Usernames And Passwords

• There are several distinctions between the way usernames and passwords are used by MySQL and the way they are used by Linux.
  • Usernames, as used by MySQL for authentication purposes, have nothing to do with usernames used by Linux.
  • On Linux, most MySQL clients by default try to log in using the current Linux username as the MySQL username.
    • This is for convenience only.
    • Use the --user option to override the Linux default.

• MySQL usernames can be up to 16 characters long.
  • This limit is hard coded.

• MySQL does not have a limit for the length of the password.
  • However, the operating system may have a limit.

• MySQL encrypts passwords using its own algorithm.
  • MySQL password encryption is the same as that implemented by the SQL function PASSWORD().
  • Use the --port option to indicate the proper port number or use the --socket option to indicate the proper named pipe or socket file.

How do I add new user accounts to MySQL?

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© 2007 John Michael Pierobon

Notes