(MySQL 5.1.51 Page 6 of 8)

MySQL 5.1 Port 3306 on TCP/IP:

As we are going to be running our MySQL through PHP and Apache/iis, we are going to enable TCP/IP Networking by checking [./] the box. We do the same for add firewall exception for this port. We do not want the firewall preventing access to our database.

It is unlikely that you will run into a port conflict here, but there are other programs that do use Port: 3306. If you are unsure on how to test or resolve port conflicts, review the notes in this tutorial under the section: Preliminary Steps.

Port3306 is recommended, however you can select a different port at this step from the port number pull down list. You may want to make a note of an altered port number in the case you need to configure other add-on software to it at a future date.

We also check [./] the box Enable Strict Mode as per MySQL's recommendations here.

MySQL 5.1 TCP/IP Port setup Window
(Fig. 15)

Most users will check [./] everything in this wizard window and select next.

Select MySQL 5.1's Default Character Set:

Next we select the Character Set we want as default in MySQL 5.1. If your data base is English or other West European language based, Standard is the one to use, else, UTF8 for a good mix of many languages. You can also specify a character set from the many available options in the pull down selection in the Manual option section.

Choosing a Default Character Set for MySQL 5.1
(Fig. 16)

Consider if you will be using English and West European languages in your database, or a more diverse set of character sets. Select the character set of preference and click next.

MySQL 5.1 Windows Service Option:

Next we configure our windows options and check the boxes [./] Install As Windows Service and [./] Launch the MySQL server automatically. This allows MySQL 5.1 to start as a Windows Service and also on windows start-up. This also means the program can be re-started from Ms Windows' Services Management Menu in the event of a service failure with out having to re-boot Windows.

The default Service name is MySQL, but you can also select any from the drop down box or assign another name to the service. If you are running other versions of MySQL, you will need to ensure they each have different Windows Service Names.

MySQL has a history of being a very powerful when tool utilized from the command line. If you plan to access MySQL from the command line or have access to using it in this way, you would need to ensure you check the box [./] Include Bin Directory in Windows PATH which ensures the Windows Environment can find the needed folder.

After your installation is complete, the command line can then be accessed via the MySQL program group in the Windows Start / Programs Menu. When you have opened the command prompt window, you can get started by typing /h for help and /q to quit which will also exit and close the command window.

MySQL 5.1 - Installing as a Windows Service
(Fig. 17)

Here we should prefer to check [./] all boxes, give our Windows Service a name (Default is MySQL) and select next.