This chapter from High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny and Derek J. Balling. (O'Reilly Media, ISBN: 0-596-00306-4, April 2004) talks about binary distributions, the sections in a configuration file, and some SHOW commands that provide a window into what’s going on inside MySQL. This book is for the MySQL administrator who has the basics down but realizes the need to go further.
The configuration file format consists of one or more sections, each of which may contain one or more lines. Sections begin with a name in square brackets, such as [ mysqld ] ; this identifies the program to which the options should be applied. Each line contains a comment, a key/value pair, a set-variable directive, or a Boolean directive. Blank lines are ignored.
Two special section names can occur in each configuration file: [server] and [client] . Items listed in the [server] block apply to the MySQL server process. Those in the [client] section apply to all client programs that use the MySQL C cli ent library, including mysql , mysqlhotcopy , and mysqldump .
Comments begin with # or ; and continue to the end of the line:
# this is a comment ; so is this
There is no multiline comment format. You can’t place a comment at the end of an otherwise non-empty line:
key_buffer=128M # a comment can't go here
The key/value pairs are settings such as:
> user = mysql port = 3306
The set-variable statements look like key/value pairs in which the value is a key/ value pair itself:
> set-variable = key_buffer=384M
set-variable = tmp_table_size=32M
Spaces aren’t important in set-variable lines. You can also write the two previous lines as follows:
set-variable = key_buffer = 384 M set-variable=tmp_table_size=32 M
Either way, MySQL will understand you. However, consider using some space to enhance readability.
As of Version 4.1, the set-variable= portion of the variable definition is no longer needed and is deprecated. In current versions:
set-variable = key_buffer=384M
and:
key_buffer=384M
are both interpreted in an identical manner by the server at startup time. If you are running a version that supports leaving out the set-variable clause, it probably is best to do so because it won’t be supported forever. We’ve chosen to use the older format here because it’s what you’re likely to have already, and the sample configura tion files in the standard MySQL distribution continue to use it.
The few boolean directives are just stated plainly:
skip-bdb
Individual lines in the configuration file are limited to 2 KB in length. While it’s rare that you’ll ever need to use a line that long, it can occasionally be a problem.
If you've enjoyed what you've seen here, or to get more information, click on the "Buy the book!" graphic. Pick up a copy today!
MySQL 
PHP Closures as View Helpers: Lazy-Loading File Data
