Install MySQL using the Zend DBi installer with Zend Server

This article tells how to install MySQL on a partition that does not have MySQL currently installed. To check whether MySQL is installed, please review this post:

How to Verify MySQL is Installed on your IBM i

Zend DBi is a MySQL build for IBM i that is packaged by Zend.  Zend DBi provides a very simple installation process for MySQL on IBM i.  MySQL is optional on the IBM i.  Not everybody needs it.  To learn a little more about what MySQL is and help decide if you want to install it, please review this article:

Zend DBi, MySQL, and IBMDB2I introduction

Zend DBi is included in Zend Server for IBM i, and can be installed during the Zend Server installation, or later from a menu. Examples in this article use Zend Server for IBM i version 6.3.0.

During the interactive install of Zend Server for IBM i, near the end of the process, the following display will appear:

 MySQL installation (optional) 

 Press ENTER to start ZendDBi installation or press F3 to 
 skip ZendDBi installation 

 F3=Exit

Pressing enter here will install MySQL, which is fine, but I usually don’t do it.  Being a Support Engineer, I like to check out the Zend Server installation and verify everything is OK with that, before bothering to put MySQL on.  That is just my personal preference though.  It is very easy to just do the MySQL install later.  It is the same process, either way.  So I like to press F3 here, and then do the MySQL install from the menu.

To install from the menu, please log on to a 5250 session as QSECOFR or as a *SECOFR class user.  Enter this command:

go zendsvr6/zsmenu

This should bring you to the Zend Server 6 for IBM i Setup Menu.

Use option “6. ZendDBi Management menu”.

Zend DBI will detect that MySQL is not installed (remember this is for a new install, as mentioned at the top of the article).  So, instead of taking you to the menu, this will be displayed:

 MySQL installation (optional) 

 Press ENTER to start ZendDBi installation or press F3 to 
 skip ZendDBi installation 

 F3=Exit

This is the exact same display as was shown during the Zend Server install, because this is the exact same installer.  Press ENTER to run the installation.  You will see this:

MySQL installation (optional) 

 ZendDBi is being installed and configured 
 Please wait ... 

 F3=Exit

Status messages will display as the installer continues.  This all happens quickly on larger systems, but can take a while on smaller systems, especially if the partition is using a partial CPU.  (I don’t recommend running Zend Server on a partial CPU; certainly never in production.  It might be OK for a developer partition, provided your developers are inclined to be patient.)

At the end of the installation, there is an inquiry message displayed:

INSTALLATION SUCCESSFUL!

There is no need to type anything on the Reply line.  Just press enter.  This will come up:

MySQL installation (optional) 

 ZendDBi is installed in directory /usr/local/MySql
 and library ZMYSQL 

 F3=Exit

Press F3.  This should return you to the Zend Server 6 for IBM i Setup Menu.  MySQL is now installed on your system.

Sometimes another screen will be displayed that shows some messages from the shell script.  There will be a reply line, but no response is required.  If you see it, please just press enter to continue.  (Next time I see an example of this, I will come back and update this post to show it.)

So, that’s it!  MySQL is installed.  Just a few clicks, and there it is.  However (and you knew this was coming), there are a few more things that need to be done, before MySQL is ready to use.

1. Restrict public permissions for my.cnf

2. Start the Zend DBi MySQL Daemon job and verify it is running

3. Set the Zend DBi MySQL root user password

4. Install the IBMDB2i storage engine for Zend DBI MySQL (Optional, Cool)

5. Deploy phpMyAdmin using Zend Deployment (Optional, Highly Recommended)

6. Automatically start Zend DBi MySQL at start up (Optional, Very Convenient)

 

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2 Comments

  1. Thank you for this article. Is there any option to update the MySQL version? Whenever I use ZEND on IBM i, I only get an outdated version of MySQL.

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