MySQL Perl support requires that you have installed MySQL client programming support (libraries and header files). Most installation methods install the necessary files. If you install MySQL from RPM files on Linux, be sure to install the developer RPM as well. The client programs are in the client RPM, but client programming support is in the developer RPM.
The files you need for Perl support can be obtained from the CPAN (Comprehensive Perl Archive Network) at http://search.cpan.org.
The easiest way to install Perl modules on Unix is to use the
CPAN
module. For example:
shell> perl -MCPAN -e shell
cpan> install DBI
cpan> install DBD::mysql
The DBD::mysql
installation runs a number of
tests. These tests attempt to connect to the local MySQL server
using the default user name and password. (The default user name
is your login name on Unix, and ODBC
on
Windows. The default password is “no password.”) If
you cannot connect to the server with those values (for example,
if your account has a password), the tests fail. You can use
force install DBD::mysql
to ignore the failed
tests.
DBI
requires the
Data::Dumper
module. It may be installed; if
not, you should install it before installing
DBI
.
It is also possible to download the module distributions in the form of compressed tar archives and build the modules manually. For example, to unpack and build a DBI distribution, use a procedure such as this:
Unpack the distribution into the current directory:
shell> gunzip < DBI-VERSION.tar.gz | tar xvf -
This command creates a directory named
DBI-
.VERSION
Change location into the top-level directory of the unpacked distribution:
shell> cd DBI-VERSION
Build the distribution and compile everything:
shell> perl Makefile.PL shell> make shell> make test shell> make install
The make test command is important because it
verifies that the module is working. Note that when you run that
command during the DBD::mysql
installation to
exercise the interface code, the MySQL server must be running or
the test fails.
It is a good idea to rebuild and reinstall the
DBD::mysql
distribution whenever you install a
new release of MySQL. This ensures that the latest versions of the
MySQL client libraries are installed correctly.
If you do not have access rights to install Perl modules in the system directory or if you want to install local Perl modules, the following reference may be useful: http://learn.perl.org/faq/perlfaq8.html#How-do-I-keep-my-own-module-library-directory-