

Thanks - I'm a linux newbie and trying to find my way.

mysqld is not running. I noticed that when mepis boots up it trys to start mysql server, but then there's an error msg that goes by quite quick and so hard to read, but I think it's the same msg about not being able to connect to the socket.

When I run mysqld at the shell prompt I get the follwoing
050814 14:57:26 InnoDB: Started
050814 14:57:26 Fatal error: Can't open privilege tables: Table 'mysql.host' doesn't exist
050814 14:57:26 Aborting

050814 14:57:26 InnoDB: Starting shutdown...
050814 14:57:28 InnoDB: Shutdown completed
050814 14:57:28 mysqld: Shutdown Complete

Something didn't get setup right when it was installed - I'm lloking through mysql docs for some clues.

Also, I noticed that mysql protocol was not allowed in the firewall - so I enabled - not sure that that should effect the sever on my machine...

well ok, I followed the mysql docs as follows for post install instructions

$ cd /usr
$ bin/mysql_install_db

this setup all the tables. I did try this command before I posted the note the first time. I don't know if I just didn't have the right directoriess or what, but this script did not work before (can't remember what error message it returned).

One change I know I made was to comment out the following line in /etc/mysql/my.conf
#old_passwords = 1

This was causing some errors, and found this advice to comment out in another note.

All looks to be ok now - myslqd is running - now I just have to setup the users and paswword.

Thanks for the help.

Thanks Yatla ..
I had the problem with the old_passwords thing
- commented it out - then still could not start mysql with the same errors you got ..

- ran
$ cd /usr
$ bin/mysql_install_db

all good now ..