How To install MySQL Server on OSX 10.6, Snow Leopard

Posted: February 6th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

This explains how to install MySQL Server on OSX 10.6, Snow Leopard.

Step 1. Install the core MySQL server

Follow the link below and download the most recent “Generally Availiable” release for OSX.

Go to the mySQL download page.

Scroll down and make sure that is says “Mac OSX” under “Selected Platforms” Click the download link next to the DMG file.

The file I downloaded is called “mysql-5.1.43-osx10.6-x86_64.dmg” Yours might have a newer version number. You will likely be asked to login to the MySQL website. You will have to create an account with them if you don’t have one already. After you download it, double-click on the DMG file, then launch the .pkg file that you see, In this case “mysql-5.1.43-osx10.6-x86_64.pkg”

Hit the usual installer sequence of “Continue”, “Continue”, “Continue” then “Agree”, then “Install”. You may be prompted for your password before the install completes.

When the install is done, then everything just closes. You have installed MySQL here:

/usr/local/mysql-5.1.43-osx10.6-x86_64

The exact path depends on the version number that you downloaded. There will also be an alias so that the install folder can be accessed from this path:

/usr/local/mysql/bin

Step 2. Install the MySQL icon into your OSX System Preferences

Now you need to install mySQL into your OSX System Preferences. This is not included in the base mySQL install. You need to download a little utility for this.

Download MySQL preferences Pane Now

Don’t install it yet, if you do it will most likely fail. You need to find your /Library/PreferencePanes folder first and and give your user account full Read & Write access to the folder and all enclosed items. Now you can install it.

Mount the DMG and double-click the MySQL-PrefPane-1.2 package.

Now you should see a MySQL icon in your OSX System Preferences, Like this:

When you double click the icon, you will see 3 basic controls which allow you to:

  • Start and Stop MySQL server.
  • Set the root password.
  • Set the the server to start automatically when you start your computer.

Step 3. Install the MySQL GUI Tools.

Download the GUI tools from the MySQL website.

Go to the GUI Tools Download Page

Find the Download for OSX like this:

In my case I downloaded the file “mysql-gui-tools-5.0-r12-osx10.4-universal.dmg” Double-click the .dmg file and install by dragging the “My SQL Tools” icon to the “Applications” folder

Now you have MySQL Administrator and MySQL Query browser icons.

Congratulations, you’re done!